Morning routines are all the craze….and it’s because they work. For many years I didn’t have a focused morning routine. I started to hear more about routines and their effectiveness when I was talking to a few business owner friends of mine. If you want more focus in your work day, more productivity, more intentional results, more goal achievement, you need to establish a routine that works for you!
Here is how you make a routine NOT work – make it unsustainable!
The first time I decided to focus on building a routine, I wrote it out, in steps, on one of those great yellow line ruled pads of paper. I taped it up on my office wall, in front of my computer, and I looked at it every day for 2 weeks. I wanted it to simmer. I wanted to be sure I was willing to commit to doing it.
Here’s where I failed.
It was too much!
There were too many items on the list. So when I started the routine. I was able to adhere to it for 3 days, then things started slipping. After 2 weeks I realized that I was failing miserably at my routine. Furthermore, the fact that I was missing some of the task items, resulted in me getting impatient with myself, frustrated with the process, and angry that I was failing at meeting my goals.
In addition to all of those feelings, my days were getting more difficult because the stress of not achieving the routine, then my day would get out of control. It’s like there was more stress, not less. It wasn’t working.
So I adjusted. On the fly!
I dropped 50% of the tasks, and started the next day. I refused to add another item to the morning routine list unless I was successful at achieving the routine more than 4 weeks in a row. This resulted in a formed habit and something I was much more comfortable with!
So….the biggest pillar in my morning routine is 20-30 minutes in the hot tub. Some people like meditation, and that’s was this is for me. I’ve heard from other business owners that this wouldn’t work for them, and that’s ok! There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s what works for me. It allows me to clear my mind and focus on my day ahead. I can visualize what tasks I need to get done. My focus, during this time, allows me to be creative and come up with unique ideas that improve my life and my business.
So, what’s your morning routine? Tweet Me @Breakthruchamp and let’s chat routines!
If you want to read up on some info regarding routines, try these 2 books that discuss it:
Erik Wahl – The Spark and The Grind on Amazon
David Greenwood – Overcoming Distractions on Amazon
Final thoughts: Set Up a routine. One that works for you! Stick with it, no matter how small it is, or how inconsequential it seems. You’ll being to see the results over time. Make small changes and additions as necessary!
Carry on….now go take action!