For some people “the morning” is synonymous with evil or mean people. They love Sleep and hate getting up. My teenage son is 100% in this category.

And… I get it. At one point in my life – that was me, too.

But over the years I’ve come to love the mornings and more importantly, my morning routine. It gives me energy, gives me time to reflect, and helps me attack the day and achieve what I want out of it.

That said, my routine is never perfect. Something inevitably impacts it in some way, but the goal is to get as close to the ideal routine as possible. So, what is perfect? Well… It shifts from time to time based on priorities in life and is certainly different for each person. However, the goal is the same: Start the day with intentionality and set up your day for success. 

Here are a few of the things I find that are helpful and give me energy:

  • Read something you are passionate about. It can be 10 minutes or 30.
  • Share something to help others. It could be a Thought of the Day or some knowledge you learned or are thinking about.
  • Write a note to someone special (or multiple people) or send a message/text.
  • Have some quiet time. Meditation, prayer, or whatever helps you center yourself.
  • Identify the top 3 priorities for the day for your personal life.
  • Identify the top 3 priorities for the day for your business life.
  • Review your calendar for the day to ensure you are focused on the most important priorities. Own your day, don’t let your day own you. I try to make sure my schedule and priorities align with my goals for the year.
  • Clear the clutter out of your Inbox. I’m a big believer in Inbox zero. By getting rid of the clutter that doesn’t add value to my world, I can more easily focus on what is important when I check email later in the day. And – it makes email management much faster.
  • Do some type of exercise or movement to get your blood flowing. 10 minutes is an awesome start!
  • Journal or capture what you are grateful for.

There are several other items on my list, but these are the biggest priorities.

Even though getting up isn’t always a favorite, if you create a morning routine that serves you and gives you energy, it will make the entire day better… and provide a reason to get going and skip the “snooze” button. 

As I wrap up, here is something I capture along the way that I read in my routine periodically. I hope you find it helpful.

8 Things to Remember

In my view, there are eight personal beliefs that not only will propel you completely out of desperation but give you the emotional oomph to handle just about anything the business world throws at you. Here they are: 

  1. Today’s success can breed tomorrow’s failure if I let success make me complacent about staying motivated and moving forward.
  2. I learn more from failure than from success. Failure renews my humility, sharpens my objectivity and strengthens my resiliency.
  3. Goals that contain the phrase “I’ll try…” are self-defeating. If I want goals that truly motivate me, I use phrases like “I will” and “I must.”
  4. What holds most people back is fear of failure, but if I don’t take action, I’ll fail by default, so what have I got to lose?
  5. What I say reinforces what I think, so if something is about to come out of my mouth that doesn’t serve my purpose, I should simply keep my mouth shut.
  6. I am responsible for my own happiness, so when other people are unkind to me, it reminds me to be kind to myself.
  7. There are five magic words that make even the most difficult business situations easier to handle. Those magic words are: “Do not take it personally.”
  8. While there are situations (such as a death in the family) where strong emotions are appropriate, most business situations are not worth even an ounce of misery.

Do you have a morning routine? If so, let me know what is on your list!

The goal of AoD is to build better leaders who run better companies and change the world. Better leadership doesn’t just happen in the office, but at home too. Here is a link to a template for our Perfect Week Planner. I hope you enjoy it and figure out your perfect week!