3 Essential Routine Shifts To Make When Getting A Dog (or Experiencing Any Life Change)

My co-workers have been lovingly laughing at me.

 I got my puppy Maisy almost 6 weeks ago and she has turned my life upside down.

As someone who likes routine, it's been disrupted by:

• waking up 2x a night to let her out

• morning starts with her first, then me

• interrupting what I'm doing to get whatever it is out of her mouth or let her outside

My co-workers with kids and dogs lovingly smile as I tell them this when I walk into the office, as I am starting to empathize with what they go through.

To look at the bright side, I'm learning some new, important routine tactics.

3 essential routine shifts to make when getting a dog (or experiencing any life change):

—

1) Be thankful for the good habits you've already established

The good habits I already have in place ground me and make me feel like I'm in at least a little bit of control while this big change is going on (even if I don't get to do all of them).

The good habits I have already have remind me of who I am before being becoming a dog mom.

AKA start good habits now!

—

2) Do not force it, sync to what is craved

But not all the habits are going to be EXACTLY the same as before, and don't force them to be.

In the morning, I tried taking care of myself and then her.

NOPE

Maisy has her highest energy in the morning.

My morning was so much easier when I tended to her and then went on with my morning.

Just like we need to sync our routine to how our brain/body operate, who knew we also needed to sync to our dogs.

—

3) Add time buffers

Let me repeat that, ADD TIME BUFFERS

Everything is going to take longer, especially starting out:

• mornings

• getting out the door

• basically any task as it can be interrupted with a puppy needing to go out or chewing on something they aren't supposed to

Give yourself extra time to do everything so you aren't showing up frantically late all the time.

Because showing up as the calm & present person may also require giving yourself a little extra time & grace.

Also - thank goodness she's cute!

—

If you happen to be going through a life change too, let’s chat about it!

I open up a few 15-min spots on my schedule each week to chat with people about their routines!

Feel free to grab completely free :)

12 Step Checklist To A Calm & Productive Schedule

I made a 12 step checklist to a calm & productive schedule that I keep coming back to.

For the past 4+ years, I’ve studied morning routines & time management diligently and the amount of information can be overwhelming.

So the Time Management Checklist was born:

1. Identify the person you want to be

   Who do you want to be? How do you want to show up. Present, calm, someone with boundaries, responsive, etc.

2. Do the Life Pie exercise

   Split your life into 3-5 pieces (ex: health, family, work). Get really clear on what these are. This not only determines where your time is spent, but where your happiness is coming from.

3. Time block

   Take your pie pieces and time block where they’re happening in your week. Example: family time happens after work, workout time is in the morning. If it doesn’t have a time block, it’s probably not happening.

4. Aligned with what you crave

   Is your schedule aligned with how your body/brain operates? If you brain works best in the morning, maybe that is the time to work on that dream business. If your body has the most energy in the morning, maybe that’s the time to workout. This limits the amount you’re FORCING yourself to do something.

5. Beginner mode

   Is your schedule set to beginner mode? Do you have habits or things on the schedule that feel manageable and sustainable, and won’t lead to burnout? For example: if you normally wake up at 7am, but tell yourself you’re going to start waking up at 5am to workout, you’re going BEAST MODE instead of BEGINNER mode. First try waking up 15 minutes earlier and then work your way up so that 5am becomes a lifestyle change, instead of a short term goal.

6. Wind down time & activities

   It takes longer than we think to get our brains to shut down for bed. Instead of having a bedtime, have a wind down time 1-2 hours before bed to get your brain to slow down. That could include not working, leisurely reading, or journaling. Anything that prepares you to be ready to sleep when bedtime comes around.

7. Sleep buffer

   The goal isn’t to rush in the morning, so why rush out of bed? Here’s your permission to give yourself a sleep buffer or 15 minutes to leisurely wake up. This is also a good benchmark if you’re someone who continually hits snooze.

8. Rest days

   This is scheduling unscheduled time. This is time to reset, relax, or maybe get caught up on something that didn’t get finished this week. Creating more flexibility and rejuvenation in your schedule.

9. Special spots

   This is designating a special spot for each thing you do. Where do you work? Where do you sleep? Say your Special Spot for work is your desk. That means your desk is where you go to focus on work, and maybe not scroll social. Likewise, that means work doesn’t occur in bed. The purpose of this is designating a place you can be fully present for what you’re doing, and your brain can easily switch into the mindset it needs to be in.

10. Phone settings aligned

    Are your phone settings aligned with the person you want to be? Are they aligned with your Special Spots? For example, if you want to be present, maybe you limit the notifications popping up on your home screen. Or maybe work emails only get checked at your desk, and not when you’re at the gym.

11. Routine options

    Give yourself options for routine so you’re more likely to do it. For example: you could have a go-to-the-office morning routine that is a little shorter, and a work-from-home morning routine that is a little longer. It doesn’t need to look exactly the same every day and you can give yourself options.

12. Anchor activity

    Have an Anchor Activity for yourself, or something you do for 2-5 minutes each morning no matter. This could be journaling or taking 5 deep breaths. The purpose is to show up and check-in with yourself. It doesn’t always have to be all or nothing when it comes to your morning routine.

