This last couple of weeks I’ve been thinking a lot about morning routines. I knew I wanted to write about it, so I’ve purposely been paying more attention to my own routine, plus spending time doing some research and generally learning as much as I can about the best way to start your day.
As is always the way, when you direct your energy towards something, you tend to attract more of it, so I wasn’t surprised when last week, an email dropped into my inbox from Danielle LaPorte sharing her morning rituals.
Gulp.
Mantras, crystals, meditation and more. It was a rad list, but it left me feeling … um…. not good enough. Because let’s be honest, we don’t always follow through with our best intentions. So I figured today I’d share with you two of my morning routines.
One is my rad morning routine. The shiny version. The one that I’m happy to tell you about. The one that sets me up for an awesome day, no matter what else is going on in my life.
The other is my sucky routine. The one I feel guilty about. The one I’m embarrassed to share. The one that is guaranteed for a not-so-stellar start to the day.
In scribbling these down I realised that actually, it’s worth sharing both. Because the last thing I want you to think is that I have everything figured out (haha because I really don’t). And also because just the process of mapping these out and comparing them has been a really good exercise for me in itself.
My sucky routine really sucks. I’m stoked to say that it doesn’t happen very often, but I have noticed something ridiculous. When my workload ramps up, my morning routine is the first thing that gets downgraded. In the last few weeks, I’ve been stacked with work, and I’ve found myself falling into this routine way more than I’d like to admit.
It’s ironic that we often tend to derail our best practices the moment things get too busy when we actually need them more than ever.
So here it is …. the sucky morning routine :
6.30am: Wake up & within minutes of opening my eyes, pick up the phone and check emails, Facebook & Instagram. End up feeling not-good-enough/not-smart-enough/not-pretty-enough after my morning dose of compare & despair.
7 am: It feels too early to start work officially, so I grab laptop & begin working in bed. My to-do list is maxed out & I’m already feeling frazzled.
7.30am: Think about exercise/yoga/meditation but decide to do it later in the day once I’ve ticked some stuff off my list (Note: It won’t happen).
8 am: Notice that my eyes are straining from staring at a screen from the moment I woke up. My heart is beating a little faster (not in a good way) because I’m stressing about how much there is to do. There’s a hint of a headache lurking behind the scenes and my stomach is rumbling because I haven’t eaten anything yet. Carry on working anyway.
8.30am: Get out of bed. Rush to have a shower & eat breakfast because I have a client at 9 am. Feel guilty because I didn’t meditate or do any exercise.
9 am: Sit down at my desk to officially start my day.
Yep. I know, it’s bad. But hey, what gets measured gets improved right ?! Ok, so now let me share with you the rad morning routine. I’m not exaggerating when I say that this changes EVERYTHING. It doesn’t matter how big my to-do list is or what ‘stuff’ is going on in my life, following this routine is guaranteed to make my day happier, calmer & more productive. And when I’m happier, calmer & more productive… guess what? I do better work, I get better results & I feel totally in sync with the universe (which in turn means more rad stuff comes my way).
Here it is :
6.30am: Wake up & take a few moments to just breathe. Grab a glass of water & head outside for 10 minutes of meditation. If it’s raining, find a quiet spot indoors. Once I’m done, check the waves.
6.45am: If there’s surf, head to the beach. If there’s no surf & no wind, go for a SUP. If it’s blown out, do some yoga at home, or a Nike Training Club workout. If I’m going to surf or SUP, then eat something before I go (banana/nuts).
7.45am: Make breakfast. Right now, that's porridge (just organic oats & water), raspberry chia jam, an apple (chopped) & a small handful of seeds. Plus a spoonful of nut butter if I’m extra hungry.
8 am: Read through to do list (I always write this as I’m finishing up the day before). Check emails & have a quick (10 mins max) browse through FB/Instagram/Twitter.
8.30am: Have a shower.
8.45am: Take 15 minutes to read my Three Awesome Things (my gratitude journal) from yesterday. Smile. Set an intention for the day.
9 am: Sit down at my desk to officially start my day.
Hmm, even reading that makes me stoked. So this is my task for you today. Map out your sucky routine and map out your rad routine. Be completely and totally honest with the sucky one. Ask yourself which one is your default routine. Then ask yourself which one you’d like to be your default routine! Adjust accordingly.
Oh, and to quote Danielle LaPorte (I’d love to know her sucky morning routine haha)
Morning mindfulness = Activated super powers