I believe we wake up every day wanting to spend our time on what matters most to us. Creating a consistent morning routine is one of the best ways I’ve started my days for the past couple years. Waking up earlier than is required by others is a great way to make sure that you start the day on your terms, not other people’s.
Notice I didn’t say “wake up at 5:00 am” or any specific time. Simply that you should be waking up earlier than is required by others, whether that’s a spouse, partner, kids, or boss! Waking up early is one of the best ways to claim for yourself and what matters only to you. Now you’re able to act upon the day on your terms and not what other people demand of you.
For me this was a huge change, I wasn’t really a morning person for most of my life. But I steadily started waking up a little earlier for several weeks. Signing up for early classes at the gym is a great little hack here too! Another overlooked aspect of waking up early is going to bed earlier, which we’ll cover in another video.
Here are the 3 things I do in the first hour of waking up
1. Make coffee and read Daily Stoic (it’s a ritual at this point)
2. Journal about yesterday and a look at today (focus my mind)
3. Exercise (get the blood pumping)
When I wake up, I make coffee, spend about 15 minutes journaling and reading, then do some type of workout. After this I’ll work on a side hustle (like the vlog, doing that now!) or get started planning my day at work. When my son wakes up my wife and I will all spend time together and have breakfast. Then I get to work!
I have a new website that you can download all of my Bullet Journal productivity resources, including the 10 Block Method, Time Tracking Grids, and Monthly Plan at http://bulletjournalguy.com. You’ll also be able to enter the 5 Day Time Track Challenge to see where your time is spent each day. Enjoy!