March 28, 2019
One of the biggest struggles for me has been becoming a morning person. I have always been a night owl and was always completely embarrassed by it. I knew they were right but I could never stick to my commitments. When I married Michael and we moved in together for the first time, I was COMPLETELY envious of how he could effortlessly roll out of bed very early in the morning and how he fell asleep on the couch early every night because he couldn’t stay awake. I would always wake up and race to get to the office for work and felt fatigued and stressed. No matter how much I disliked it, I barely ever changed my bad habit.
Fast forward to 2018- I made a promise to myself: If I was going to be a business owner, I needed to accomplish the goal of being energetic in the morning and going to bed early. Some days aren’t perfect. There are days after an exhausting week of traveling, editing and shooting weddings and sessions that I need to mentally take a break or sleep in but I still follow this same routine after I wake up. This new routine of mine has been life changing. I accomplish so much more in a day and have extremely reduced my anxiety and stress.
I make my goals list for the week on Sunday evenings. Every night after making dinner, I’ll sit down and write my time- blocked schedule for the day so that I’m not anxious in the morning or before going to bed. I’ve also started day-blocking in my calendar which has helped me become much for productive. For example, editing day, blogging day, consultation day, etc. Grouping tasks together allows your mind to focus on one specific goal and accomplish more through out the day!
After cleaning the kitchen, I’ll go upstairs to take a shower or wash my face, brush my teeth and get into my comfy clothes. I always wake up and go to bed at THE SAME time everyday which makes waking up much easier!
I love drinking Chamomile, nighty night tea, and taking magnesium in the evening to calm down and let’s face it- I’ll have red wine sometimes. I try to only drink wine on the weekends before bed because it negatively affects your quality of sleep.
It’s very tempting for me to answer unread texts or scroll through social media so I stop looking at my phone before bed. If you text me after 10pm, I probably won’t respond until the next day or after 5 pm.
If time allows, I’ll step outside to get the mail or just check out the neighborhood. Fresh air and sunlight awaken your brain. There are some days that I’ll have to workout in the evening but I don’t prefer it. My best days are when working out is the first thing on my to-do list! I’ll either do a home workout (Circut training/ HIIT) or I’ll go to a workout class. Lately, it’s been 9 rounds kicking boxing, only 30 minutes!
I drink a full cup of water because your cells need replenished to help your body properly function. I brush my teeth, wash my face and put on some makeup. This helps me mentally feel like I’m “going to work.” After I get ready, I’ll put on my coffee simply because I can’t start my day without it.
This routine prevents me from being anxious but sometimes I wake up discouraged. I like to start my morning by listening to encouraging sermons or reading a daily email devotional so that I’m reminded of the peace I have in Christ. If I’m driving to meetings or sessions, I’ll listen to a short devotional and podcasts about topics I’m interested in such as nutrition, exercise and business. I always check my emails immediately after all of this because I’m in the mindset and energized to start the day!
I hope this post helps you become a morning person and keeps you joyful!
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