The Framework for a Morning Routine You’ll Actually Stick To

The Framework for a Morning Routine You’ll Actually Stick To

BY MICHELLE KNIGHT

To be honest I had a little resistance in writing this blog because I have a whole beef about morning routines. 

Then I thought, you probably have the same beef when you hear the term morning routines. You want one, but the information is just too much. 

I know the whole concept of morning routines can be very fluffy. If you've ever worked with me in my coaching, I don't do fluffy. I like action. I like actionable, deep work. So let's do a new spin on the morning routine. Shall we?

Let's start with the beef. When I first started my business, Brandmerry.com in 2016 I was just one month postpartum. So there already wasn't much of a morning routine happening at that point because we were just surviving. 

However, at the same time of going through this postpartum period, I also started building my business and exploring this whole idea of entrepreneurship.

Shortly into doing that, I felt like I was bombarded with information on coming up with a morning routine. This isn't new, right? People have been talking about this forever, but to me, it was this new concept because I used to just, get up, brush my teeth and go to work. There was no morning routine happening. 

I was looking for stability at that time because I was in the midst of being a new mother and that incredible fog and uncertainty, so I started consuming all the content about morning routines. 

Fast forward to September of that same year and I was leaving my nine to five to pursue my business full time.

I remember saying, “Okay, I'm about to work from home. I'm about to change my whole entire schedule with my kiddo.” So I started seeking out support inside of Facebook Groups on how to juggle the work from home life.

I asked them, “What do you recommend doing as you transition from working a nine to five then switching to running a business at home with a kiddo?” Everyone was like, “You must have your morning routine!”

Everyone was giving me all of this feedback on the morning routine:

“I meditate for 45 minutes.”
“I like to go for a 30-minute walk and go to the coffee shop.” 
“I have a 20-minute skincare routine.”

And I remember thinking that this must be the secret sauce, so I dove headfirst into creating a morning routine that looked like everyone else.

And I failed miserably.

I realize now that I wasn't actually failing. I had set crazy unrealistic expectations for what was happening in my life.

I was letting someone else tell me how my morning routine should go and what I should do. And then thinking that I would just mirror that and suddenly it would be all great.

THE TRUTH ABOUT MORNING ROUTINES

Morning routines aren’t the end all be all and they won’t make or break your success, but here is the thing that I later learned: Having that morning routine sets you up for success. 

It gets you in the mindset, the focus and grounded so that you can then take on all of the things that come your way throughout the day. There's always a rollercoaster ride of things throughout the day and being prepared (aka starting off on the right foot) is essential when handling them.

But the trouble with morning routines is when we hear other people talk about their morning routines, we try to parallel them. 

Rather than asking ourselves, “What do I need?” We assume if it worked for her, it will work for me and that's doing a disservice to your life, your season and your expectations. 

So rather than looking on Pinterest or another podcast, that tells you to do these five things every single day and then setting yourself up for something that might not work with your life, it’s important to have a framework, not an end all be all rule book.

MORNING ROUTINES ARE SELF CARE

Actively choosing your morning routine is just another opportunity for you to make choices for yourself and do things that serve you and your family at the highest level. 

Doing things that serve you and the life that you are building and making choices that are aligned with your goals.

Making those decisions first and foremost is important. And then taking action and creating habits around them and doing them in the morning so that you're setting yourself up; that's the whole point of the morning routine. 

There's no secret. 

It's this trifecta of choosing the things that are going to serve you, committing to them and making them a habit, which is one of my favorite things to talk about. 

On my podcast, The Beautiful Climb, episode 14 dives into the importance of habits, not just in a morning routine, but throughout the day as well.

YOUR ROUTINE SHOULD EVOLVE

There’s absolutely no shame in having a routine that evolves.

You are a human. You are evolving every single day. You're learning new things about yourself. The outside world is changing and impacting what you can and can't do. 

Your routines, including the ones you do in the morning, should mirror that.

I have learned rather than to be rigid with exactly what I'm doing, that every time I feel like something's off, or I need something new, I go back to the framework I’m about to share with you.

I like to ask myself and encourage you to do the same...

• What do I need during this time?

• What would support me most during this season of life?

• What are the pieces that I'm committing to doing daily? 

And then implementing them.

It's all in the habits. 

It's not in the specific thing that you do. 

It's in the fact that you are making it a recurring routine that you are committing to first thing in the morning to set yourself up for success and alignment throughout the day.

My morning routine has changed so much over the years as a mother, wife, entrepreneur, woman, daughter, etc...Every season demands something new from me and I must be willing to adapt to that while still honoring my habits and boundaries.

