Having a morning routine has always been a goal of mine. And following on from my recent new mind set of intentions rather than goals, I have done my best to apply this principle to my morning routine.

On researching the morning routine topic, there were so many different models out there I really struggled to narrow down what it was I personally wanted to achieve.

The ideas that resonated most closely to what I was aiming towards was Hal Elrod’s SAVERS, as discussed in his book The Miracle Morning. I haven’t followed it in its entirety but was inspired by it most.

Why establish a morning routine?

I wanted to establish a routine because I realised on days when I had a more structured wake up and made time for myself I felt more set up for the day.

I struggled with this concept because having such young children, unless I got out of bed at the crack of dawn I would never have time to myself. But then I realised

If I want time for me, I must MAKE TIME for me

What are my intentions?

Having intentions that I wanted to achieve felt more appropriate than setting goals, or trying to create “habits” to track as in the past I had always failed.

Establishing elements I wanted to do every morning to make me more productive was the end result for me in this early stage with the future plan of tweaking as time went on. Here is my mini list of elements I wanted to achieve….

• Up by 8
• Read
• Meditate
• Journal
• Listen

A simple list but one that is definitely working for me. And one that I have been able to instil which has left me feeling much more positive and invigorated for the day.

How do they fit into my morning?

My routine last right up to the second I get to work. And for me this has been key as I feel less rushed in trying to fit lots into a small space of time.

In fact, out of my entire routine intentions the only element that I am still struggling to implement fully is the meditation aspect. But I am in the process of moving house and am hoping that after this point I will be able to establish a quiet place to go.

Waking up at a regular time has been massively important for me. It has helped improve my evening routine as well as I am tiring at a regular time too.

I have combined my journaling and reading with my breakfast and my children have got used to me doing so that they now sit and eat their breakfast peacefully so I can concentrate! It took a few mornings for them to realise but it is definitely working well now.

And then the final part, listening is actually a very recent addition to my routine. I have started using my drive to work when on my own as a time to listen to podcasts as it is usually the best time for me to do so. It has left me arriving at work feeling invigorated and ready to take on the day.

What things do you do of a morning to routine help set you up for the rest of the day???