Mornings: Routines for Creative Success
Before I dive into the importance of mornings I want to take a second to be realistic. There are a ton of people preaching about having the perfect morning routine to propel your life. With that kind of pressure you might as well just stay in bed.
Deep breath. If you’re reading this post then chances are you’re already trying to do all the things to be the best version of yourself. So, yes, I’m going to give you more tips from my experience.
And, I want you to first remember that life is hard and we’re juggling a lot of things. As a mom of two kids, I know how unrealistic it is to think we have complete control of our days, let alone our mornings. So before we get too serious, start with a laugh at this morning routine spoof.
If You Want to Wake Up Early…
Step one is to decide you’re going to go from night owl to morning person. If you want to wake up early so that you can have the same morning routine as successful women, below are some things you’ll need to implement. You’ll need to get a good night’s sleep, decide what your perfect day looks like, and then prepare ahead of time for a good morning.
Try not to get overwhelmed by this long list. Depending on the season of life you’re in your morning might be pretty busy getting kids ready for school and so on. Your daily morning routine might need to be short so look at what works for you and ways you can efficiently and effectively start your day in the right direction.
The key part is not doing everything on the list below. The key is doing something intentional first thing in the morning. We want to decide on the direction of our day and our life rather than let it happen to us.
Get a good night’s sleep
If you want to wake up early the easiest way to do so is to get a good night’s sleep. Most people need eight hours of rest (possibly more.) Therefore, if your morning routine is important to you then you need to get to bed on time at night.
On my best mornings when I’ve gotten enough sleep the night before, I wake up before my alarm clock. Then I don’t have to battle feeling tired or unmotivated. On the other days, I have to convince myself to get out of bed.
On those days it helps to have a clear purpose to remind me why I’m doing this.
Remember, the snooze button isn’t actually our friend so instead, we should try to get enough good sleep at night that we don’t need it. Hitting snooze is not the type of habit we’re trying to create!
Visualize Your Perfect Day
I would like you to breathe deeply and then visualize your perfect day. Forget about reality for a minute. What would your self-care routine look like if you had no restrictions?
Once you have a vision for your perfect day then you can start to work towards it. The goal is to create our life rather than have life happen to us. Take one small step to make the day ahead more like your ideal day.
Successful people don’t just work all day, they also know that self-care needs to be a part of their daily routine. That doesn’t mean your perfect day of self-care is bubble baths and massages but maybe it’s spending time with your best friends.
Prepare for the Next Day the Night Before
It helps me a lot to already have a plan when I open my eyes. If my running shoes are out or my yoga mat is ready I’m more likely to succeed. Instead, I’m likely to fail if I have to track down my headphones or journal, or the book I’m reading.
Some people also benefit from taking the time to meal prep so they don’t have to think about a healthy breakfast or what they’re going to eat for the week. The more time you spend coming up with a daily routine, the less time and energy you have to spend trying to make decisions and problem-solve daily.
Putting things in place ahead of time will help you be ready to go. That might also mean putting away the dishes. Do whatever you need to do to get a good nights sleep and wake up in the morning ready to tackle your daily routine.
Habits and Daily Routines That are Good for a Successful Morning
Be Mindful
Mindfulness is one of my favorite ways to start the day right when I wake up. Mindfulness meditation is simply about being aware of the present moment. You just sit and notice everything without judgment.
The mornings are the best time for mindfulness because you haven’t filled your mind with to-do lists and weird interactions and other stresses. Take advantage of the quiet morning for a short meditation.
Meditation is linked to well-being and creativity and joy. Mindfulness helps us be more aware of ourselves and our surroundings. We learn to listen to our bodies and our emotions in a way that helps us.
Doing Positive Affirmations
I actually incorporate positive affirmations into my meditation for simplicity and efficiency but there are various ways to work with affirmations. The purpose of positive affirmations is to create a healthy mindset. A mindfulness practice will reveal how you talk to yourself and an affirmation practice will help you convert those bad habits into good habits.
