3206: OMG. Can We Stop With The Morning Routines Already? by Michael Mehlberg on Personal Growth

[00:00:00] Before we start, please check out our new podcast, Good Sleep.

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[00:00:38] This is Optimal Living Daily, episode 3206.

[00:00:42] OMG, can we stop with the morning routines already?

[00:00:46] By Michael Melberg of MichaelMelberg.com.

[00:00:49] And I'm Justin Malik, your personal narrator.

[00:00:52] And I'm going to get right to today's post as we optimize your life.

[00:01:00] OMG, can we stop with the morning routines already?

[00:01:04] By Michael Melberg of MichaelMelberg.com.

[00:01:08] Pain shot through my back.

[00:01:10] Shocking, excruciating pain.

[00:01:13] The kind that takes your breath away.

[00:01:16] It started mid-spine and radiated outward, wrapping around my ribs, then upward toward my neck.

[00:01:23] I gasped for air, dropping my dumbbells and collapsed to the ground.

[00:01:28] It felt oddly good to lie there on the cold concrete of my basement exercise room.

[00:01:34] If I stayed still, I could regroup and take account of what happened.

[00:01:38] But the slightest twitch brought immediate suffering.

[00:01:42] Even breathing hurt.

[00:01:44] Had I warmed up before working out, I could have avoided twisting my back muscles into a tangled hammock.

[00:01:51] But I dove right in, curling heavy weights completely cold.

[00:01:56] Over the next two weeks, while my back muscles healed, I'd live to regret it.

[00:02:01] Moving as deliberately as I've ever moved in my life, I attempted to get up.

[00:02:07] And with every painful move, I could hear my trainer's voice in my head.

[00:02:12] You're old as f**k, bruh.

[00:02:14] You gotta spend the time getting your muscles ready so you don't hurt yourself.

[00:02:19] Lesson learned.

[00:02:21] Are you warming up your day?

[00:02:23] If you're not warming up before working out, you're not preparing your body for the intensity to come.

[00:02:29] You're putting yourself at risk for injury.

[00:02:31] You're not priming yourself for maximum gains.

[00:02:35] Similarly, if you're not warming up in the morning, you're not preparing your body and mind for the day to come.

[00:02:42] You're putting yourself at risk for distraction.

[00:02:45] You're not priming yourself for maximum productivity.

[00:02:49] Of course, I'm not talking about warming up with an exercise routine.

[00:02:53] I'm talking about preparing your mind and body for the day to come so you can avoid distractions and get s**t done.

[00:03:00] After all, that's what your morning routine is all about.

[00:03:05] There are thousands of articles on morning routines.

[00:03:08] Most of them push specific things to do.

[00:03:11] Wake up early, drink water, eat protein, meditate, journal.

[00:03:16] It's all great.

[00:03:17] But they miss the point.

[00:03:19] Your morning routine isn't some to-do list.

[00:03:23] It's a warm up for your day.

[00:03:25] It's a way to avoid lying in bed because you're dreading what's to come.

[00:03:30] It's a way to kill the anxiety that comes from not knowing what you'll do to kickstart your day.

[00:03:35] Perform the correct activities in your morning routine and you'll be primed to hit the ground running and make progress toward your goals.

[00:03:44] Do the wrong things or skip your morning routine altogether and you'll risk burnout, stress, distraction, and chaos in your life.

[00:03:53] Here's the thing though.

[00:03:55] Most morning routines are bulls**t.

[00:03:58] Join the 5am club, exercise, journal, meditate, read, eat protein, take a cold shower, plan, schedule, review your goals, blah blah.

[00:04:11] Good God, who's got time for it all or energy?

[00:04:15] Don't get me wrong, I've tried these morning activities and love doing most of them.

[00:04:20] But only in moderation and only when the time's right.

[00:04:25] When I get to bed early enough, for example, I can wake up early and get some time to myself before the day's battles begin.

[00:04:32] Just this morning I journaled and found some direction for this otherwise lost article.

[00:04:38] Occasionally when I meditate, I find it a nice way to be a nice way to wake up.

[00:04:44] But the second I have to travel, everything gets f**ked up.

[00:04:48] The second my nats are playing in a World Series game which doesn't end until 1am, go nats.

[00:04:54] I know my morning isn't going to start early.

[00:04:57] Kids get sick, a bad email comes in.

[00:05:00] Just about anything can kill my favorite morning routine before it even starts.

[00:05:06] And this is the number one problem with morning routines.

[00:05:09] They're prescribed by people who pretend to know more about your life than you do.

[00:05:14] Prescriptions set in stone because they're backed by science.

[00:05:18] Prescriptions that you're supposed to follow regardless of circumstances.