If you want to head my entire journey with morning routines, including what I’ve done and what I do today, head over to Episode 34 of The Beautiful Climb podcast and have a listen.

THE FRAMEWORK FOR A MORNING ROUTINE YOU’LL STICK TO

What I have found through my journey, working with my clients and chatting with my friends is that people really struggle with, “but what do I do?” 

And it’s because they're not asking themselves, “What do I need?” And then creating a routine that best supports that need. 

So the framework I’m about to share with you is just that, a framework. I encourage you to explore and fill in with the things that you personally need.

Today my morning routine is so different, then when I first started. My life has changed. My son has gone from crawling to walking to being more self-sufficient. My business has grown. My husband has retired and in each of those seasons I was forced to ask myself, “What do I need right now?” 

You can absolutely make your morning routine your own and one that serves you at the highest level.

For the framework, I recommend focusing on the big three. Choosing three main areas to focus on every morning. This typically looks like Mind, Body and Soul, but can be any combination you need most.

At this stage of my life, it's a focus on my fitness with high-intensity workouts, followed by getting myself ready mentally and then nourishing my soul. This looks like a 20-30 minute workout or rides on my Peloton, getting dressed in pants that button (no yoga pants here) and then making myself a healthy breakfast to start my day. 

I used to journal for 30 minutes, I’ve meditated for 10, I used to not work out daily, and that’s the point I want to make; your routine will change, but if you focus on the big three you’ll find you’re always giving yourself a well-rounded start to the day.

What I encourage you to do is think about three things that you could do every morning that maybe take 15 minutes. 

If you’ve got more time, then great!
Maybe you need to wake up a bit earlier (no 5 a.m.’s necessary) to give yourself a full 30 minutes.
Maybe you've got even more time and can take it nice and slow. Every season will be different!

Focus on the three core things you need most in this season, fitting them into a time frame that works for you and I promise it will be so empowering. 

And that's what I want you to remember. It's about listening to yourself, identifying what you need, making a plan for that, creating a habit and then taking action.

Rinse and repeat.

A SUCCESSFUL MORNING ROUTINE IS IN THE HABIT

The last thing that I'll share about setting up a morning routine is that it's all in the habits. 

If you haven't read Atomic Habits yet, it's one of my favorite books and there is a quote in there that says, “You do not rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems.” 

And that's why having systems for how you’re going to achieve something and taking daily action is so important.

Setting the intention is amazing; it’s the first step, but then you have to look and say “Well, what am I going to do to get there?” 

And then you have to honor that. 

You deserve healthy habits in your life, and they are the secret to getting to your goals, and an excellent place to start is with your morning routine.

I know the days when I fall off track, there will be days when nothing seems to be going right. You just want to sleep in. 
And you're thinking about how your legs hurt so maybe you’ll skip moving your body and just shower.
Or, maybe I’ll just get to work and check those emails to save some time.

But, I’ve noticed on those days it’s more important than ever to honor myself and start the day on the right foot and this includes setting boundaries not only with yourself but also with others.

You need to set boundaries. If you are thinking, “I don't have time in the morning, Michelle, to have a morning routine,” I need you to create time. 

And one of the ways that you can create time without waking up at the butt crack of dawn is to have conversations with people in your life and get support. 

If you find that when you try to work out at home, everybody is in your business and won't leave you alone, then you need to get out of the house and figure out how you can do that. 

If you’ve got a kid, bring them with you. Go for a walk or just have a conversation with them and say, this is what I need to do. Invite them to join you as you workout and set the tone with them that this time is sacred.

Get them in the habit of creating morning routines as well. I love that my son Cal has his morning routine. This kid has created almost his own morning routine on accident because I have created mine and he's watched that happen. 

Talk with your spouse, your kids, your roommate and let them know what you need to make this happen! And honor your boundaries with yourself by scheduling your morning routine, honoring your commitments and taking action.

You deserve it!

Set yourself up for success.

Get your systems in place.

Honor yourself.

Check-in with yourself and rock your morning.

P.S. Have you tuned in to The Beautiful Climb podcast? I release new episodes every other Friday on topics around productivity, motherhood, habits, goals and going after the life of your dreams! Check out past episodes and be sure to subscribe at thebeautifulclimb.com

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MEET MICHELLE

Hey there, I'm Michelle Knight and I an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.

I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.

I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I now travel full-time while running my business from the road.

This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation and more.