Reminder - you don’t need to integrate all of these at once.

Pick 1 that resonates the most right now and start integrating into your schedule.

I have the full 1-pager checklist if you want to download & save for later!

—

Need guidance on which 1 to get started with?

I open a few 15-min spots on my schedule each week to chat with people about their morning routine & schedule (for free)! Feel free to grab one before they’re gone :)

3 Ways I’m Finding Calm In A Hard Work Week

To my friends who are in the thick of a hard work week and looking for some relief…

Right there with ya!

This is when I tap into my learnings from the past 4+ years studying how to create a calm morning and schedule!

So here are 3 ways I’m finding CALM in a hard work week:

1) Strategically protecting my energy

2) Remembering I’m more than my career

3) Having an Anchor & prioritizing it

—

Here are the details:

1) Strategically protecting my energy

Most of my time and energy is being spent on work, so really not trying to drain myself even more.

A few ways I think about doing this:

• Limiting the number of things going on after work

• Less multi-tasking, focusing on doing 1 thing at a time

• When being a sounding board for co-workers, know your limits & when negativity is affecting your energy

Don’t worry - this doesn’t mean you can’t do it all or are weak; you are just trying to show up your best during a hard time :)

2) Remembering I’m more than my career

Sometimes work needs to be THE thing right now, and that’s ok!

But I like to remind myself I’m more than my work, and my happiness & worth comes from multiple places:

• Family, friends, dogs

• Cozy home

• Exercising

• Hobbies/interests

PRO TIP: highly recommend doing the Life Pie exercise of identifying the 3-5 sections that make of your life, and seeing the many parts that make up you :)

3) Having an Anchor & prioritizing it

An Anchor Activity is something you do for 2-5 minutes in the morning before work no matter what.

Some favorite Anchor Activities my clients and I use:

• Journaling

• 5 deep breaths

• Stretching

• Writing down 3 things you’re thankful for

• Setting the 3 priorities for the day

In the busyness of it all, it’s a chance to say to myself…

“I am here and this is who I am”

…before the rest of the world gets to influence you.

And by prioritizing this day after day, you slowly become the calm, strong person that is ready to take on the day!

—

If you feel like you need some relief now and want some help getting healthy habits to stick in your schedule, here to chat about it!

I can direct you on where to start in a quick 15 min phone call! Let me know if you want a spot on the schedule this week :)

Who or What Are You Waking Up For?

I’ve always coached people on “waking up for yourself.”

But I’m going to put an asterisk* on that now.

My 11 week old pup Maisy has made her entrance into my life & I am absolutely not waking up for myself anymore!

I am waking up to take care of her (and admittedly so she doesn’t have an accident in my house)!

There’s a selflessness that’s come over me since I’ve gotten her.

It challenges what I always thought about waking up for myself and gives me MORE purpose to get out of bed!

I take care of her and then we snuggle up & do my morning routine!

So I challenge you to…

LIKE WHO OR WHAT YOU'RE WAKING UP FOR

Many of us wake up for work.

If you’re happy with that reason, great!

If not, you can change it!

Wake up for:
-Yourself
-Your partner
-Your pet
-Your kids
-Your dream side project

Whatever or whomever gives you the drive to get out of bed!

And if it is someone else, still pouring into yourself in some small way in the morning is a beneficial way to start the day.

Make YOU the priority early on in the day so you don’t get lost in the list of everything else!

5 Ways To Setup Your Calm & Productive Work From Home Life

1 blessing many of us have is the flexibility to work from home.

But if we don’t think about HOW we are using the flexibility, it can actually lead to more stress and less focus throughout the workday.

Here are 5 ways to setup your calm and productive work from home life:

1) Build a Command Center
2) Make your Command Center a “no social zone.”
3) Create a transition between meetings
4) Put the laptop to bed
5) Have a morning routine before the workday starts

--

Here are the details:

1) Build a Command Center

Pick 1 special spot in your home where work happens.

I call this your “Command Center.”

This is where you go to focus, become a powerful decision maker, and fully be present in work.

Mine is my desk in my office!

Yes, the couch or bed can be nice sometimes, but these are usually our sacred resting spots, so consider keeping them that way.

2) Make your Command Center a “no social zone.”

Decide what happens and doesn’t happen in your Command Center.

For me, 1 of my biggest distractions is my phone!

Therefore, I try to make my Command Center a “no social zone” where I don’t check social or respond to texts.

Instead, I get up to do these things, making for the perfect break between meetings.

BONUS: I also use this mindset for my desk when I go into the office!

3) Create a transition between meetings

When we have back to back meetings, it can be tough to be present for each and easy to get burnt out.

Try to create a transition between meetings.

That could be:
-Taking 3 deep breaths to ground yourself for the next meeting
-Getting up from your Command Center to take a break
-Getting a drink of water or petting the dog

This can create calm throughout the day and allow you to be a more sound decision maker as you go into the next meeting.

4) Put the laptop to bed

If you want to mark the end of the workday, consider putting your laptop “to bed” or away in a drawer or backpack.

This creates a:
-Stopping point for the workday
-Starting point to be present for the rest of life

Consider how easy or hard you want to make it to “jump back on & answer 1 more email.”

