How To Win Your Mornings In 10 Minutes or Less
The simple morning routine rules that have changed my life for the better
I get it, no one has time. At least, not enough to do the morning routines that every self-help podcast, YouTube video, book, and article have to suggest.
I remember when I first stumbled across Jeff Sander’s 5 AM Miracle Podcast — I thought the guy must be crazy for recommending that I wake up at 5 am every day.
“Your energy in the morning is a clean slate, and you get a chance each day to build it up the way you want”― Mridula Singh
As a college student who attends activities and events that usually start after 8 pm that have me getting home at 10 pm or 11 pm, that’s not really practical for me.
And for so many people, if they’re able to get up at 5 am, it’s for a very early job, or to get up and get some important work in before their kids get up.
The question remains, then, what do you do when you’re crunched for time?
And I want to be the first person to tell you, you don’t have to spend hours and hours every morning in order to be a good person, have an awesome routine that you can enjoy every day, and start the day right.
Here are some of my recommendations for a rockin’ short morning routine:
#1: Leave your phone off.
You don’t need it.
Whatever it takes, make sure you don’t open it and get sucked into what the world is trying to throw at you.
Leaving my phone off always makes the time I spend in whatever routine I’m practicing in the morning that much more helpful and effective.
If you use your phone for certain habits, then turn it on airplane mode if you can, or use a laptop or tablet instead. Print things out if you can.
Whatever you can do to get away from the distraction of the world, implement those things religiously and get the most out of the little time you have.
#2: Cycle through habits quickly.
Sometimes, quantity over quality is a fair choice. Why not run through affirmations, look at your vision board, listen to hype music, read, call your mom, do 30 seconds of yoga, and listen to a few minutes of your favorite podcast?
There are no rules.
Do all of the things you want, and you’ll feel accomplished for all of the habits you’re trying to get through.
Plus, 1 minute of meditation is better than no meditation at all. Better to read a page than to never pick up the book in the first place.
“The second your eyelids squint open and your arm limply hits the snooze, it’s off to the races. Tell yourself, ‘I have a fantastic day planned today,’ then go out and prove yourself right.”― Joel B. Randall, Study, Sleep, Repeat: 130 Tips to Schedule Your College Life
No one’s telling you that you have to sit down and do each habit for an hour each — or if they are telling you that, they’re obviously not in the arena with you and have no right to tell you how to live your life or operate your morning.
They’re, at best, incredibly unrealistic and unhelpful to you.
Take things like articles on morning routines and recommendations of habits from books and podcasts as what they are — suggestions. Pick the ones you like, and spend as much or as little time on them as you like.
#3: Keep all of your “gear” in one place.
I keep all of my morning routine-related items in the same place on my back porch. At my apartment at college, I have a beanbag and a specific shelf that the books I’m reading, and the journals I use usually stay on.
I always have pens, highlighters, earbuds, paper, and books available so that I can grab things quickly — and I always have my planner nearby to check off habits as I do them.
Staying organized and keeping everything together will go far in the direction of helping your mornings be the most efficient and effective they can be.
#4: Get really good at being efficient.
Don’t be afraid to save habits for later.
Maybe you don’t have time to read before your kids get up, but you can listen to an audiobook on the way home from dropping them off at school or on your morning commute.
Don’t believe the lie that you have to do all of your habits at the same time. You can save some for later if you need to.
I can barely even begin to count the days that I’ve gotten late into the afternoon and finally found the time to meditate, write my novel, and read, all things that were originally intended to be a part of my morning routine.
My life isn’t any worse off because I did those things later.
Whatever you do, don’t take my advice if it doesn’t work for you.
Don’t take anybody’s advice if it doesn’t work for you. Your morning routine is for you and your betterment and health as a person, not to check boxes or prove yourself to anyone else or a random writer on the internet.
Don’t be afraid to experiment, try new things, and figure out what works.
Also, know that you’re no worse off or any lesser quality of a person just because you don’t have hours and hours to spend each day on a morning routine.
I would highly recommend you get the routine out of the way and go on joyfully living your life — cause the day wouldn’t be worth much if we spend a quarter of it “preparing” for it in stiff and unhelpful activities.
You know you best — and I know you’ll make good decisions about how to spend your time when empowered with your options and different people’s perspectives on how to do your mornings well.
