Wake up Artfully

“Let today be the day you give up who you’ve been for who you can become.” – Hal Elrod

If you are going to take part in the morning person challenge, the first step is to design your ideal morning routine. There is no right or wrong here; you should create one that inspires and energizes you! I thought I would share mine with you as an example.

I love the book The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod, and the routine I’ve planned is based on several of the suggestions from the book. I’ve used Miracle Morning concepts in the past and loved them. I got a bit derailed from my last attempt at a morning routine when my daughter Rosie started waking up all night long, but I can attest to the fact that the concepts work wonders if implemented!

One thing I’ve learned is that a good morning begins the night before. I plan to start my nighttime routine at 9:45 every night. It will include the following:

• Lay clothes out for myself and kids
• Put any items needed for school or meetings by door
• Straighten house for 5 minutes
• List out important tasks for the next day

My goal is to start the following routine at 6 AM:

1. Get up and go – 2 minutes

I plan to hop out of bed, turn off my alarm, drink a glass of water and brush my teeth. Miracle Morning talks about how these simple actions increase your motivation to get up. I’ve tried it, and I agree – they do!

2. Move – 8 minutes

I found a great five minute morning stretch routine on YouTube and plan to pair this with three minutes of pushups, sit-ups, squats, tricep dips, calf raises and plank. I love that I can make sure to at least get a small amount of physical activity in during my morning routine. 

3. Prayer – 5 minutes

I think it’s great to start the day thinking of others, so I’m keeping a list of people I want to pray for in a note on my phone. It’s a simple way to remind myself that the world is bigger than just me. 

4. Affirmations – 3 minutes

I’ve written out a list of 10 things that I want to start internalizing. These are statements about myself that I need to start believing and acting upon. I’ll spend this time speaking them out loud. It sounds cheesy, but trust me – it works. If this concept intrigues you, I recommend reading more about it in The Miracle Morning. 

One of my affirmations is actually going to be “I am a morning person and love starting my day off in a focused and purposeful way.”

5. Meditation – 5 minutes

I’ve talked about meditation in previous blog entries because I think it’s a fantastic way to become more centered and create a sense of inner peace. I like doing the unguided meditation on the Simple Habit app and will be doing that during this time. 

So there you have it–my morning routine plan! Total time: 23 minutes

The rest of my morning will look different depending on my plans for the day. Sometimes I need to shower and get ready right away, and other days I can spend some time having coffee and relaxing a bit. Either way, I know that I’m going to feel so much more empowered after doing this consistently for a week!

What does YOUR ideal morning routine look like? Be sure to comment on the morning challenge Facebook post to let us know!