If you want to create calm & boundaries, putting the laptop to bed can be a helpful tool.

Also a good marking for the start of the workday the next morning!

5) Have a morning routine before the workday starts

If we want to live that calm life, it starts in the morning!

Start the day taking care of you so you can be your best self when you show up to your work/Command Center.

After all, who decides how you live your life, you or your work?

⭐ Reminder: you’re worth getting out of bed for!

—

If you want to create your ideal morning routine that transitions nicely into your workday, let’s chat!

Feel free to schedule a free 15-min call to chat morning routine or time management coaching.

If You Don’t Want A Rushed Morning, Get Rid of The Dread & Guilt First

When I ask someone how their morning feels, the answer I usually get is “rushed.”

But I know this isn’t their FIRST feeling in the morning.

--The first feeling is DREAD that the alarm is going off.

--Followed by GUILT that they’re hitting snooze.

--And RUSHED is the byproduct of it all!

How do we tackle the dread and guilt, so the rushed morning doesn’t happen?

1) Establish a sleep buffer

A sleep buffer is the guilt-free 15 minutes you give yourself to slowly wake up.

That way when the alarm goes off, you’re not totally dreading getting out of bed and feeling guilty for hitting snooze.

You didn’t want to rush, so here’s your permission to not rush out of bed.

You start the day with GRACE instead of GUILT.

2) Plan something worth getting out of bed for

For most people, this is usually doing something for yourself before the workday starts.

Journal, meditate, walk, tidy up the house.

It is making a plan that contributes to the person you want to become.

Calm, grounded, healthy, organized.

You can then start the day with DESIRE instead of DREAD.

⭐ Little reminder: YOU’RE worth getting out of bed for!

—

If you want to talk through getting rid of the dread, guilt, and rushing in your morning, I offer 1 free 15-min morning routine audit to my email friends!

I have a few spots left this week so let me know if you want one!

I Want My Grammy’s Morning Routine

If you know me, I’ve always wanted to be like my Grammy when I grow up.

She’s the life of the party and has so much spunk in her!

We recently took her to Austin, and on the plane, her and I got to talking about her morning routine.

She said how much she just loves it, so of course I asked more.

Here’s hers:

• Coffee while sitting on the comfy couch

• Cute golden doodle dog at her feet

• Play Wordle & some other games to stay sharp

• News on in the background

It’s not just what she does that stood out to me, but how much she just LOVES her mornings.

How many of us can say that?

Don’t we deserve to LOVE our mornings?

My Morning Routine Coach brain kicked in and looked at what makes Grammy’s morning routine so enjoyable:

1) Purpose to get out of bed

Having something to do or somewhere to be can feel nice.

When we don’t, those are the days we stay in bed all day and feel like a blob.

Yes some days it’s nice to have nowhere to be, but having purpose to get out of bed is something that can keep us going.

But it has to be a purpose catered to you.

2) Starting your day on your terms

You picking how the day starts can be incredibly empowering!

Choosing when you wake up, what you do, and the speed in which you do it at.

I like to ask people,

“who decides what time you wake up?”

Right now, a lot of us may say work.

When we decide to wake up 15 minutes earlier to do something for ourselves, we’ve just switched from living on work’s terms to living on YOUR terms.

Trust me, Grammy is living on Grammy’s terms.

———

Tomorrow is her 83rd birthday and I hope to still be loving my mornings when I’m her age!

So happy birthday Grammy, you inspire us all!

If you want a morning like Grammy’s sooner rather than later, let’s chat about coaching and make it happen!

3 Ways To Become The Person Who Shows Up Calmly To The Meeting

If you think about the past few meetings you’ve had, what type of person were you?

Person 1:

Rushed to the meeting, showing up late because the last one ran over, still thinking about the last meeting, trying to remember what this meeting is about, you see your phone blowing up with notifications that haven’t been answered

Person 2:

Showed up relatively on time, ready to go over the agenda, feeling present, will check phone when meeting is over so you aren’t distracted, feeling good because you aren’t frazzled and ready to make decisions with a clear mind

A lot of us are person 1, but want to become person 2.

How do we go from rushed & frazzled to calm & collected (even when there is a lot going on)?

3 things to think about:

1) Create a transition

Let’s admit…

The efficient person in us likes to schedule meetings back to back.

And while it may look like the back to back meetings fit nicely on our little calendars, it can make us feel rushed and frazzled.

I challenge you to create a transition between the meetings.

• If possible, put a buffer time between meetings

• If that doesn’t seem possible, before you walk into a meeting, take a breath or go to the bathroom

Create some type of transition that allows you to collect yourself.

This can be the difference between you showing up frazzled vs. calm, collected, and viewed as sound decision maker.

2) Silence notifications

When we have back to back meetings, it can be hard enough to be present, let alone what our phone is doing.

I challenge you to ask yourself…

“How can I be as present as possible?”

That likely includes silencing your notifications or not looking at your phone during meetings 

The pings and dings distract us from what is happening right in front of us.

Who knows, you could miss putting your input into a decision because you weren’t completely present for.

Show up in a way you can be proud of!

3) Morning grounding

If we start the day running around frantic, we are kind of setting the tone for the rest of the day.

