A MORNING ROUTINE FOR BUSY PEOPLE

I had a very interesting conversation with my nephew recently about “morning routines of successful entrepreneurs.” This is a topic frequently covered by Tim Ferriss and Lewis Howes on their podcasts, where their guests all had a similar routine that included mental, physical and emotional focus. The routines went something like the following:

1. Meditate 30-45 minutes
2. Workout 30-45 minutes
3. Read news, emails, motivational book 30 minutes
4. Cook and eat a healthy breakfast 45 minutes
5. Start your workday

My nephews reaction was priceless;

“that’s great, but I’m not getting up 2 hours before I start my day – how are normal people supposed to do that?”

As a new Dad I certainly have a greater respect for sleep than I ever had before, and getting up 2 hours earlier is not a likely possibility, especially when my day already starts at 5:30am and we still scramble to get out the door to beat the traffic. This scene out of ‘Daddy Daycare’ seems more realistic:

The consensus amongst most people seems to be SURVIVAL and making life as easy as possible (especially if you have kids).

Here are a few ways to start a morning routine for normal people:

Prepare for your next day the night before.

Most mornings are hectic, and by eliminating decisions you will conserve energy and create more time for the micro-routines that you can build on as your grow. Here are a few to start:

• I fill the tea kettle, put the teabag in the cup
• Prepare your breakfast in advance – I put my protein powder and banana beside the blender. I choose a protein shake as a quick healthy alternative
• Pick out your clothes the night before – eliminating choices from my morning makes life so much easier
• If you have kids, getting everything ready the night before is a must – pack lunches, have clothes laid out, have book bags packed

Be grateful (this takes less than 5 minutes).

The most simple thing to do in order to build a positive routine is to be grateful. Instead of hitting the snooze button on your iPhone – spend those few minutes reflecting on the things you are grateful for. And yes, there’s an App for that – it’s called the “Five Minute Journal App,” which asks you to write down 3 things:

• What are you grateful for today?
• What would make today great?
• Daily affirmations

Simple Exercises, Get your juices flowing and stimulate your brain.

While you may not have time for a full-blown workout, try to fit in a few pushups, sit ups and even a minute of planks before you hop in the shower. These simple actions will activate massive changes in your brain and create a chain reaction of chemical releases within your body that will help you perform at a higher level.

While we may not have the freedom to develop the routine of a billionaire entrepreneur, you can take small steps in developing the foundation of a sound morning routine that can grow as you continue in your pursuit of happiness.

 Feature Image Credit from Daddy Daycare, The Telegraph

This post originally appeared on www.douglasjfoley.com. Doug Foley is a marketer, entrepreneur, and strategic thinker who frequently writes about #retail, trends, #marketing, personal development and business #strategy.

To see more of his posts, visit www.douglasjfoley.com, or connect on LinkedIn (www.dhirubhai.net/in/douglasjfoley).