The Power of Habits Part 3: How to Wake Up Early and Win Your Day
Every successful person has this one thing in common – they own the first part of their day. That means they schedule their mornings so that it primes them for productivity. Simply put, one successful day built on another soon creates your desired life.
Almost all healthy choices and habits are built with an intentional mindset. That mindset is cultivated with a well-crafted morning routine. For example, my habits of working out, writing my to-do list, and renewing my mind with the Word (as Romans 12:2 says) are all done in my morning routine.
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Time Stealers
Can you identify with any of these statements?
"I don't have time to workout."
"I'm always running behind."
"I don't have time to read my Bible."
"I don't have time to eat a healthy breakfast."
"My day is hectic from the moment I get out of bed."
"I never have time to do what I enjoy."
"I barely have time to think!"
Here are some facts you might find interesting. The average person consumes one hour of social media and two to three hours of TV daily, which amounts to 28 hours per week! Getting distracted by other things or a lack of plans and goals also amounts to around four hours of lost time per day resulting in 120 hours over 30 days or a whopping 15 workdays per month. Crazy, right?!
Think about it, how many things are thrown at you daily, begging for a decision, a "quick" response, a swipe here, a "like" there, or the little yellow-handed thumbs-up emoji? How many things can potentially dictate your mindset first thing in the morning?
If your first habit of the day is to reach for your phone or turn on the TV, you are inundated with what others want you to see, hear, and think. However, what does the Bible say we are to do? Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things (the rest of your day) will be added to you (Matthew 6:33). I honestly believe that when you give God the first part of your day, your time seems to multiply.
Take Back Control
I encourage you to take back control of your first actions and thoughts of the day. As we discussed last week, we need to be intentional with our lives, and a solid God-honoring morning routine is the first step to doing just that.
A successful Morning Routine Begins with a Successful evening routine.
If we want to learn how to have a successful morning routine, we must also have a successful evening routine. We can build many habits before we go to bed to ensure that our mornings stay on track.
Science has proven that we need 7-8 hours of sleep every night to function properly. You may argue that you require less, but would your argument stand if we took away your caffeine? Therefore, if you want to have successful morning habits, it starts with getting enough sleep so that when 5 am comes around, you're ready to start your day refreshed.
If you are unable to sleep regularly, read this blog, I Need Sleep.
Brendon Burchard, a well-known author, speaker, and life coach, gives this advice. He teaches the 3-2-1 method for good sleep. Three hours before bed, don't eat anything. (It shocks me how late some people eat). Two hours before bed, no work, and one hour before bed, no screen time. I know that the last one is a doozy! It's easy to relax in front of the TV or scroll mindlessly on social media. Still, it actually stimulates your brain instead of priming it for sleep.
Other evening routines that help your mornings are:
Wipe down the kitchen - it's always nice to wake up to a clean slate (literally). No one likes to wake up to a sink full of dishes. You already feel behind before you have started your day.
Set out your workout clothes - I will put them on first thing in the morning (while I'm peeing and don't have time to think about it).
Pick out your clothes for the next day.
Check your calendar and schedule for the next day. Don't be thrown off by a meeting you forgot about or something your child needs for school.
Hang your keys by the door.
Schedule your coffee to brew or get your tea ready, so you don't have to fumble around first thing in the morning. You want to make your morning as easy as possible to wake up and start.
Read a devotional or magazine article – something short to relax your mind.
Take a shower or bath. It will help you relax and cut down your morning to-dos.
Then set that alarm to go off at 5:00 am! It's easy to be motivated to get up early the night before when you're fully awake. However, when that alarm goes off, your body will tell you, "I don't think so!"
No matter how badly you want to do it, do not – I repeat, DO NOT hit that snooze button, and here's why. If you go back to sleep after your alarm goes off just to be woke up in another 10 minutes, you will actually be more groggy and tired. When you go back to sleep, your body starts a REM cycle and disrupting that cycle results in feeling more tired. If you have to, set your phone (if that's your alarm) across the room or use an app that makes you do something before it turns off. Whatever you need to do, do it! Train yourself to get up with only one alarm.
I know we haven't even gotten to the actual morning habits yet – that will be coming on the next blog. For now, practice your evening routine and the 3-2-1 method. Let me know how it goes! Here's to a good night's sleep!
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