BUT if we start the day feeling grounded, clear-minded, and confident, that could spill into the rest of the day.

Create some type of morning grounding.

Some ideas could be

• Journaling

• Walking

• Meditation or a few deep breaths

Time to collect your thoughts, decide how you want to show up that day, and have a moment of peace.

We all know we may not get it the rest of the day.

—

If you’re feeling like you’re just rushing around all day everyday, you don’t have to live that way!

Let’s chat about morning routine or time management coaching and make the calm, collected version of you come to life!

The Moment I Knew Things Needed To Change

January 20, 2020

I had just returned from a long weekend trip to Boston and I felt completely out of control.

• I didn’t like who I was.

• I didn’t like how I was feeling.

• I felt like a blob.

I think we are supposed to feel refreshed after a trip right?!

While the trip was fun, I’d…

• Been around people 24/7

• Woke up & immediately rushed around the whole day

• Didn’t have a moment to breathe

I almost thought am I so high maintenance and stuck in my routines that I can’t handle 3 days of this?!

Before the trip, I was getting up and journaling most mornings to just say to myself…

“Hi you’re here, this is who you’re, this is what you feel, and this is what you want”

It was like this secret, 5-min weapon each morning getting me through the day and making me feel like I was in control my life.

I had been doing it for so long that I reached the point of what it felt like to not do it.

While I could survive not journaling, I was stronger with it.

So on January 20, 2020, I journaled and have every day since.

(Good timing as you know what those next few months looked like)

Journaling had become my:

• Landing pad for hard times

• Springboard for bigger things

• Home away from home wherever I was

So as I arrive on 4 years of consecutive journaling, I share this with you to challenge you to…

1. Find a small way to check-in with yourself each day

2. Make it your secret weapon that makes you stronger

—

Maybe you’ve already had THAT moment like I did that kicked your morning routine or checking-in into gear.

BUT if you haven’t and you don’t want to wait for that “kick in the butt” moment, let’s chat about getting your morning routine going!

3 Things You Don’t See In Those Morning Routine Videos

“What does your ideal morning look like?”

This is a question I ask my morning routine clients when we start working together…

…and the response I get is pretty much the same from everyone:

• Wake up at 5am

• No snoozing or rushing

• Journal & meditate

• Workout

This is great, but I can’t help but think this common response is because of the “perfect morning routine” we see on social media.

I love these videos, but there are 3 things we may not be seeing:

1) They likely have a sleep buffer.

Have you seen the videos where the girl wakes up at 5am and is up and moving by 5:05am?

While some people may actually be able to do this, a lot of us need time to slowly wake up (and that’s ok)!

The solution: a sleep buffer

When planning your morning routine, it’s ok to give yourself a “sleep buffer” of about 15 mins to slowly wake-up and adjust to the day.

This is a realistic, happy medium plan of not hitting snooze a bunch of times, but giving yourself the time you need to leisurely get up.

One of our goals is to not rush in the morning right?

Here’s your permission to not rush out of bed :)

2) They didn’t start waking up at 5am right away.

I bet most people in the videos didn’t go from waking up at 7am to waking up at 5am.

They likely started as a beginner too and made their way up to an earlier time.

If you’re trying to wake up earlier, challenge yourself in 15 or 30 minute increments.

Prove to yourself that you can do it, and then add more!

The goal is to build a SUSTAINABLE morning routine, not one you burnout from.

3) They’re showing you THEIR morning routine, not the standard for a perfect one.

When we’re constantly bombarded with videos of other people’s morning routines, we start to think that’s the standard for what perfect looks like.

Think about it:

• Morning routine videos

• What I eat in a day videos

• Makeup videos

(This is also why when I give talks, I don’t lead with “this my morning routine” to not set the expectation of what perfect looks like)

So I challenge you:

What does YOUR perfect morning routine look like?

• Does it involve drinking coffee & reading (and not working out)?

• Does it involve waking up at 7am (and not 5am)?

Get specific and think about what YOU want!

Like Taylor’s Version, take back your routine and write YOUR version!

—

This isn’t to knock the morning routine videos because we all know they’re cute and inspirational!

But I want to challenge you to:

1. Be realistic about your morning routine plan

2. Give yourself grace and work your way to earlier in a sustainable way

3. Build YOUR version of a morning routine & redefine what perfect looks like

—

Want help building YOUR version of a morning routine! Let’s chat about it!

How My Move Has Impacted My Routine (& Made Me Consider My Adaptability)

Over the past week, I’ve moved from my apartment to my first condo!

Here’s the dish on it so far:

• It’s been that rollercoaster between exciting and overwhelming!

• My routine has been rocked since the condo is set up differently and I don’t know where everything is

• The everyday things are taking longer, and I’ve found my efficient and perfectionist self getting frustrated

These are first world problems I know and all things considered, the move has gone great!

I’m considering though…

I take pride in being a disciplined, routine person, but has this kept me from being an ADAPTABLE PERSON?

What is the balance between routine & adaptability?

Here are 3 things I’ve learned so far about the balance between these:

1) Routines are an energy saver

Routines are helpful because it reduces the amount of decisions you have to make in a day.

Routines save energy for the 1-off decisions or things that need more thought.

