How Creating a Morning Routine Changed My Life

In this blog post, you’ll read about How Creating a Morning Routine Changed My Life.

The book that started it all

I started working as a remote employee in 2016. At first, the transition from going to the office to working at home full time took a while getting used to. I needed to perform my tasks and get all my projects done by the appointed deadline and needed to create a structure for myself.

I watched a YouTuber named Anna from “Anna Edits” when she recommended the Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod in one of her Favorites videos. and listened to the book on Audible and instantly knew this was something I needed to implement in my daily routine.

It took several iterations until I finally got the perfect routine for me. I have to admit, there were multiple times when I needed to stop having a morning routine because the routine wasn’t working for me.

A few of the reasons it didn’t work out multiple times:

• The set time for each task was too long. I spent 30 minutes reading but felt anxious because of all the other tasks I have to do.
• I was too rigid and set the timer for each category and I didn’t allow any wiggle room.
• The routine itself was too long. I dedicated 2 hours to finish my morning routine, which was way too long for me.
• Too many categories in short amount of time. I tried completing 10 tasks in an hour, which was totally ridiculous!
• The time I set was too early. I was waking up at 5:30 am, which simply wasn’t sustainable for me.

How I made it work for me:

• I shortened the time dedicated to each task and spent 15 mins reading instead of 30 minutes.
• I allowed flexibility. If I felt I needed more time to read, I allowed 5-10 mins to dedicate to that task and would then have to shorten my other tasks.
• I set a time range to complete my routine and gave myself the liberty to do my morning routine within an hour to an hour and a half instead of 2 hours.
• I designate which tasks were top priorities and others “not-as-important” tasks. If I get to the not-so-important categories, great. If not, I do them later in the day instead.
• I shifted my time an hour later. I start my morning routine at 6:30 am instead of 5:30 am. This time change made it more sustainable for me.

After making the proper adjustments, I saw a big difference in my life! I was more productive thus felt more accomplished and my mind was at ease. This increase in productivity made me want to do it more. The more I did my morning routine, the more I saw improvement my life.

Here is my current morning routine:

Top Priorities

• Read
• Pray/meditate
• Visualization
• Listen to a short podcast
• Workout

“Not-as-important”

• Watch a Skillshare video
• Affirmations
• Organize my space

Since the publish of this post, my morning routine have gone through many iterations. Morning routine continues to be a foundational part in my daily life. It helps me prioritize what’s important to me. Here is my current morning routine:

• Walk with family
• Workout
• Listen to the Bible
• Workout
• Meditate

The order of the routine varies from day to day, but those are my top routine that I have been sticking to for the past few months. It has been working well and continues to edify my body and soul.

Final note

If your morning routine hasn’t been working for you and would suggest trying it in the evening. and it hasn’t worked for you in the past, try doing each task for just 5 minutes and see what happens. If you don’t have a morning routine, you should try it and see if it works for you.

Related blog posts:

• How to Change Your Habit with a Morning (or Evening) Routine
• How Creating a Morning Routine Changed my Life
• 20 Ways to Always Have a Productive Morning