Morning Routines

Hi coaches!

I would like to have a consistent morning routine. I think that it would serve me well. Right now, I wake up most days with a vague (and long) list of things I’d like to do every morning. Inevitably, I sleep in later than I planned, I drop the “nice to have” items from my morning preparations (like meditation, stretching, or journalling), and I launch into my day at a speed that doesn’t feel good to me. I have a lot of thoughts about this.

– I’ve never been able to stick to my morning routine because it is a perfectionist fantasy
– I will let myself down, so it’s not worth trying
– minimum baselines are fine, but if I consistently sleep in, I don’t even have time for the minimum of minimum baselines
– I should just wait until the new year, when I will magically be motivated to wake up with my alarm and behave differently

I have some evidence that I can keep some aspects of a morning routine. Most (probably 99%) of the time, I pee, brush my teeth, and wash my face. These pieces are not negotiated, even when I am low on time. But others are dropped or modified.

When I think of the solution, my brain immediately offers: waking up at the same time every day. Which would be so excellent, but I have no confidence in myself that I can do this.

I’d love offers for coaching or resources within TFC! Thank you 🙂

Answer:

Great question! I think it’s worthwhile to point out that there is more to your existing morning routine beyond peeing, brushing your teeth and washing your face, and that’s sleeping in later than you planned, and dropping the “nice to have” items off of your to do list. So, you have plenty of evidence that you can stick to a routine! Secondly, I’d also like to offer that there’s nothing wrong with having a morning routine that looks yours as it is, except for the fact that you don’t like the way that it feels.

I would guess that you find yourself sticking to a routine that you’re not satisfied with because it takes less mental effort and energy than making a change. It’s totally normal for a human brain to want to conserve energy! So, congratulations! Your brain is doing what it’s supposed to do. Is it possible that you could have an imperfect morning routine that worked for you? What do you think about that? If you were allowed to do this imperfectly and be successful, how would you define or measure success? Notice what comes up for you as you think about this. Finally, take a moment to watch the About Time webinar in the Bonuses – it’s a gem – and come back for more coaching on this with a part two when you’re ready.