With moving — my usual routines of making breakfast or getting ready for bed are taking longer because I’m still in the process of making micro decisions about where things are placed.

Once I live here long enough and make enough of the micro decisions, my new routine will fall into place :)

2) Structure + Creativity can be a strategy for adaptability

I can take the routines I know work and apply them to this new space.

Structure of a routine + new challenges that spark creativity

It’s the balance that makes me feel like I don’t need to start from scratch every time, but be adaptable when I get into a new situation.

With moving - I’m thinking about, where can I apply routine, but add a new, exciting twist to it!

3) Recognizing that not everything is going to be the same all the time 

This is what I haven’t been doing!

I’ve been so routine that I didn’t really prepare myself for “this is going to be different.”

With moving - accepting this reality has been getting me through the impatient parts and making me enjoy the process more!

I want to look back at this time fondly and remember the humble beginnings of it all :)

—

I know sometimes I write these things out not to tell you, but to convince myself (this is a lot of writers on the internet btw).

I believe these 3 lessons can be applied to many parts of our life - new relationships, new jobs, etc.

Mine is a new home, but maybe you can apply them to something in your life this week :)

6 Lessons Helping Me Find Calm in Chaos This Year

In 2023, I feel like I found the calm in the chaos.

I slowly became a go-getter doing a lot of things intentionally and calmly.

I’m trying to come up with the term for becoming this person.

I was inspired to come up with a term when I started reading the newsletter The Quiet Rich.

The title captures perfectly people wanting to become humbly rich and live life intentionally.

What do you call a person who finds calm in the chaos?

I’ll start asking chat gpt, but let me know what you come up with!

—

While you think about it…

Here are 6 lessons that helped me find calm in chaos (and build the lifestyle I always wanted):

1) Special spots are the key to calm (and focus!)

Designating where I do certain tasks has made a world of a difference when it comes to calm and focus!

Example:

• Work happens at my desk

• (work doesn’t happen in bed)

• (social media scrolling doesn’t happen at my desk)

Creating special spots helps me:

• Not switch tasks so I’m not wasting time

• Stay focused so I can do better work

• Be less stressed because I have clarity of where my attention needs to be in the moment

Thinking about this a lot as I move into my new condo this week! Follow along on Insta to see me build my new command center / she shed!

2) What you do MOST of the time is who you’re becoming

• Workout vs. not

• Morning routine vs. not

• Drinking alcohol vs. not

I started asking myself:

What is my “default habit” (or what do I do MOST of the time)?

Whatever it is, is who I’m becoming.

• Active vs. not

• Grounded vs. not

• Mindful drinker vs. not

This has helped:

• Hold me accountable to doing good habits more than 50% of the days

• Give myself grace when I had 1 bad habit day

• Get me closer to the person I want to be

3) What is measured is managed

I measure the things I need to make sure don’t get lost in the chaos.

And I don’t measure the things that’s sole purpose is just to be fun!

What I measure: days I workout

• I track the days I workout & color in each day I do to hold me accountable

• I use different colors to give myself options for movement, making it more likely to do

• You can download the tracker I’ve used for the past 3 years that has led me to working out >90% of days HERE!

What I don’t measure: the number of books I read a year

• This is a leisure activity for me so I don’t measure it

• As a perfectionist, I’ve found when I measure anything and everything, I feel like a failure because I’m always not hitting some number

4) Procrastination is telling you something

The things I procrastinated on this year were mostly do too:

• Me making it harder in my head than it actually is

• Me trying to convince yourself I like doing it

Once I noticed this, I started posting on social media for my biz a lot less.

It wasn’t really filling my cup or converting to income, so I started focusing my biz attention elsewhere.

Noticing what is not filling my cup has helped me conserve my energy for the things that do fill my cup (like this writing this newsletter)!

5) Build flexibility into your schedule

This year I found the balance between setting a schedule AND having flexibility to move the schedule around.

Building flexibility into life has been a way to make all the things happen when things don’t go as planned (which is a lot).

Some flexibility I’ve built into my life (and feel so thankful to have!):

• Flexible job of working at the office vs. home when I want

• Multiple options for working out so I get some type of movement in every day

• Side jobs that don’t have to be done at a certain time

I want to continue to build a flexible life where I can!

6) Waking up with purpose is the most underrated thing ever

Does this sound familiar?

• You know those mornings where you’re laying in bed deciding if you’re going to get up?

• Maybe you scroll email or social to procrastinate doing it.

• Then you feel drained and unmotivated before your feet even hit the floor.

Those have been days of the past ever since I started waking up with purpose!

Getting up to do something to nourish my body or mind:

• Journal

• Cup of coffee

• Walk

On the good and bad days, having an activity, a spot, a mindset to go to.

It’s a landing pad for the hard days and a springboard for the good days.

To put it simply, it’s a morning routine!

But it’s more than a morning routine:

It’s you believing you’re worth getting out of bed for.

Because you’re and 2024 is your year!

To recap:

1. Special spots are key to calm & focus

2. What you do most of the time is who you’re becoming

3. What is measured is managed

4. Procrastination is telling you something

5. Build flexibility into your schedule

6. Waking up with purpose is the most underrated thing ever

Wishing you the best in this new year and can’t wait to see what you do!

