I’ve always wanted to be one of those people with a solid morning routine. Some of my favorite podcasters talk about their morning routines while I listen jealously, and I wonder “how can you do the same thing every single morning when every morning is not the same?” But after months (years?) of saying, “I’ll never have a good morning routine until my kids are out of the house,” I finally landed on something that works. And I finally experienced how a consistent, personalized routine in the morning can nudge me out of my inertia.
What is Inertia and Why is it a Struggle?
Inertia is a word I remember from school that explains how an object in motion stays in motion unless acted on by some force other than itself. And an object at rest stays at rest until pushed into motion by something else. A Google search says inertia is “a tendency to do nothing or to remain unchanged.”
Moving from rest to motion takes initiative, energy, and some discomfort. No one likes discomfort, but there are some of us (Enneagram nines) who crave comfort itself. Keeping things the same is comfortable, so our comfort zone becomes overthinking and planning what we’ll do “someday.”
My History with Mornings
I have wanted to have a consistent morning routine for a long time. But there have been challenges like,
I don’t wake up at the same time every morning.
My three kids are all up, and go to school, at different times.
One of them is always up early.
Some days I just don’t feel like doing (fill in the blank).
I’m not a morning person. I want to wake up slowly, drinking coffee, resting under my blanket, with a book in my lap. However, there are things I want to do every day that will only happen if I do them in the morning. And my three things are move my body, write some words, and read my Bible.
“A morning routine is kindly opening the day to increase your productive energy gradually which helps you feel rooted in who you truly are.”
Kendra Adachi, The Universal Path to Life-Giving Routine
Why Routines are Important
First a routine is important because it decreases decision fatigue. If you wake up already knowing what you’re going to do, there’s no overthinking it. It just becomes what you do.
Secondly, a morning routine allows you to choose what you want to experience during that part of the day. What are activities you want to do regularly that won’t happen unless you make them a priority? Once the family is awake, what I enjoy becomes “optional.” A morning routine is a way to prioritize what I want.
Thirdly, a routine helps you to overcome inertia by putting your brain into task completion mode (yes, I made that up). But I didn’t make this up: Our brains enjoy completing tasks. Once you complete a task, it’s ready to move on and complete another one. That’s why Admiral William H. McRaven says make your bed everyday. That one little task gives you a sense of accomplishment and readies your brain for the next job.
Call it a Routine to Reinforce Consistency
Naming my morning activities a “routine” makes me do them even when I don’t feel like it. I used to journal every morning. Then one day I didn’t feel like it and didn’t do it. When my world didn’t fall apart, I just quit journaling altogether. But after months of not journaling, my mind felt overwhelmed and scattered with all the emotions and thoughts running wild. I wasn’t taking out the trash of negative thinking, fear, and anxiety.
So now that I have officially claimed my journaling brain dump as part of my routine, I do it even when I don’t feel like it. Not in a legalistic this-has-to-be-done sort of way, but because I know that my emotional health is better when I release what I’m holding inside.
Create a Personalized Morning Routine
Here are five questions that Kendra Adachi shares on her blog post for creating a routine. If you’re trying to figure out a morning routine for yourself, I recommend reading her whole blog post. My answers are in italics, so definitely do this exercise on your own. I’d love to read your answers in the comments!
- What kind of person do I want to be? a relaxed, peaceful mom and person
- What needs to happen regularly for this person to come alive? regular inputting of goodness into my heart and soul and outputting the junk
- What do I do regularly now that’s building toward this person? daily Bible reading, while hoping for time to stretch and write
- What’s my next small step? shorten my reading routine to make time for stretching and writing
- Where does this go in my day? morning time
- What’s my reward? peace and connection with my body, my mind, and my God and I feel more rested to begin the day
Don’t Make it Complicated
My morning routine is: 5-10 minute yoga video, journaling brain dump (fill three pages or stop after 15 minutes), and Bible reading with my coffee. Even though I did variations of these things randomly, shortening the time spent doing each one allows me to do all three everyday. And putting my coffee last makes me do the other things so that I can get to the coffee!
Maybe your routine is shower, breakfast, go to work. Or coffee and reading. Maybe you’d like to have dinner prepped before you leave for work. Perhaps you’d like to talk a walk every morning. If you don’t think you have the time, think about how much time you really need to feel the benefit of each activity. For me, five minutes of yoga is enough.
And remember that as seasons of life change, your routine is likely to change. Don’t resist it, but find what works for you in that season.
More Routine Resources
For more listening or reading about creating your own personalized morning routine, check out these resources:
From Kendra Adachi, The Lazy Genius
- podcast episode #58: The Lazy Genius Morning Routine
- blog post: The Universal Path to Life-Giving Routine
From Emily P. Freeman, The Next Right Thing podcast
“Let that morning time be like a tiny gift you give yourself every single day—a nod to joy, a celebration of life, a fixed point in the midst of this crazy world.”
Emily P. Freeman, The Next Right Thing episode 76
Tell me in the comments about your morning routine or what steps you can take to create one!
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