The 10-minute Morning Routine That Will Transform Your Life
Rise and shine! Time to transform your life! Photo credit: Jonathan Borba on Unsplash
Transform your life in 10 minutes
Last week I talked about four habits that will change your life (but are hard AF to actually make yourself do). Waking up earlier and having a specific morning routine is one of those habits, and might be the most effective one on that list!
I openly admit that I am a morning person. I get up at 4 AM. And yes, I’m one of those people that other people love to hate because I literally spring out of bed.
I’ve always been an early riser, but I have not always followed a morning routine. My morning used to consist of wake up, check my phone, drink coffee, watch the news and scroll Facebook for an hour.
So, right off the bat, I’m watching the world crumble before my eyes on the morning news, and I’m looking at the perfect lives of all my friends on social media. Suddenly my life sucks…and I’m barely an hour into my day.
Then, when 7 AM rolls around and the chaos begins in my house – trying to get myself and everyone else ready and out the door – I never felt ready and I wound up feeling flustered and discombobulated (I love that word). And so would go the rest of my day, crumbling into procrastination, disorganization, discombobulation, and flusteration (that’s not a word).
It wasn’t until I started doing this incredibly powerful morning thing that I realized how much it positively affects the rest of my day. It’s not that a 10-minute morning routine is a miracle in and of itself. The miracle happens in how it sets the tone for the rest of the day.
My current morning routine now lasts over an hour. But I started with just 10 minutes. And in this post I’m going to share the 10-minute morning routine that can help you get started on the path to more successful days!
What happens during the first part of your day determines the rest. Photo Credit: Toa Heftiba on Unsplash
Why is a 10-minute morning routine so effective…but so hard to put into practice?
I think it’s fair to say that big dreams are built on the small actions we take every day, right? I mean, no one wakes up one day with a spare $1 Million in the bank. A marriage can’t be saved in a week. You don’t lose 40 lbs. overnight.
Accomplishing big goals requires lots of little actions that move you in the right direction. Why is a morning routine so powerful and effective toward that end? Because the first minutes of your day set the tone for the rest of it. If you hit the snooze six times, wake up late, and rush around like a chicken with its head cut off for an hour an every morning, the rest of your day will go just the same.
The morning routine is just for you. It helps you get organized and into the right mindset. And this is the magical part: that little “reset” carries over into the rest of your day.
But you wouldn’t believe the moans and groans I get when I tell someone to get up earlier. Even just 10 minutes earlier.“
But I’m not a morning person, Kelly!”
My response: You are allowing your mind to get in your way. That’s the story you keep telling yourself. And it’s BS. It’s a convenient excuse to stay super cozy in that comfort zone of yours. You want to change, right? You want to do big things. You’ve got big goals. You want to level up…in your career, body, or relationships. Am I right?
Virtually nothing is accomplished by staying in your comfort zone. To get what you really want, you will have to do things that make you uncomfortable. So get cozy with discomfort.
I know it’s cozy and warm…but staying here won’t help you accomplish your goals! Photo Credit: Plqml on Unsplash
The 10-minute morning routine that will transform your life (if you actually do it)
One of the best things you can do, hands down: get your day started in a powerful way.
The most successful people in the world report that they get up early and have very specific morning routines. Remember: the first 10 minutes of your day sets the tone for the rest of the day…so make it count!
Is 10 minutes enough? Yes! More time is better. But you need a starting point and 10 minutes is better than no minutes.
Here’s my favorite 10-minute morning jump start routine:
Minute 0: Stand up out of bed. Do NOT look at your phone. No emails or social media!
Minute 1: Drink 20 oz. of filtered water. Imagine your poor organs…all shriveled up like raisins after a full seven to eight hours without fluid. Hydrating first thing will wake everything up and get things moving!
Minute 2: One minute of deep breathing. Simply breath deeply or follow a guided deep breathing routine like this one. P.S. do not do this in bed…you’ll fall back to sleep!
Minutes 3-5: Three minutes of goal-setting. Choose one task that you will accomplish today. Make it something that matters to your bigger goals. Prepping a healthy lunch, calling your mom, doing a 30-minute workout, clipping coupons to save money at the grocery store, or attending a networking meeting — all are actions you can complete today that can move you closer to your bigger goals of healthier relationships, healthier body, and solid financial foundation. You shouldn’t skip any of these minutes…but definitely don’t skip this one.
Minutes 5-10: Five minutes of mindful movement. Get the blood flowing! Search YouTube to find a guided 5-minute Tai Chi or Qi Gong practice like this one. A short and gentle practice like this will center and energize you for the day ahead.
A 10-minute morning routine will transform your daily productivity
Look at you! You’ve only been up for about 10 minutes and you’ve already accomplished a lot! You started on the path to a healthier body by drinking water. You centered yourself. You chose one task to accomplish today to move you closer to your long-term goals.
You are energized, organized, and ready to kick today’s ass!
The 10-minute morning routine that will transform your life will center you. You got this!
Blog Author: Kelly Bailey, IIN certified holistic nutrition coach, and NPTI certified personal trainer
Learn more about the author here.