What Happened When I Started A Morning Routine

Laura Chouette

When I talk about the topic of morning routines, the most common response I get from people is “yea I should really have one of those.”

We have enough “shoulds” in our life so no need to feel like you should have a morning routine.

BUT there is something powerful about them.

When I started getting up 20 minutes earlier than I usually would to do my morning routine of journaling, I felt more centered and calm to start the day.

You could also feel calm or centered from taking a walk or sitting with a cup of coffee.

The important thing I noticed here was choosing to have a morning routine was me choosing to start my day on my own terms.

No one else’s, mine.

I was choosing to wake up at the time I wanted to wake up, and not solely because it was the time I needed to wake up for work.

I was choosing to do something for myself before I answered all the pings, dings, and requests of other people throughout the day.

I was choosing how I was going to start the day and set the precedent for it.

And slowly starting my day, my morning, on my own terms became me living my life on my own terms.

What is Helping Me Grieve

Aejaz Memon

I was reminded recently of the power of a morning routine, especially during a time of loss, a breakup, or when life hits us hardest.

Like when I lost my grandfather in February 2022.

The morning after his passing, I woke up and I had to remind myself that it happened.

This continued on for the next couple mornings. The alarm went off, I woke up, and I have to remember all over again.

I thought how am I possibly supposed to get out of bed when I’m dealing with this heartache?

Something that did get me out of bed was my morning routine.

Making some coffee and sitting down with my journal is my usual go-to.

So that is what I did.

Having a morning routine setup helped me in 2 ways:

Gave me the scheduled time to grieve & check in with myself

I’ve noticed that depending on the day, it can either feel like there is a lot of time in the day to grieve or none at all.

Utilizing my morning routine as a check in on how I was doing was powerful. It gave me space and created a boundary at the same time.

My morning routine became a place to land softly.

Gave me the 1st step to take for the day

We don’t need to know what the whole day is going to look like, just what is the first thing to do.

Having the 1st thing in my back pocket made me feel like there was purpose in the day when I felt a little lost.

Usually after I do the 1st thing, it becomes apparent what the next thing is and the next thing is after that.

My morning routine became the springboard for the rest of the day.

–

This isn’t to say a morning routine is going to fix all my sadness I’m feeling.

But having one setup already made me feel empowered when the hard times did hit.

I can keep it simple too. Sitting with a cup of coffee, journaling, a meditation, a prayer, or a walk.

A morning routine helped me feel equipped to go from “this really sucks right now” to “I’m capable of moving forward.”

How to Create Soft Landings for Yourself

Antoine Martin

Whenever I’ve told someone about a big change I’ve made in my life, my favorite response I’ve gotten is “wishing you soft landings.”

I love that phrase. Soft landings.

It is like being applauded for jumping off the cliff, but wishing you the best that you don’t fall hard.

When we make a big jump, we don’t really know if it is going to be a hard or soft landing.

I think back to my gymnastics days when I would do a tumbling pass and wasn’t always sure how I was going to land.

I think about when I was interviewing for new jobs and you really don’t know how the job is going to be until you get into it.

There are things out of our control that make us not know how things are going to end up or how we are going to land.

But I think there is a way to make the landings softer.

For gymnastics, you can bring some extra mats out and train yourself to bend your knees when you land so that the impact isn’t so hard.

In job interviews, you can talk to as many people as you can and do your research to get more information if the company culture is right for you.

Doing these things doesn’t guarantee we are going to land softly, but how do we make it more likely?

It comes down to having habits and people set up for yourself before you even jump.

Doesn’t mean you have to wait for your life to be perfect to jump, but having some things already set in place can make the landings a little softer and less scary.

Here are a few things that have helped me land softer and have made me more likely to jump.

Journaling

This is the first soft landing I ever put in place for myself.

When I started journaling over 4 years ago, it was to have a place for my thoughts, feelings, hopes, and fears to land. Journaling still serves that purpose for me today.

It is a place to challenge myself to write out whatever I’m thinking without judgment. Some of my biggest decisions, ideas, and realizations have come from sitting down to write in my journal for just 5 minutes.

Morning Routine

Morning Routines have been a soft landing for me because even when things are tough or uncertain, I still know how I’m going to start the day.

You just have to start, and everything else will come after.

Having a few simple tasks that I do every morning helps me at least get out of bed and puts some control back in my life when it can feel like there isn’t any.

Support System

This comes down to what I talked about in this blog post about letting people know what is going on in your life so that they know how to support you when you do jump.

As I reflect on some of the big changes I’ve made, I picture myself jumping off a cliff, my family catching me, and then lightly setting me on my feet. I question, and am slightly convinced, that I would have hit the ground without their support.

Therapy

I’ve found it helpful to not only talk to people in your life about what is going on, but talk to an outside person that does not have as much stake in your life.

My therapist is that person for me.

She can ask the hard questions without me wondering if she is guiding me to an answer that fits her agenda or caters to her opinion. Her agenda is to have an open conversation and give me tools that make me feel capable of taking on whatever it is in my life.

I almost think of therapists as “professional cliff catchers.”

–

As you can maybe tell, it isn’t about what the jump is or how you make it.