Gratitude Journal
Another simple thing to add to a daily routine is a gratitude practice. We share gratitude as a family before my kids’ bedtime every day but I also benefit from having a gratitude journal as part of my daily morning routine. I also sometimes incorporate gratitude into my meditation practice.
The goal of gratitude is similar to affirmations. If we want to be more grateful and positive then we need to be spending time reminding ourselves what we have to be grateful for. It only takes a few minutes to write down ten things that you’re grateful for.
People have different preferences but I prefer to mix it up. Sometimes I write down as many things as I can think of as fast as I can. Other times I describe a specific moment with one of my kids.
Work Out
I’m a big fan of the morning workout. I need to work out before any excuses can get in the way. If it’s a priority, it needs to be top of the to-do list.
I can’t always work out first thing in the day but I try to schedule it as early in the day and week as I can. Getting my blood pumping is a surefire way to help me have a positive mindset with those mood-boosting endorphins that result in better energy levels.
If I’m tired and I exercise, it actually helps me be less tired. This is not something to put off until the next day, it’s something to do every day as part of a routine. We all know there are many benefits to exercise so why not do the most important tasks first thing in the morning?
Set Daily Goals and Intentions
It can also be helpful to spend a few minutes thinking about the day ahead. If you set goals and intentions then you won’t waste time on things that aren’t important. Goals also help you celebrate each small win which helps with that positive mindset.
Get Fresh Air and Sunshine
As Spring is coming and the weather is getting warmer I’m excited. One of my favorite morning routines is to get outside. There is nothing like fresh air, sunshine, and some time in nature to kick-start my day.
In the summer I don’t need an alarm clock because I can let the sun wake me up!
Other Morning Habits to Consider
Breakfast
Let’s talk about the most important meal of the day healthy breakfast. Eating a healthy energy-packed breakfast is a great idea to set you up for the rest of the day. And eating healthy in general is a good habit to cultivate.
Maybe your breakfast starts at your coffee machine or your tea pot. I love a good ritual of a hot drink to start the day even if it’s a glass of water with lemon. Why doesn’t making breakfast feel quite the same?
I’d love it if mixing a green juice or putting together a greek yogurt parfait felt the same as a latte. But it doesn’t. However, I know that when I eat a healthy breakfast, it’s easier to eat healthy throughout the day.
Make Your Bed and Brush Your Teeth
It’s funny, ever since becoming a mom I’ve realized the importance of routine. Remember being a kid and you had to make your bed, brush your teeth, and pack your lunch? My kids can typically only handle one task at a time but I notice that the more I help them stay organized with a daily routine, the more calm they are.
I figure, if I want to reduce stress in my daily life the same thing should work. It takes less mental energy to make important tasks part of a daily routine than it does to try to figure out what to do each day.
What Does All This Have to Do With Creativity
Fun fact for you. Creativity is linked to well-being. Not only does being creativity bring you joy and happiness, but well-being can help you be more creative.
Therefore, if you’re a creative, don’t believe the lies that creatives are messy and wild, and disorganized. Instead, try to remember that the more you find calm and peace in your personal life, such as through mindfulness or a morning routine, the more space your create for creativity.
Read Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s books on Flow and Creativity if you’re not convinced of the link between creativity and wellness.
Morning Routines for Successful Women
As a wife, mom, and business owner, I know that juggling the day ahead can be a challenge. The more we can streamline and simplify our morning routines, the better. Successful women seem to do more in less time. Their daily routine isn’t more complicated it’s more efficient and more effective.
I believe that successful women realize that if your personal life is a mess your professional life is a mess too. That’s why personal development and self-care aren’t luxuries but priorities for successful women. As successful women, we need to develop good habits from getting good rest at night to starting our morning with the things that matter most.
Pick one simple thing and start there. I suggest mindfulness. With mindfulness, you’ll start to see where you have excuses for not taking care of yourself and that might help you slowly adopt a morning routine that makes you healthier, happier, and more creative.
My favorite books on morning routines are The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod.
About the author
I am Brenda Bergreen, one half of a husband and wife photography team specializing in Colorado wedding photography and videography and adventure photography. If you need someone to encourage your creativity, I’m here.
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