[00:05:23] But what if you need the sleep and can't wake up early?

[00:05:26] Should your day go to sh**?

[00:05:29] What if you injured yourself working out and need to take a rest day?

[00:05:33] Should you exercise anyways and risk further injury or skip it and feel bad for falling behind?

[00:05:40] What if you travel or meet someone for breakfast or have to take care of a sick kid?

[00:05:45] Should you feel guilty all day for breaking your perfectly crafted routine?

[00:05:50] Should your productivity be destroyed?

[00:05:53] Should your day fall apart because things didn't go as planned?

[00:05:57] No, it shouldn't.

[00:05:59] Your morning routine should be a source of inspiration.

[00:06:04] Yes, you need a morning routine, something to give you momentum and gear you up for the work to come.

[00:06:10] But your morning routine or lack thereof should never be a source of guilt that drives you to feel anxious about a change of plans.

[00:06:19] Your first activity every morning should be something that excites you right out of bed.

[00:06:25] For me, that's brewing coffee.

[00:06:28] I love the smell, the sound and the time it takes to fill the pot.

[00:06:33] It gives me a moment to myself to wake up before downing a half cup of hot energy.

[00:06:38] Every activity after that should get you up and running and ready to take on the day.

[00:06:44] If you don't need to meditate, don't f**king meditate.

[00:06:48] If you always enjoy a cup of coffee, well chug that sh**.

[00:06:52] If you need to stare at the wall for 30 minutes like I do to let your thoughts settle and your brain warm up, stare that b**ch down.

[00:07:01] For those other mornings when you don't have time or energy or willpower, that's okay.

[00:07:08] Do what you can.

[00:07:09] There's no reason to feel guilty for screwing up some perfect morning routine crafted by Elon Musk and scientists who know what's better for you.

[00:07:18] Find the routine that's right for you.

[00:07:22] Not all days are created equal.

[00:07:24] Therefore, neither should your morning routine.

[00:07:27] There are a thousand science-backed techniques for starting your day off right.

[00:07:31] I've listed a few of them.

[00:07:33] Meditate, wake early, eat protein, etc.

[00:07:36] The point isn't to do them all.

[00:07:39] It's to pick the ones that inspire you to get going.

[00:07:42] It's to choose the ones that warm up the right muscles, body and mind for the day to come.

[00:07:49] So, OMG, can we stop with the morning routines already?

[00:07:53] Just experiment.

[00:07:54] Figure out what works best for you in different circumstances.

[00:07:58] Find an inspiring routine that gets you out of bed regardless of time, energy or willpower.

[00:08:06] And whatever you do, don't kick yourself for not starting your day like some highly productive internet celebrity.

[00:08:13] If you warm up with the right routine for you, whatever that may be,

[00:08:17] you'll be preparing your mind and body to avoid distractions and get sh** done.

[00:08:22] There'll be no need to compare yourself to someone else who doesn't live in your shoes.

[00:08:28] What's more, you'll never feel guilty again for not following the so-called perfect morning routines created by self-proclaimed productivity gurus.

[00:08:38] Those routines may work for them, but they're not going to magically make you successful.

[00:08:45] Only the routine that works best for you will.

[00:08:52] You just listened to the post titled, OMG, can we stop with the morning routines already?

[00:08:58] By Michael Melberg of MichaelMelberg.com.

[00:09:01] And I'll be right back with my commentary.

[00:09:04] Thank you to Michael.

[00:09:04] He makes a great point.

[00:09:07] We do hear of morning routines on this podcast from time to time, along with different ideas and things we can do backed by science.

[00:09:15] But if it doesn't get you excited or you don't feel better after actually doing it, you'll likely not continue it.

[00:09:23] Meditation is a great example.

[00:09:24] I did do this in the morning for a long time.

[00:09:27] At some point I was meditating a minimum of 30 minutes every day, probably for over a year.

[00:09:33] I liked it at that time.

[00:09:35] Right now I'm meditating, but at night before bed, which suits my preferences better for now.

[00:09:41] But that might change in a month.

[00:09:43] Maybe I'll try adding it to my mornings.

[00:09:45] Who knows?

[00:09:46] What matters is that I really like meditating before bed right now, so I keep doing it.

[00:09:51] The articles with ideas are good.

[00:09:54] Maybe it'll spark something within us.

[00:09:57] But I like that Michael is stressing the importance of it being inspirational for you.

[00:10:02] That's what truly matters.

[00:10:04] So think about those morning routines today.

[00:10:06] Figure out what's right for you.

[00:10:09] But I'll do it for today and another episode of OLD.

[00:10:12] Have a great rest of your day and I'll be back tomorrow where your optimal life awaits.