My morning routine has evolved bit by bit over the years. I’ve recognized its importance, especially as my life became more complex as others entered it (like my wife and kids). Back in my Costco days, I didn’t have much of a morning routine because I didn’t feel as if it would serve me.
That was before I really got into productivity practices, though.
Once I left Costco, I amped up my morning routine. I added several layers to it, making it more than what it needed to be. This was when I was transitioning into doing what I do now, so I was really experimenting with things. I was definitely in my “productivity enthusiast” phase, leaning hard into any and all productivity tips and tricks I could find.
A Better Routine Emerges
Then I realized that more wasn’t exactly better, especially for a night owl who was trying to get through the mornings as best as they could. So I revamped my morning routine into something a lot like what I shared in this YouTube video.
But even that morning routine has changed in recent years. And while I still believe that an evening routine is just as (if not more important than) a morning routine, having both in place is one of the things that can create a level of certainty in your day. After all, everything that falls in between the two can be far from certain on any given day.
That’s why routines are so powerful. They don’t restrict spontaneity in your day; they actually cultivate it. Knowing that you’ve got some sort of anchor to kick off and wrap up your day can curb things like anxiety around what happens in between. You know that no matter what happens throughout the course of the day that you have command over how it begins and how it ends. Plus, you give yourself the time and space to prepare for the day with a trustworthy morning routine and the time and space to reflect on the day with a trustworthy evening routine.
The Elements of a Trustworthy Morning Routine
You change and evolve over the years and so do the things that serve you. A morning routine is one of those things. If you want to create less friction as you craft a morning routine, then you’ll want to make sure it has a few elements that keep it from overwhelming you. Those elements are discussed further in this video below.
One thing I can say with the utmost confidence is that whether you are a night owl or an early riser is that setting yourself up for the morning starts before you go to bed the night before. Mine starts with the Monk Manual during my Evening Examination the previous evening and continues when I review what intentions I wrote down in the Monk Manual as I start the new day. Sure, my calendar and to-do list app play a role in this as well, but I feel that my attention is more attuned with my intentions with both the Monk Manual and my own Daily Driver as my allies.
Your morning routine will never remain the same as you progress through this journey called life. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t put one in place – one that you can trust. In fact, it means the opposite. When you have one in place it makes every step of the journey a little more under your control than without one.
That’s why a morning routine matters.