Create a Morning Routine That Works for You

#LiveMerry

I can’t stress enough how important it is to begin your morning with some sort of routine. A morning routine sets the tone for your entire day and I honestly believe makes it easier to handle whatever life may throw at you.

While I was working my 9 to 5, I made it a point to complete some part of my morning ritual every single day. It wasn’t always easy, sometimes my son cooperated and sometimes he didn’t, but I was always sure to do some part in order to get my day started in a positive, energetic way.

Now that I've left my 9 to 5 and have more time to dedicate to my morning practice, I’m able to spend about an hour on my morning routine, but that came with time and definitely didn't happen overnight. I want you to remember one of my favorite quotes as you read further into this blog post, “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”

There will be days when you can only do one thing on this list, and that is fine. There will be days when you are able to complete every single thing your heart desires, and that is fine too. The point of a morning routine is to connect with yourself, if even for five minutes and live your day with purpose.

I’ve included my top seven things to create a morning ritual with, but remember to create the routine that best serves you where you are in your life:

Journal - Take just 10 minutes every morning to journal about what you are currently facing in your life. I encourage you to not look ahead, but simply address what is happening in your life this very moment. Some of my best ideas have come from journaling first thing in the morning.

Meditate - If you are new to meditation I don’t want the word, meditation, to scare you. Think of this as a listening practice. Simply sit, count your breaths, listen to what the Universe has in store for you and be still. Every single morning I begin with a simple meditation, whether that be laying in bed, sitting on the porch or in the shower. Just taking at least five minutes to be still can make all the difference.

Walk/Yoga - Begin your morning with a brisk walk or morning yoga routine. Walking is an excellent morning routine if you have children or a fur baby. It gets your blood and thoughts flowing and if you are like me and always looking for ways to maximize the time, I suggest taking this time to add in some self-reflection.

Reading - I highly suggest reading/listening 10 minutes every day to inspirational books. When I was driving to work every morning I would use that time to listen to my books on Audible - like I said I’m all about maximizing my time.

Hot Beverage - This is such an amazing routine if you are short on time or as an added addition. There is something so soothing about enjoying a hot beverage first thing in the morning. For you if may be coffee, hot water with lemon or tea. I personally love a hot soy chai in the morning - there are very few things that make me feel so energized and ready to take on the day.

Visualization - The practice of visualizing is excellent in taking your mindset work up a notch. I started incorporating visualization a little over a month ago and have seen major progress in my mindset work. I want to emphasis progress because this technique requires regular practice. I like to take two minutes and visualize an outcome I’m looking forward to (think number of clients signed, a celebration dinner or money in the bank). The point of this exercise is to visualize the end result - really be there!y

Gratitude Practice - There is nothing better than beginning your day with immense gratitude for everything you have. This is also a great practice if you are strapped for time. Simply list five things that you are grateful for in that moment - that’s it. I also like to incorporate this into my nightly routine, as a way to close out my day.

The ideas above are just a few of the ways you can really maximize your day right from the start. Create a routine that fits you, exactly where you are and prepares you for the day ahead mentally, physically and spiritually.

BE MERRY!

Michelle Knight

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Books to Ignite Your Motivation

Becoming a entrepreneur is no easy task. It takes time, dedication and a few sacrifices to get your business up and running. However, and correct me if I'm wrong, but you probably shared the same goal I had when launching our business, that you desired flexibility and ease. Ok good we are on the same page. Then why does it sometimes feel exhausting working on our businesses?

It's because we don't take time for ourselves!

I plan to do a whole series on self care, but what better way to kick off than with a list of some truly inspirational books? Part of my self care routine is making sure I am feeding my mind with truly inspirational, positive and empowering literature.

Just like you, I don't always have the time to sit down and actually read a book especially while working 9 to 5 and raising a little one. So I have found my new best friend is Audible.

There are many resources out there for listening to your books, but honestly I found Audible and ran with it. I love listening to my books because it allows me to fit them in on my drive to and from work. 

Some books to get you started:

• You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero
• The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks
• Leveraging the Universe by Mike Dooley
• The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D. Wattles
• What I Know for Sure by Oprah Winfrey
• Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person by Shonda Rhimes

I'm a big fan of Oprah's What I Know for Sure as a quick and SUPER effective read. I'm also such a huge fan of You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero, so much that I've listened to it three times already - I seriously can't say enough great things about the messages in this book.

I hope this list gives you a jumping off point. Remember, self care is so important not only for our own well-beings, but also for our business.

In order to give time and energy to your business and your family you must first give to yourself. 

Be Merry!