It is about what habits and support systems you can set up for yourself so that no matter what or how or when you jump, you know you will be capable of landing softly.

How I’m Using My Morning Muscle

Ellieelien

I moved into a new apartment recently.

That first morning waking up, I felt lost for a moment on what to do first in my new space and overwhelmed by how many boxes I needed to still unpack around me.

The stacks of boxes in my bedroom kind of looked like my life at the moment.

Problems I needed to address and things I needed to do piled up on each other. Then I went into the living room and there were boxes there too. There wasn’t any escaping it.

But waking up with this feeling of being lost or overwhelmed was familiar to me.

I’ve trained myself for these types of mornings because they happen more often than one would like and life is hard.

So I picked myself out of bed, tried to not trip over boxes as I made my way to the living room, sat down at the window and journaled.

I was going to choose how this day was going to start.

Despite all the boxes around me, I knew it was going to take doing just 1 good thing in the morning to set me up for other good things in the day.

My favorite Youtube trainer Sydney Cummings calls this the ripple effect. She says that a workout can be the drop in the water that makes the ripple effect of good choices for the rest of the day.

For me, that drop in the water is journaling and maybe for you it is something else.

I think it is about choosing to do something for yourself first thing in the morning that makes life feel manageable and reminds you that you’re capable of taking on this day.

It could be a walk, meditation, yoga, writing, or sitting with your coffee in silence for 10 minutes as you look at the window.

It all starts in the morning. Some would argue it starts the night before by making the choice as to how you’re going to start the next day.

You choose just 1 thing to do in the morning that is going to uplift you, and a lot of other things will fall into place.

I like to think about journaling as my “morning muscle” to get me through the day. I can train it, flex it, it can make me stronger, and give me energy.

The most important choice I make every day is what is going to be my morning muscle and how it is going to set the precedent for the rest of my day.

Trust me I’m going to need to flex that morning muscle so I can feel capable of getting all these boxes unpacked.

What is your morning muscle?

4 Strategies For Creating A Consistent Journaling Practice

Unsplash | Jess Bailey

Starting a daily journaling practice is one thing, but creating a consistent journaling practice is another challenge.

Some days we don't feel like it. Some days we forget. Some days life gets in the way.

How can we ensure we show up to our journal for even 5 minutes?

I journaled for 2 years before I would say my practice became truly a consistent one, so I know it isn't easy.

Here are 4 strategies I used to create a daily journaling practice that stuck.

Plan a time you're going to journal.

If you don't put it in the plan, your journaling practice is likely to get lost in the day.

Plan out the night before when you're going to get in your journaling practice the next day.

Everyone is different on the time of day they like journaling, but if you've never journaled before, I recommend adding it to your morning routine. Journaling in the morning makes it less likely for it to get overshadowed by other things that pop up throughout the day.

Do it before or after something you already do.

Adding a new habit or practice to your day can seem challenging. If you link journaling to something you already do, it can make adding a new thing to your day seem a little more manageable.

Place it before or after making your morning coffee. Maybe you do it before you kick off your work day. Maybe it is before you go to bed every night.

Put it somewhere in your day where it feels good and you can see yourself making it happen.

Use daily journal prompts.

Journal prompts can be a question or statement that you answer in your journal.

Having a daily question or statement to answer can make you more likely to show up to your journal. It can make journaling not feel like such an open-ended task, but a rewarding task that can be accomplished. It can also be a great way to kick off your journal entry if you don't know what to write.

You can think of answering a daily journal prompt as an accountability partner to showing up to your journal.

I have created some daily journal prompts you can use here if you want a place to start.

Look at is as a "get to do" instead of a "have to do."

There are probably a lot of things that you have to do in your day. It is a long list, and yes, planning out your journaling session may feel like it is adding to the list.

How long is your "get to do" list? Do you have a "get to do" list? Adding your journaling practice may be a good place to start.

It may not feel like a "get to do" when you first start journaling as it can still feel challenging, but viewing your journaling practice as something that you get to do for you will make you more likely to show up to it each day.

Watch the Instagram Reel

Watch Here

How To Create A Morning Routine

Unsplash | Jeremy Yap

You may have heard from many successful business leaders, motivational speakers, or other impactful people how a morning routine can make a difference.

After 2 years of having a morning routine and adjusting it in a way that serves me, I have come to agree. It is a way to accomplish a lot early on in my day and start it on my own terms.

So how do you create a morning routine? Here are 7 steps:

Pick an activity you want to add to your morning.

If you want to start creating a morning routine, I recommend starting with why you want to. Is it to start the day feeling productive? Make sure certain things don't get lost in your day? Get some exercise in? Bring a moment of quiet? Pick an activity that contributes to what you want to get out of your morning.

Place it before or after something you already do in the morning.

It can be hard to start a new habit or routine right out of the blue. By attaching it to something you already do, it makes the new activity feel a little more manageable. Placing it before or after, say brushing your teeth, can make the new activity feel like it fits more naturally into your morning.

Figure out what time you need to wake-up.

You are adding things to your morning, so it usually warrants an earlier wake-up time. Give yourself more time than you think you need the first couple of days you try your routine, and then adjust based on what you learn. Also, consider if your wake-up time is now significantly earlier, therefore, you may consider going to bed earlier the night before.

