Win the morning - win the day!

For many people, time feels like a luxury that we just don't have enough of. I've said it myself on many occasions 'there just aren't enough hours in the day!'. I used to get up as late as I could and the time before I started work would be a mad rush of getting the kids ready, getting myself ready and flying out of the door with a couple of minutes to spare. I'd start my day feeling flustered and like I was on the back-foot. Sound familiar?

I now start my day in a very different way. Over time I realised that I needed to create a calmer morning routine that would set me up for a more productive, less stressful day. It's taken me a long time to get to this point but part of the process was to realise that if I carve out a little piece of time for myself, I'm actually in a much better position to help and support the other people around me. I don't see this as a selfish act - in fact I feel it's the opposite. It also teaches those around me the importance of self-care and hopefully will help them to do the same.

How I win the morning

The first hour of my day is pretty simple. I get up before everyone else in the house and complete 3 habits before I do anything else:

1. Track my recovery score: This is part of my training and I do this when I wake up to assess how well recovered I am from training. I use this along with other metrics to help me decide on the intensity of the day's training.

2. Journal: this is a recent addition but one that really sets me up for the day. I write 2 short lists in the morning - 3 things that I'm grateful for and 3 things I want to accomplish today. Before I go to bed I write down 3 things that made today great. This helps me to keep things in perspective and reminds me that there are always positives in every day.

3. Read 10 pages of my book: I'm often too tired to read on an evening and don't really have the focus or time during the day but I love to read. So this is my 'me time'. Usually it's a self-development book but I read fiction too.

All 3 habits take around 15-20 minutes in total. If I'm starting work at 6am then I wake up at 4.50am and if I'm starting work at 7.45am then I wake up at 6am. I've changed my bedtime routine to ensure that I get 7-8 hours of sleep each night. (Around 80% of the time my sleep quality is good).

Make it work for you

I know that these sleep and wake times don't work for everyone, but my point here is that in order to win each day, it can be as little as 10 minutes of focussed time in the morning which can make all the difference to your day. Of course you don't have to use the same 3 habits as I do. A 5 to10 minute stretch, yoga or meditation work just as well. Some people like to get outside in all weathers and have a brisk 10 minute walk! The important thing is that you choose just one or two habits that will help you to feel calm and focussed.

As a side note, I would highly recommend you don't watch or listen to the news first thing in the morning. The news media is biased toward negativity, fear and alarm so is likely to trigger feelings of outrage and frustration.

Winning the morning gives me a positive start to the day. Even if the rest of the day doesn't go as planned (which it often doesn't!), I know that at least I had a productive and calm start. By ending the day with my journaling I'm also slowly rewiring my brain to shift its focus from a negative bias to a more positive one.

Two questions for you:

1. What is good about making time for yourself?

2. What is bad about making time for yourself?