10 Tips to Rock Your Morning

For my entire life, I’ve had the habit of hitting the snooze button every morning.  I’d set the alarm with intentions of getting up early, but just hit snooze instead. About 10 times. No joke. Finally, I’d drag out of bed and start yelling at the kids to "get up, we’re late!"  Duh.⠀

But one day, I chose a new habit.  Maybe I’d finally had enough of the constant stress of running behind. Or maybe one day I finally had a purpose.⠀

My purpose was I needed to have more energy. I also wanted to be sure I spent some alone time with God first thing, instead of trying unsuccessfully to shove it somewhere later in the day. I wanted to meditate so I had better peace throughout the day.  I wanted to work on starting a new business.⠀

You see, the difference in where you are and where you want to be is in what you do on a daily basis.

We all have habits.  Whether or not they are good ones that serve us is another story.

What are your morning habits?  Do you flip on the news?  Read your email?  Scroll social media?  Are your habits serving you well?  Or are they like my snooze button habit that isn't necessarily bad, but certainly doesn't move me closer to my goals.  

Now I'd love to tell you that the prince got his girl and I'm now a morning person.  But let's get real.  I would love to stay up half the night watching Suits or The Crown and sleeping in until I felt like waking up.  But most nights I remember my bigger purpose and get myself to bed at a decent hour.

With a firm purpose, I started managing my mornings so I could rock my day.  Here’s what you can do if you have the same desire:⠀

1)  Set your alarm (or phone) across the room.  As you get up to get the alarm, turn on the lights on your way there.

2)  Change your alarm to a fun song that will get you moving.
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3)  Get in bed with enough time for at least 7 hours of sleep.

4)  Lay out your workout clothes the night before and get dressed immediately upon getting out of bed.
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5)  Write an affirmation before you go to bed and read aloud every night.  Describe how you want your morning to look. “I get up with energy, fully rested and ready to work out.  I take care of my body because it gives me the fuel I need to fulfil my purpose in life.”⠀

6)  As soon as your feet hit the floor in the morning, tell yourself “I’m up, I’m up”. Go immediately and splash water on your face or hop in a cold shower.

7)  Drink a glass of water to rehydrate from your 7-8 hours of sleep. :)

8)  Record a big list of affirmations that talk about your ideal day, your ideal clients, your ideal relationships, your goals, dreams, and desires.  Press play every morning and let these be the first thoughts that form your day.

9)  Start a routine that you do in the same order every morning.  Don't think about it, just do it.  The fewer decisions you have to make, the better.

10) Most importantly. What is your purpose?  Have you been longing to write a book but don’t have time?  Have you been meaning to get back in shape but can’t seem to stay committed to working out in the evening?  Knowing your why can be just the motivation you need to join the 5:00 club.

So which one of these will you try?  Pick one and try it tomorrow.  Then let me know how it goes!  I love hearing from you!  🌞🌞

Beginner's Guide to Getting More Sleep, From a Reformed Night Owl

Apparently, the early bird gets the worm, miracles happen in the morning, and successful people get more done before 9 am than most people do all day.  Sounds great, but what if you’re a night owl like me?  After surveying our community, it sounds like many of you are night owls as well.  Since our world revolves around jobs that start at 8 am, and gasp, even earlier for some, let’s take a peek at what those successful people do to get up earlier. 

Obviously, being an early riser or a night owl has a lot to do with nature.  But when your job and your family depend on you being up and at ‘em no matter what nature gave you, we need to build in some nighttime routines that give us a fighting chance at doing so. 

Through trial and error, I’ve developed a list of my favorite night time rituals that help me get up earlier so I can get more done in the morning.  So, let’s dive in.

1)     Stop drinking caffeine early in the day.  Coffee in the morning, great.  Coffee at night, nope.  Set a cutoff time no later than 2 pm for your java fix.  Don’t stress, if you’re getting good sleep, you won’t need the afternoon pick me up.

2)     Reverse engineer what time you need to be asleep.  Decide what time you want to get up in order to include your morning routine.  Back up by 8 hours.  That’s your bedtime.  Now, if you’re used to getting way less sleep, you can do this in 30-minute increments.  But you really need to be aiming for 7-8 hours of sleep a night.  Stop laughing.  It’s doable.  Unless you have a baby, then all bets are off.

3)     Set an alarm on your phone for one hour prior to your designated bedtime.   This will alert you to start winding down and start getting ready for bed.  Set your phone to go to nighttime screen at this time as well.  

4)     Turn down the lights.  Just by dimming the lights, your body takes its cue to start winding down.  Your body is smart that way.

5)     No screen time 30 minutes prior to sleep.  The light from your screen is like being in broad daylight, and your body thinks it’s time to rock and roll.  In order to get into your circadian rhythm with ease, you need to ditch the screens.

6)     Relax with yoga or meditation.  There are lots of great 5-10-minute yoga videos on you tube that will help you stretch and relax.  Try it, you may develop a new healthy addiction.

7)     Record 3 things you’re grateful for in your journal.  Focusing on what you’re thankful for is an excellent way to take your mind off what’s worrying you and shift to a more positive focus right before you go to sleep.

8)     Reading is one of the best ways to wind down.  Take advantage of the last few minutes of wakefulness by reading something that will positively influence your life.

9)     Set your intention for the next morning.  Before dropping off to sleep, I tell myself that no matter how tired I feel now, I will awake feeling rested and ready to start my day.  I tell myself I’m excited to work out the next morning and am grateful for the energy it will give me.  This may sound pretty silly, and at first, I thought so too.  But by programming my mind with positive thoughts, I’m much more likely to create a peaceful, productive morning.  Put your mind to work for you while you sleep.  You’ll notice the difference.

Leave a comment and let me know what works for you or if you have other methods that have helped you!  Us night owls have to stick together!