Do the morning routine

You did all the planning, now make it happen. Try to do the morning routine without any judgement and just see how you feel.

Evaluate if the new activity made your morning better.

Whether it succeeded the previously intended purpose of making you feel productive or creating a moment of quiet or not, ask yourself if the activity made your morning better. Plain and simple. If you're in-between as to whether it made it better or not, give it a try for a couple days and you'll likely get some more clarity.

Adjust your morning routine accordingly.

Based on what you learn, adjust your morning routine accordingly. Do you need to give yourself a little more time and wake-up earlier? Do you need to leave that activity out all together? Do you need to do the activity in a different room where there are less distractions? Do what you need.

Add more activities over time.

If you find yourself getting a good grip of the first activity and it is motivating you to add more, go for it. Morning routines can really be a game changer for your day if they're done in a way that serves you. Give yourself permission to evolve your routine over time as you learn more about what you like in different seasons.

Watch the instagram reel

Watch Here

---

What Makes Mornings So Great Anyway?

Danielle MacInnes | Unsplash

A non-morning person asked me: "What is so great about mornings? If you have time to do things later in the day, what makes you feel better about getting up in the early morning to do them?"

Fair question. Not sure the answer.

There is something about mornings though. Something magical about them.

Or maybe us morning people make them that way.

I started getting up early and doing a morning routine because a lot of entrepreneurs and thought-leaders I admired attributed their morning routine to their success.

However, after getting up early and doing a morning routine for many months, I realized why mornings were now so magical to me:

Prioritizes things you want to do.

You've been there where you leave something you want to do until the end of the day, and then 5 things come up and it doesn't happen or you're tired. Putting the things you want to do like reading or working out at the beginning of the day ensures that you will get to do it.

1 moment of control for the day.

There are some things that will happen in our day that are completely out of our control. So before we read any news, check email, or have a conversation with anyone that creates some form of stress, we get to have this 1 moment that we have complete control of what happens and how we feel.

Can start the day, week, month, life off on the right foot.

Mornings can set the tone for the rest of the day. If we can start it out the way we want to, there is a good chance it will set us up to be in a positive mindset the rest of the day. Then if we start each day off the way we want, days become weeks, weeks become months, and many months becomes your life. Why not start off life on the right foot?

Can feel fulfilled early on in the day.

We are all looking to be fulfilled in our day. We look for that just that ounce of happiness or accomplishment to get us through. So if we can do something that is fulfilling early on in our day, than we feel like we've already won even before our second cup of coffee.

Something that makes us feel better than average.

Ok yes the other things are reasons morning people love mornings, but deep down I think we get up to do things in the morning because it makes us feel better than average. This is because getting up in the morning isn't easy. If it was, everyone would be doing it and I would never be writing any of these things about mornings. We feel like its automatically more impressive to do something in the morning because it is just that much harder. No, we are not hating on you night owls, we just take doing things in the morning as a win.

The Morning Routine You Wish You Started Earlier

As an avid podcast listener, I listened to successful person after successful person talk about how they had a morning routine.

Some went for a run, did an ice bath, and meditated. Others journaled, did yoga, or skimmed the news.

These high-achievers and people I admired explained that having a routine they do each morning starts their day off right and prepares them mentally and physically for what is to come.

So I wanted to try out this morning routine thing for myself.

However, I didn't really know where to start and choosing what to do felt a little overwhelming.

One thing I did learn from others who had tried morning routines was the goal wasn't to wake up earlier and do more things before work. It was about starting the day in a way that felt good while also doing the things you wanted to do.

To help me brainstorm what to include in my morning routine, I found a few questions helpful:

What would you do if you were on vacation?

One of the things I love about going on vacation is getting to spend my morning however I want and not feeling like I have to rush off anywhere.

So why can't I create that morning for myself at home?

Unfortunately for most of us, we can't go sit on the beach like we would on vacation, but we can create a morning like we are on vacation.

Reading on the porch, slowly drinking a cup of coffee, going on a morning walk, or making a nice breakfast. We can do some of these things (or all of them) even on a regular day.

You can make the morning special everyday.

What do you not always get to do in your busy day, but want to?

Our biggest reason for not doing things we want to do is lack of time.

We have so many responsibilities that need our attention that things we want to do get lost in the mix.

So why not make time for the things we want to do?

I specifically think of hobbies or interests when reading this question.

Start writing the book you always wanted to. Research apartments in the area of town you want to move to. Fit that yoga session in that you're always too tired to do after work.

Not only will you have time for these things, but your freshest energy will be put towards them.

What do you want to feel in the morning?

This is an open-ended question, and there isn't a right or wrong answer.

Some would say they want to feel productive. Some would say energetic. Some would say tranquil. Maybe you want your brain or body to be more stimulated or suppressed.

Whatever it may be, create that for yourself in the morning.

This is your first feeling that kicks off the day so kick it off the right way.

What is nice about these questions is that the answers can change and will change in different seasons of life. This will lead to new morning routines that serve you as you grow.

You may not find the routine that feels good right away, but it is important to be patient with yourself and willing to experiment as you explore and find the routine that serves you right now.

You can create the dream morning for yourself you never knew you needed.