How does that sound?
MAGICAL MORNINGS and ROUTINE all in one sentence.
Is that even possible for a busy, marketplace mom?
For YEARS, I pretended that I could accomplish 4 hours’ worth of morning prep in an hour or two. I dreamed of magical mornings, but our mornings were mostly nightmarish.
Have you ever attempted to get a lot done in a short amount of time, really believing that somehow time would stand still so you could accomplish all that needed to get done?
Well, that was me, EVERY DAY.
In 2008, I was challenged to take a REALISTIC assessment of how I started each day.
I lived in a make-believe world where I could read my bible, journal, exercise, fix breakfast for myself and kids, pray for or encourage someone, get make-up on and hair fixed, and ...
Well, you get it.
There is nothing worse than starting every day from the gate of FAILURE.
Raising 4 children as a single mom meant I desperately needed ROUTINE. My kids needed routine. We all functioned better as a family with routine. I could show up better as mom with a routine in place.
A morning routine was a small beginning.
#1 - Recognize Where You Are
We can't move forward without seeing and knowing our starting point.
What I realized was, I HAD a morning routine...we all do.
"Most of us have a morning ritual of some kind. We go through certain steps in pretty much the same order. Are we aware of it? Can we improve it?" - Michael Hyatt
My morning routine involved
Answering a few emails,
Making sure kids were up and moving,
Finishing up the things I didn't get done the night before,
Attempting to get some quiet time in...but responding to more emails or other to-dos
Jumping in the shower to get ready for the day,
Waking the kids up AGAIN,
Fixing breakfast,
Running out the door 10 minutes late to everything.
I saw that I was neglecting the very things that would help me be the woman I wanted to be: quiet time, exercise, gratitude. I wasn't sure where the time went and why I couldn't get 20 minutes of time in the Word or journaling in. What was wrong with me? With us?
Something had to be done.
#2 - Write It Down
The realization that something was amiss caused me to take action. I started by simply writing down EVERYTHING I was currently doing. That included making coffee, brushing teeth, putting on make-up, yes and checking email and social media...everything.
Take a few minutes and write out your current reality.
What are the elements of your normal morning?
Go ahead, write them ALL DOWN good, bad, and ugly.
Then take a moment and write down the things you would LIKE to do every morning. Dream a little, write down your ideal morning activities. This list might include: exercise, journaling, reading bible, meditation, walk the dog, fix breakfast, etc.
#3 - Allocate Time
Now here's the hard part, time to get REAL. On your list, write down how long everything takes. You have to be realistic with this step. Here is an example of mine.
Wake Up/ Relax in Bed 10 minutes
Coffee / Reflection 5 minutes
Immanuel Journaling 15 minutes
Read Bible 15 minutes
Get Ready For Exercise 15 minutes
TOTAL Travel 20 minutes
Work Out 60 minutes
Shower & Ready 45 minutes
Breakfast & Prayer 30 minutes
Write 2 notes 20 minutes
Do marriage book study 30 minutes
Bible Study 30 minutes
Preview Daily Tasks/Appointments 15 minutes
Now if you did everything you wanted to get done, how many hours would it take you? 4? 5?
You might be laughing out loud at the absurdity of this. Bear with me here.
In order to give ourselves the GRACE we need, it's good to take a realistic look at what it would really take to get everything done we wanted to do.
We often set ourselves up for failure by having unrealistic goals for ourselves, we set a standard that is impossible to meet.
#4 - Fine-tune The List
Now it's time to pick and choose.
Determine what time you need to be OUT THE DOOR in the morning? (or sitting at your home office desk?)
Highlight those things on your list that are non-negotiables.
How many hours is it?
What time will you have to get up to ensure you get all of the non-negotiables in?
Do you have space to add any of the other things in?
Can you tweak the times? Instead of working out 60-minutes, can you do 45-minutes so you can eat a healthy breakfast? Can you journal for 15 minutes instead of 30? Perhaps you can check out a new hair-style that doesn't take as long to fix. Or choose your clothes the night before so you are not spending 15 minutes deciding what to wear.
Adjust your time as needed.
Because I want to incorporate many of these things into my week, I alternate days that I do things and BUNDLE.
I exercise 4 days a week, so on that 5th day I do extended time in the Word.
Instead of writing all the different reading, writing, journaling...I bundle it under GRATITUDE or BIBLE.
Remember it's YOUR morning routine, you can take as much or as little time as needed.
I know busy moms with littles that have 5-minutes down for reading the bible. THAT'S IT. It gives them freedom from a failure syndrome to know they are accomplishing MUCH to get that 5 minutes in. They start their day knowing they have had a magical morning.
#5 - Schedule Your Morning
Michael Hyatt says in his book Living Forward,
"What gets scheduled gets done."
Dramatic change doesn't occur overnight.
You have established what time you need to be out the door, or at your desk.
You have allocated the appropriate time needed to have a magical morning.
You have decided what time you need to wake up to establish your morning routine.
Start Small | Tweak It As You Go
Making your morning routine magical takes planning, you have to start with a written down vision. It took me about 2 years to consistently implement the kind of morning routine I wanted. I had to be willing to evaluate, and adjust as schedules changed or something wasn't working.
Oftentimes change needs support and accountability. Perhaps your vision is cloudy, confused, or you don't know where to begin. I'd love to have a short call with you to help you determine the best next step in developing your Magical Morning Routine.
Shoot me an email misy@Lead-HerMinistries.com, and I'll send you my Morning Routine Template.
Or schedule a 30-minute call and I'll walk through this template with you to help you determine your next important step to make your mornings magical.