Morning Routines
Last week I woke up with a strong surge of energy to make a change. I've known it for a while, but on Friday the absolute clarity of the matter hit me hard and I fully accepted and embraced that I had to make a radical change. My morning routine just had to get blown up and redesigned, and greatly shortened. The only thing that truly matters is getting the work done that contributes to our main goal.
Once the most important work is completed, and we are at least a fraction close to our goal, can we then do the other 'me' things and hobbies and interests. This is just prioritizing in other words. First things first. Being an adult. Being a responsible adult. And just overall taking control of your life. It's so easy (and safe) to get caught up in self-care or hobbies or interests that we have. And we should be doing these things. But if they are not serving you and you are not getting the most important work done in the day, then it's time to shift things around. And that's what I'm doing. I accept that. And I am committed to change.
Currently my routine, from wakeful consciousness until I sit down to work, is about three hours! Now, this is ridiculous (yes, that's a judgment). And I have always known it is way too long. For me, I need to get into doing the work towards my main goal faster. Even though I like all that I do and it's positive for me and I feel great afterwards, this amount of time is just sapping energy and the real work just isn't getting done. We all have the same problem: our energy wanes as the day goes on. We wake up with our energy levels restored and they deplete as we tackle the day. So the most important and hardest work should be done first.
What should a morning routine be and how long?
Yes, this is completely personal. It should, however, at least be something that sets you into the right frame of mind to tackle the day's big ticket items. Usually activities that organize and prepare you with set intentions for the day – a mix of meditation, visualization, and physical. And there are a huge amount of activities and options to do.
But here's the kicker – how long? Anywhere from 10 minutes to 90 minutes is generally suffice. Remember, the objective is to prime ourselves for doing our purposeful daily work, not ticking off a long list of lovely self-care activities and interests. Andrew Huberman's morning routine is a 10-minute walk at 6:00 in sunlight to set circadian rhythms, and then he does 90 minutes of 'deep' work (e.g. writing a book).
Mine was three hours! And this totally ate into my daily productivity of the things that matter. So much so it's become a major hinderance. I felt like I got stuff done and I'd have a good day but I hadn't even tackled anything important towards my goal.
My NEW Routine: 1.5 hours
Meditation: I just read Joe Dispenza's Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself. I highly recommend it. He has a meditation process that takes up to 40-50 minutes daily and should be done first thing in the morning or just before bed. So I will commit to trying it and seeing what yields.
(I am currently doing Tony Robbins priming which takes about 20 minutes, and could be done in 10 minutes if limited time. It includes a little physical arm movement, gratitude, visioning, and goal setting – thinking and feeling your goal having been done/achieved). Highly recommend it!
Stretching: 15 minutes of various stretches and yoga poses.
Calisthenics: 18 minutes.
This gets me, after a quick shower (with hot and cold! — so beneficial), sitting down to work in 1.5 hours after waking up – assuming I shoot out of bed! This is better. It's half. I'm not too keen on 40-50 minutes of meditation, but I'll try it for a month or two and reassess. With Tony Robbin's priming, I can get my routine down to under an hour! And feel fantastic! Now, that's more like it. And I will keep reevaluating until I reach productivity levels towards my goal. If it has to go down to 10 minutes so be it. But I do prioritize daily calisthenics, which I like doing first thing in the morning now, especially since it's hot outside. But I'm also a physical guy and I really like to move my body. I like the endorphin release and mental clarity! Plus, it's a nice difficult accomplishment to start the day.
What's out?
Morning pages (love them, but I will move them to the end of the day).
Indoor stationary bike (move to later in the day and/or replace with swimming — the season is back! I only do 18 minutes and living a carnivore diet lifestyle, I really don't need to do cardio.)
So, I am going from five things to three things. Which is a lot more digestible and reasonable to start your day. More things equals more effort. If I have time for these things later in my day I will do them. Maybe incorporate them into a bedtime routine: like writing and drawing (a new interest) one hour before bed. The goal of the morning routine is to set ourselves up for dealing with the day's major work, not to get bogged down with too much self-care or distractions.
This is much bigger. It's about acknowledging that something isn't serving you anymore, accepting it, and making the conscious positive change. Letting go and moving on! All we can do is try. Nothing is permanent. Just be truthful to yourself. It's about breaking bad habits (even if perceived healthy!) and detaching from dis-serving ones and creating new ones that really help you get to be the person you wish to be. Not all action is equal. Being active doesn't mean, being effective.