Feeling frustrated/stressed before you even step foot into the workplace in the morning?? This is not ideal for your mental & physical health. If I could place a bet, I would say that almost all of you feeling this way lack a morning routine. I became more focused, less stressed and more productive in my life the minute I dedicated myself to a morning routine.

LACKING A MORNING ROUTINE? You are one of those people who hits snooze 2-5x and then jolts out of bed at the very last minute to throw on some clothes and head out the door to work. You may not realize it at first, but your want/need for an extra hour or 2 of sleep is causing you more stress than it’s worth. Starting your day unprepared in the morning basically sets you up for failure for the rest of the day. This constant struggle to “keep up” with the day puts an unnecessary level of stress on you. Take this for example:

Wake up late —> have no time to “get ready” —> forget your breakfast/lunch or don’t have time to gather one from the fridge —> go to work unprepared so you hit the drive thru for breakfast —> Lunch time rolls around and you decide to grab mighty taco because “why not” —> Time to leave work and hit the gym on your way home… BUT you forgot your gym clothes so you head home with good intentions of driving back to the gym… guess what? It doesn’t happen. You plop down on the couch feeling sorry for yourself and do nothing to make tomorrow morning any different than today.

Does this vicious cycle sound familiar? If It does the ONE thing that can pull you out of this is a solid morning routine. For me personally I have a 16 month old so If I want my morning routine to go smoothly I have to wake up at 4:30am to fit everything in. Sound cringey to you? WELL hear me out… the thought of waking up and being catapulted head first into my day sounds worse than losing 3 hours of sleep. (in my eyes) I’ve also experienced both sides of the fence and I can tell you that you will never regret starting your day prepared.

How to create a morning routine:

  • 1st: Outline first what’s important to you.
  • 2nd: Identify when your day actually starts (when it can no longer be about your needs)
  • 3rd: EXECUTE

My outline of important tasks:

  • Workout
  • Shower
  • Hair/makeup/wardrobe
  • Meals planned for the day
  • Laundry
  • Dishwasher emptied
  • Emails answered

Your list might look a little different than mine but the most important thing is to identify what is the most important things you must get done PRIOR to the actual day beginning. Next is to identify when your day actually begins. For me the day begins when my daughter wakes up. (For you it might be when you get in your car for the morning commute to work.)

If I successfully execute my 7 items by 7am I feel not only accomplished but ready to take on the day.

Today I challenge you all to identify what’s important in your morning routine. It May be a shorter list than mine, it may be a longer list than mine. Work backwards to see how much time you need to complete these tasks. Then MAKE IT HAPPEN. Set your alarm for 5/6/7am and get up without hitting snooze. Do this for ONE WEEK straight and you’ll never want to go back to the “old you”.