2573: Create a Morning Routine in 3 Easy Steps by Cara Harvey of A Purpose Driven Mom

[00:00:00] Now before we start, you might want to check out our other podcasts covering topics like personal development and minimalism, money, health, relationships, and more. So to optimize your life in other areas, just search for Optimal Living Daily in your podcast app. Now on to the show. This is Optimal Relationships Daily, Create a Morning Routine in 3 Easy Steps by Cara Harvey of A Purpose Driven Mom.com

[00:00:28] As a busy mom, a simple morning routine is important. Without one, mornings are chaotic and stressful, and you can wake up feeling more behind before the day even gets going. I love routine. I completely thrive on having a good system for myself and my family. And without it, I feel lost. While I don't think you need to have a super strict schedule that you stick to each day, I do believe there's power in a routine.

[00:00:53] Not only does a routine help your family know what to expect, but it allows you to be more productive, get more done, and feel less overwhelmed. If you aren't sure where to start in gaining more control over your day, I highly suggest beginning with your morning routine. A solid morning routine will help you start your day strong, be in a better mood, and eliminate a lot of stress. Here are 3 easy steps for creating your morning routine. Get up earlier

[00:01:21] While I know getting up earlier isn't the most popular suggestion, it really is the most important. I get it. Getting up early is no fun. But you can train your body to become a morning person. I don't think you have to start with jumping into a 4am wake-up call, but you can most definitely ease into it. I am a mom like you. My kids rarely sleep through the night, and at the time of writing this blog, I still have a newborn. My body is tired.

[00:01:48] But when I wake up with the kids rather than before the kids, my day is completely different. I smile more and am less annoyed and snippy with them. And hey, isn't that something we all want as moms? Start by slowly getting up earlier and earlier each day. This is a great way to trick and train your body without feeling like it's a super daunting task. For example, if you've been rolling out of bed at 7.30 when you hear the kids, then tomorrow set that alarm for 7.15 and do that for a few days.

[00:02:17] It won't give you a lot of time, but enough time to have a few minutes of quiet, which really matters. Every few days, move that time up. Go from 7.15 to 7 to 6.45 and so on until you hit your desired wake-up time. For me, that's 5am, which I always thought was an ungodly hour. But once it became a habit for me, I started to cherish that quiet time and realized how much I really could get done without little people at my feet. Tell your time what to do.

[00:02:47] Getting up earlier is great. But if you don't make a plan for how you're going to spend that time, then 45 minutes can fly by really quickly and you're still scrolling Facebook, have accomplished nothing, and got up earlier for no reason. I recommend creating a list of the tasks you know will get you off to a good start. Don't over-plan and put a million things on the list. Instead, come up with 3 to 5 things that you know will start your mindset off right and make you feel accomplished.

[00:03:14] There's nothing better than having some things crossed off your to-do list before the rest of the house is up. My morning always starts with a workout, followed by time with the Bible and prayer while I cool off, and the shower. If I can get those things done in my morning, then I'm on top of the world. As a stay-at-home mom, self-care often gets put on the back burner. So taking that time to fuel my body, mind, and spirit will make a difference throughout the day. And honestly, if it doesn't happen early in the day, it's pretty unlikely to actually get done.

[00:03:44] I also have added in a few home-making tasks I like to accomplish, including unloading the dishwasher, starting a load of laundry, and actually drinking a hot cup of coffee. Yes moms, that is an actual thing. It can be super hard to get in a workout with your kids around, but I've found a great tool in Beachbody On Demand. I can stream all of my workouts, and they have hundreds to pick from, right from my phone. It allows me to be an example for my kids, get them involved, and I get to work out in my pajamas.

[00:04:14] Eat a frog Mark Twain said, In other words, if you have a task you know you have to do but don't want to, cross it off your list right away. Then the rest of the day is a piece of cake. After my normal morning routine, I normally have 20 to 30 minutes depending on when the kids wake up to do something else.

[00:04:39] I could just scroll social media or waste time checking emails, but instead, I eat a frog. My frogs aren't always something I don't want to do, but are often things I need to do but can put off. Examples include writing thank you cards, finishing up last minute touches on blog posts, folding laundry, making my meal plan for the next week, and balancing our checking account. Add a frog to your morning checklist, and you'll feel on top of the world.

[00:05:07] I keep a note on my phone of frogs as they come into my head day to day, so I can just pull one from there when I'm planning my morning. You just listened to the post titled, Create a morning routine in three easy steps by Kara Harvey of a purpose-driven mom.com And thanks a lot to Kara for this post on helping moms create dynamic morning routines.

[00:05:33] And another thing that's super helpful for getting our routines going, whether or not it's a morning routine, is setting everything else up the night before. So not only can this help us go to bed on a good note, but we save so much time and jump into feeling even more ahead of schedule if we lay out all the items we need to make our routines happen. So if you're exercising, that would mean putting your workout clothes out. If you're reading the Bible like Kara is, that would mean putting your Bible out where you'd like to read it.

[00:06:02] So just set up each item wherever you'll need it and this will make things go so much more smoothly because it takes even more of the thinking away, helping you to just do instead of think in the morning and accomplish your goals with machine-like efficiency. Machine-like, that's a descriptor I'll probably use more often. Okay, that's it for this one everybody. Wishing you a great rest of your Thursday. Really happy to have had you here once again. But it is time to wrap up. So please share this with someone that you think it could help.

[00:06:31] And do come on back for tomorrow's episode as we tackle more parenting content and where your optimal life awaits. I'll ask you guys. Thank you all.