5 Components of an Effective Morning Routine
I’ve been obsessed with morning routines since I was in high school. I went through a phase junior year where I woke up at 6 a.m. for a morning jog and yoga practice before 7:30 a.m. homeroom. I love the feeling of having accomplished several things off of my to-do list by 8 a.m. I find that when I have a consistent morning routine, I feel more proactive through out the rest of the day instead of reacting to daily stressors and a busy schedule.
As my state in life has changed, having an ever-shifting daily agenda as an entrepreneur — and wife to a law student prone to late night study sessions — doesn’t lend itself to a consistent 5 a.m. alarm. It’s easy to become frustrated when I’m not able to get up as early or be as productive in the mornings as I’d like, but I’ve discovered a few key components to a successful morning. Usually, when I’m able to execute at least two of these elements, I’ve set myself up to have a peaceful day.
Here are five elements to my morning routine that help me start the day feeling peaceful and intentional.
1. Timing
“The Heroic Minute. It is the time fixed for getting up. Without hesitation: a supernatural reflection and … up! The Heroic Minute: here you have a mortification that strengthens your will and does no harm to your body” (Saint Josemaria Escriva).
My goal is to wake up an hour earlier than I have to. My husband wakes up at 7 a.m. and leaves the house at 7:30 a.m., which means my goal is to wake up at 6 a.m. every day. Sometimes, a work event will keep me out late the night before, and I adjust the alarm to 6:30. However, I always give myself at least a half-hour head start to the chaos of the day.
Be smart when it comes to setting your wake-up time. Aim to gift yourself with a whole hour of quiet before your house wakes up. This hour is your time to set your mood and intention for the whole day. Waking up early can seem impossible, but it’s a commitment to giving yourself time in the day just for you.
It takes 90 days to make a new habit. Commit to your new wake-up time for three months, and soon, it will seem much more manageable.
(Note: If you have a child under one year old, please ignore this step!)
2. Prayer
“The duties and cares of the day crowd about us when we awake each day – if they have not already dispelled our night’s rest. How can everything be accommodated in one day? When will I do this, when that? How will it all be accomplished? Thus agitated, we are tempted to run and rush. And so we must take the reins in hand and remind ourselves, “Let go of your plans. The first hour of your morning belongs to God. Tackle the day’s work that he charges you with, and he will give you the power to accomplish it” (Edith Stein).
The first thing I do in the morning is pray. Over the years, prayer has looked different in my morning routine. In the past, I’ve recited the liturgy of the hours or the rosary, prayed over the daily readings, or gone to adoration when living near a chapel. Currently, I have been committed to saying the Divine Mercy Chaplet each morning.
Whatever form of prayer you choose, set aside at least 15 minutes in the morning to pray. Allowing ourselves that time to give our hearts to Jesus first thing in the morning is crucial. I love the Morning Offering, because after praying it, I have sanctified and put into Jesus’ hands the whole of my day before it’s even begun.
Find the type of prayer that works best for you, and enjoy a few sacred moments with our God.
3. Mindset
“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way” (Viktor Frankl).
I’m a huge believer that our thoughts affect our mood and our attitude. As a result, one of the first things I do in the morning is focus on my mindset. I pray through my current thoughts and emotions and then make an intention for how I want to feel that day.
My mood and emotions tend to be fluid and ever-changing, so in the morning, I choose one word, and I remind myself of it throughout the day. For example, recently, my word was perseverance. Throughout the day, I prayed for perseverance, and when difficult moments arose, I gave myself a few moments to step away to breathe and pray before moving forward.
Another habit that has really supported my mindset is affirmations. At the beginning of each year, I write eight to 10 affirmations for the year and commit to reciting them (out loud) each morning. For example: “I am a daughter of God. I am a strong, competent leader who is growing each day.”
4. Planning
“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail” (anonymous).
I love using my Monk Manual to plan my month, weeks and days. Every day, I write down my main three priorities, my to-do list, three things I’m grateful for, my hourly schedule for the day and one way I can serve. It’s been incredibly helpful to take five minutes in the morning to map out my day so I don’t just leap from activity to activity.
In the evening in order to wind my mind down, I usually write down a few items on my to-do list for the next day.
5. Create
“Create. Not for the money. Not for the fame. Not for the recognition. But for the pure joy of creating something and sharing it” (Ernest Barbaric).
One of my favorite things to do in the morning before our household wakes up for the day is to write. I spend at least 30 minutes writing blog posts, journaling or working on a freelance project. Starting the day with something creative sets the tone for the rest of my day.
I hope these tips help you have a peaceful and productive morning! Do you have a morning routine? If so, what’s your favorite part? Share with us in the Catholic Women in Business Facebook group!
Elise Crawford Gallagher , co-founder and co-president of Catholic Women in Business, is the founder and CEO of RINGLET, a digital marketing and brand management agency that works with women business owners in the Washington DC area. Elise graduated with a Masters in Communication from Johns Hopkins University. She worked in the Catholic non-profit world before starting RINGLET. Her concentrations were in Public & Media Relations and Digital Communications. She currently lives in Maryland with her college-sweetheart-turned-husband who is a high school theology teacher and law student.