Start your day off strong

How to build a morning routine that works for you

What happened to starting the day off with a cup of coffee and nothing else??

We are learning more and more how important a morning routine can be to prime your brain and body for everything that lies ahead.

But the list of suggestions can be a bit overwhelming:

• Getting morning sunlight

• Take a cold plunge

• Do breath work

• Workout

• Meditation

• Setting intentions

• Drinking water

It can be an overwhelming to know what kind of morning routine to implement.

Rather than let an outside opinion tell you what to do, here are some questions to help you think critically and craft a routine that works for you.

Highly skilled teams. Exciting projects. Location Independence

Who, What, Where, When, Why

I always like to start my critical thinking with the basics:

Who: You! a morning routine is about you for you. The morning is arguably one of the most precious times we have, because for some of us, it is the only time the needs of others isn’t driving the agenda.

What: A morning routine is a system.

“We don’t rise to the level of our goals; we fall to the level of our systems. Don’t share with me your goals; share with me your systems.” - James Clear.

A morning routine is how we create a system to honor our values and goals.

Where: We tend to wake up in the same bed most mornings (even those of us who travel). The rest of the day may be chaotic, or take us to various locations, but most of us wake up in a consistent place, making it a great time to create consistent routines.

When: The morning ☺️ If your mornings feel too rushed to add a routine to them, see if you can wake up 30 minutes earlier.

Why: Sustained excellence. You are what you repeatedly do. Excellence is found in our daily decisions and habits. (Remember when we talked about how success requires us to be boring?)

Sleep - Move - Eat

If the purpose of a strong (but simple) morning routine is to give us a good foundation from which to tackle to the day, we need to take a look at the three pillars of health.

Sleep

A morning routine starts the night before.

A frustrated programmer told his friend:
“I’d do literally anything to get a solid 8 hours of sleep at night.”

His friend responded:
“Go to bed 8 hours before you need to wake up.”

To which the programmer replied,
“Oh, I’m not doing that!”

Of course getting good sleep isn’t quite as simple as getting in bed eight hours before we want to wake up, but it’s a start!

Here are a few tips to help improve your sleep.

1. Go to bed at a consistent time each night.

2. Turn off screens an hour before you want to fall asleep.

3. Cut out or reduce alcohol.

4. Stop drinking caffeine after 15:00.

5. Exercise earlier in the day.

6. Make the room as dark as possible.

7. Lower the temperature of the room.

Move

After we get a good amount of sleep, there are certain movements that can set our body and brain up for a productive day.

Here are some ways to energize and engage the body first thing in the morning.

1. Get morning sunlight - this helps the body’s circadian rhythm and wakes up multiple systems in the body.

2. Take deep breaths - even just 10 deep breaths brings fresh oxygen to your body and brain.

3. Drink a large glass of water - add electrolytes if you like.

4. Stretch your body - doesn’t have to be a full yoga routine.

5. Go for a walk or run.

6. Exercise.

7. Smile - even if there is nothing to smile at (I might argue, there always is) smiling signals to your brain that there is something good in this world, moving your mood into an elevated state.

Eat

I always tell my kids: “Pick something to nourish your body, mind and soul each morning.” What we consume first thing, sets the tone for the rest of the day.

Food for the body

1. Prioritize protein - For more on the importance of protein for body and brain health check out this article by Dr. Peter Attia.

2. Get some healthy fats - Healthy fats promote brain health as well as healthy skin and gut.

Food for the mind

1. Information - learning something new wakes up the brain, gives it something to “chew” on and expands your thoughts beyond whatever static you wake up with. Finding an interesting podcast or audio book can channel your thoughts toward learning.

2. Set intentions for the day - decide what kind of day you want to have by journaling your intentions or goals for the day.

Food for the soul

1. Meditation is a beautiful way to start the day. The Waking Up app is a great guide for beginners.

2. Gratitude practice - The more we train our mind to find the good, the more good we find. Make it a daily habit to find a few things you are grateful for.

Start small, start now

The best time to plant a tree was 50 years ago, the second best time is today. Start now, but start small. Pick one thing to add to your morning routine.

This is how we take wishes and aspirations and turn them into a tangible system that will allow us to sustain excellence in our life.

Tell us about it

• What kinds of routines are you already in the habit of each morning?

• Is it serving you in your goals for your life and career?

• Anything that you would add to make the morning more life-giving?