Morning Routine
With books like The 5 AM Club and My Morning Routine gaining popularity, I thought there must be some truth to waking up early. Although I was hesitant because I love my sleep, I decided to try waking up at 6 AM. It was easier than I thought and if I made sure I was getting enough sleep by going to bed on time, I had no problems at all. Waking up early has changed my mindset and enabled me to grow as a person. I’m starting the day on my terms, and it feels great.
If successful people, like the Rock who wakes up at 3:30, are finding the time to form certain important habits within their busy schedules, I thought I should at least give it a try. It’s obvious that you shouldn’t try to pick up all the habits you want to pick up at the same time, but I slowly started habit-stacking once the first set had become habits. I slowly built them up one by one and this is the way I start my morning.
Waking Up Early
This is one of the most important changes I’ve made to my routine, and I don’t think I could ever go back. It has allowed me the time to start my day on my own terms. Before I used to take 30 minutes to get ready for work and so I’d wake up exactly 30 minutes before I needed to leave. This just meant I went from 0 to 100 real quick, every day. It’s not a great way to start your day and if something goes wrong or slows you down a bit, then you’re in a rush and late for work. Starting my day in a panicked rush was the norm and I didn’t even know it was affecting my anxiety.
Once I started waking up early, there was no rush, and I could start the day relaxed and have plenty of time to remember what to take to work and if I had to do something before I left. I’m a huge advocate for 8 hours of sleep and so I’ve been going to bed a lot earlier than I’m used to. I’m a night owl, but during the week I feel like my morning routine is more beneficial to me than staying awake late and not doing much anyway.
One challenge I’m facing currently with my new wake-up time, 5 AM, is getting to bed on time. A 9 PM bedtime is quite early and if I’m meeting up with anyone to film or going to football practice in the evening, I’m going to be a lot later than that. I don’t function well on little sleep and now I’m trying to find that balance between waking up on time and getting enough sleep.
Reading Stoicism
I’ve been reading Ryan Holiday’s The Daily Stoic and I’ve loved it. You read a page a day and each page has a quote from a philosopher and Ryan’s explanation/interpretation of it. The book is divided into 3 themes, the discipline of perception, action and will. This makes it easier to digest and helps enforce the ideas as you meditate on similar ideas for a few months. It’s a great way to improve my stoic mindset and approach to life. I’ve almost finished the book and I have learnt some valuable lessons. I intend to continue reading stoicism as a daily practice by reading one page a day from Meditations by Marcus Aurelius.
Meditation
I have meditated every day for about a year, and it has helped with my anxiety. It’s crazy to think back to how I used to make myself feel, by thinking negative hypothetical thoughts. I’ve become calmer and realistically optimistic, while not getting too caught up in my thoughts. It’s hard to compare how much has changed since I started, but I feel like I’ve made a considerable improvement. Many people don’t try meditation because they feel like they’re doing it wrong, but there are so many great free resources out there to help you get started. I started with the 10-minute guided meditation by Headspace on Spotify. You don’t need to change it up and find a new meditation each time, just play one you like over and over again, and you’ll get into a groove. I intend to add a second session to my day because I feel like 10 minutes isn’t enough for me. I may need to do it before bed, but I’ll have to test it out and see what works. This might be the most important habit I have.
Journaling
Journaling is one of my habits that I feel like I don’t do enough of. I use the prompts from The 5-minute journal and I’ve been doing that since January. The 5-minute Journal prompts are:
AM
- I’m grateful for (name 3)
- What would make today great (3 things)
- Daily Affirmations (write 2)
PM
- 3 amazing things that happened today
- How could I have made today better (2 things)
Using these prompts has helped with gratitude and understanding what’s important. It has also helped me reflect on my days and shone a light on the things I was repeatedly doing that were getting in my way of progression. I feel like this is a good base for journaling, but I want to do a bit more. I’ve heard of morning pages, which is a practice where you must write down 3 pages first thing in the morning. It’s usually handwritten, and it doesn’t matter what you write. Just getting all your thoughts out onto the page leaves room for new ideas and less anxiety. I want to add this to my routine and just need to figure out the best way to do it.
Gym
I have had a strange relationship with the gym. I’ve been gyming on and off since I was about 16 years old. My reasons for why I was gyming have drastically changed throughout the years. I feel like I’m finally at a point where I’m truly doing it for myself and no one else. There are s many great health benefits for resistance training (lifting weights) and it doesn’t matter how big, small or old you are. I’ve got into a routine of four times a week with 2 football sessions and I feel like I’ve hit my sweet spot. Physical activity releases endorphins and has helped with my mental health too.
Starting my day on my terms has changed many aspects of my life. I feel like I’m able to work on myself and grow as a person. Having a morning routine makes it easier to start your day. You have fewer decisions to make and you can expend your brainpower on things that really matter. I would suggest this to anyone considering it. Even just 30 minutes earlier can make a big difference. Give it a go and see how it feels.