I love a good routine. I am fascinated by the details – from how people get ready for an event to how artists prepare for the day. I have read many blog posts on it and even a book!  I have changed my morning routine over the years. But here is where I am currently… right now it takes about 2 hours.

  • Wake up at 6am (still a little bit of a struggle)
  • Do a 30-minute workout. Usually cycling to a Peloton digital class
  • Meditate for 10 minutes
  • Drink pre-made cold brew 
  • Read 10 pages of a book (usually an improvement book of some type)
  • Write for 10 minutes (this is what I am currently writing for one of those blocks)
  • Read a passage from the Daily Stoic
  • Review my to-do list in the Things app

It may seem like a lot, but it has been working really well for me thus far. The only thing I am missing is some yoga. Once I can successfully do the above at least 3-4 times a week for a month, I will probably start including a set of Sun Salutations in there as well. Sitting in a chair all day isn’t good for the body, so stretching things out each morning will hopefully make me last a bit longer.

I am also trying to implement a wind-down routine for the end of the workday. I currently work from home, so it is hard to not carry over the workday to my personal life. Currently, my wind-down routine consists of reading 10 more pages from an improvement book followed by 10 more minutes of meditation.

If I am reading 20 pages from a book a day, it will allow me to continue my charge through my giant stack of “to-read” books.  Adding another 10 minutes of mediation also doesn’t hurt. I want to eventually add an additional 10 minutes to both my morning and evening meditations, so I would be mediating a total of 40 minutes a day, but again, trying to take things slow. I want to establish a routine and then start adding to it. Instead of trying to do everything upfront, getting overwhelmed, not doing it, and ultimately being disappointed that it didn’t work for me. Morning routines are healthy, and I think everyone should have one. Some of the most notable people in history had one. It helps establish the energy for the day and gets you focused. Plus, it allows you to accomplish some of the critical goals early in the day (exercise, reading, meditation), so even if your workday doesn’t go as planned, at least you accomplished some healthy things for yourself!