I am a creature of habit. I love to do the same thing, every single morning. It just sets my day up for success. I realized a long time ago (probably from my days in the Marines, but maybe even before that) that I am a morning person. I do my very best work in the morning and I decided many years ago that I would not spend that time trying to get to work before everyone else, but my time would be better spent doing a short meditation and a workout. It allows me to bring my best self forward and I find that I am more grounded and ready to conquer whatever life throws at me.
My ideal morning routine looks like this:
- 0430- wake up
- Put on my workout clothes
- Sit in my closet with the lights off and meditate for 10 minutes (set a timer)
- Put up my hair, brush my teeth
- 0500- Head to the garage for a workout
- Usually some combination of bike strength and stretching, just get sweaty
- Coffee
- Shower, get dressed
- 0630- Get situated in the office, ready to start my workday
- Read a couple articles on Wall Street Journal or a few pages of a business book
- Have breakfast (currently, my breakfast of choice is: one piece of Dave’s Killer bread toasted with 2 eggs on top, everything but the bagel seasoning and ½ cup oatmeal with cinnamon and blueberries)
This has been my ideal routine for the past 11 years since I have been out of the Marines. Only minor changes have been made recently with my transition to working at home. I used to get the kids up at 0630 and ready to get out the door so I can hit my one-hour commute to work, but that’s gone now, thankfully!
Sometimes I fall off my routine, it can have a lot to do with lack of structure, holidays or just being tired. Other times, a kid will wake up and follow me into the closet or into the garage for my workout, throwing me totally off my game. I don’t take it too hard on myself, I just plan to start up again the next day. It comes so naturally to me that I can just pick it back up any day of the week, even on weekends. It’s a journey and I am focused on the long game, not the day to day struggles.
During my morning meditation, I sit in pure stillness and silence. I have tried guided meditations, and use that at bedtime sometimes, but in the morning, I just need silence. In the morning, my mind is racing with all the things I must do, so I try to take just a few minutes to myself to calm my mind and concentrate on positive energy. For the first few minutes, I try not to think about anything, but be still, and listen to myself breathe. Then I will transition into positive thoughts, happy feelings, and try to bring those feelings to me as I start my day. It just takes a few minutes of slowing down for me to set my day off just right. I am usually surprised by the timer going off and I snap out of it and back to my busy day.
My morning routine makes me more grounded, disciplined and overall gives me a greater sense of freedom throughout the day, since I have already accomplished my top priority items before the rest of my house is even awake.
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