It has been said that every morning brings new potential, but it’s what we do with it that makes a difference. Mornings include fresh starts, sunrises, birds chirping, a warm cup of caffeine and perhaps even a few minutes to ourselves to focus on what matters most to us.
All good things, right? Then why do we sometimes dread that alarm going off? Perhaps we need to find our morning rhythm.
When I was a little girl, I took piano lessons for many years and loved to play, but as an adult, I let what little musical abilities I had fade away. I recently decided to get back into it, and I’m having fun re-learning this old skill set. And while I’m slowly remembering what keys correlate to the notes on the sheet music and where my hands need to be placed, where I’m still falling short is rhythm. And without the right tempo and rhythm, the music coming from my piano just sounds “off.”
Perhaps this correlates to how we feel some mornings when we don’t have a good rhythm to what we’re doing or not doing, which comes along with a nagging feeling that we are likely missing out on a morning experience that could be a blessing rather than something to dread. And while my own musical rhythm may take a while to correct, with a slight makeover, your mornings might very well become your favorite time of day.
Making the most of any morning takes a little preparation, and through the last two articles we covered ways you can do that through developing a workday shutdown routine and tackling nightly prep at home. Now it’s time to focus on turning those first few hours into something worth rising and shining for. Here are some morning rhythms you might consider.
Wake up with gratitude.
A new day has begun! When your alarm goes off, rather than hit snooze or feel a sense of dread over what the day may bring or (even worse) something you didn’t get done the day before, make a conscious decision to choose gratitude as your first thought. Try to immediately recognize a few things you’re grateful for, even if it is just that you get another chance to begin again.
Those first few waking moments are so important, and this practice can become an inspiration to hop out of bed on a much more positive note. You might even consider making up your bed while pondering how much you have to be thankful for knowing you’ll feel so much better after that first activity is done. Now that’s a win-win.
Limit distractions.
Recognizing that our morning hours are usually limited (and tend to go by quickly), you’ll want to figure out what is most important to you and make those activities a priority before the day gets underway. Something you should consider is limiting the distractions that might derail your plans.
For me, the No. 1 culprit is looking at my phone for texts, emails or social media when I first wake up. It’s so tempting because you never know what you might have missed while you were sleeping. If that is important to you or the work you do, consider setting a timer for five minutes. We all recognize how quickly we can venture down rabbit holes, and those dang social media algorithms are not the kind of morning rhythms we need in our lives.
Instead, choose to prioritize your output over receiving input (there is plenty of time in the day for that). My very best days are when I can stay focused and work my morning plan, and I want that for you, too.
Set personal morning priorities.
Everyone’s list of priorities look a little different, and those will likely change through the seasons of our lives. The ingredients of a successful morning come together when we plan and commit the day before. It’s important to recognize our resolve and decision-making skills are likely not at their peak in those early hours, so do your best to set yourself up for success here. Consider these elements to include in your morning routine:
- quiet time of reflection and gratitude
- journaling or creative writing
- learning
- movement
- nutrition
For me, all of these items can get done within an hour or so depending on how much time I have to devote to it. I do my best to focus on consistency rather than the amount of time I spend on each specific area. Each of these are beneficial for body, mind and soul, and by placing them at a high level of importance early in the day, it can allow us to ensure they get done before the day unfolds and other people’s priorities begin to trump our own.
You might find that you so look forward to this time devoted to bringing the best of yourself to each day that hitting snooze becomes much less tempting. Depending on how much you want to accomplish in the morning before you head out for the office, you might consider setting your alarm a few minutes earlier. And if this is a new effort for you, I’d suggest starting small and figuring out what works best. If you have more time in the evenings, you might adjust your schedule and plans accordingly.
Execute your office start-up.
Whether you’ve traveled back to work or walked down the hall into your home office, you can arrive feeling ahead of the game because you came in prepared from the day before. Just like developing a workday shutdown ritual can be helpful, consider developing a startup routine filled with a few practices that will have you prepped for success.
Assess your calendar.
Glance at your calendar for the day and consider setting an alarm on your phone for when you have to leave for an appointment or jump on a Zoom meeting. This will allow you to focus on your tasks at hand instead of carrying that uneasy feeling that you might miss or be late for something during the day. (We’ve all done it.)
Eat that frog.
Mark Twain once said that if you have to eat a live frog, do it first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you for the rest of the day. And while that doesn’t sound particularly appetizing for a morning meal, it can become a great plan for how to begin your workday.
Tackle your important tasks first. Set everything else aside. Handle office small talk later in the day. Don’t answer your phone unless it’s urgent. And unless you feel a real need to check your emails first thing in the morning, save it for the second (or even third) hour. Regardless, resist the temptation to use that precious morning time to do a mindless email scroll. You have more important things to accomplish. Start working your list. Don’t delay. Don’t even think about doing anything else.
If you’re struggling to get started, use the Pomodoro Technique and set a timer for 25 minutes to focus on one task. You can prioritize anything for 25 minutes. Typically, once the timer goes off, you’ve already found your groove. If not, take a break, then pick it back up five minutes later and set the timer again. This mental trick always seems to help me, and there is even a Pomodoro app for anyone who finds this a helpful technique for warding off procrastination.
Now, take a look at the clock. Perhaps it’s 9 a.m., 9:30 or even 10 a.m. if you blocked off some focus time, and you have already accomplished so much of what is important to you. Take a deep breath and recognize that whatever else may come in the course of the day, you have started so very strong and will be able to handle everything else in stride.
And if this particular morning didn’t pan out the way you had hoped, don’t beat yourself up. Thankfully, we all get another chance with each day to find our rhythm. Let’s make the most of each one.
More from this series:
Tammie Davis is a division president for Cadence Bank. She formerly served as a professional trainer in the financial services industry and has extensive nonprofit leadership experience through planning, fundraising and vision casting.
