RESET your morning routine! It is possible for everyone to start each day with purposeful practices that will lead to a successful and productive day. Some simple steps outlined below can make a difference in your attitude, productivity, and the health of your home! Summer can be a great time to either jump in full force with a new morning routine or to gradually establish some habits that will be in place when school resumes.
See if this sounds familiar:
- The long-awaited vacation is over. It’s back to work, or getting the family back into your normal routine!
- The alarm goes off at 5:00 a.m.
- You find yourself hitting the snooze button just one more time, or maybe 3 more times, for just 5 more minutes of sleep.
Surely those 5 additional minutes will make a difference in how you tackle your day? Does this sound familiar? Do you feel like you are constantly chasing your day, living reactively rather than proactively? Here are some simple steps you can build into your life for a winning morning routine!
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Daybreak Disciplines Start the Night Before!
Before bed, decide on what to wear; lay out your keys and any other items you will need for the next day. When our children were young, this was a practice we put in place on Saturday night before church on Sundays. One of my favorite children’s books is There’s a Nightmare In My Closet by Mercer Mayer. I don’t know about your home, but we were convinced that a shoe monster lived in our home during those years. He somehow always made a meal on one shoe every Sunday morning. This was the only logical reason as to why one shoe could never be found while we were in a rush to get to church. That one missing shoe could put a damper on our Sunday morning peace.
When you plan ahead, you are less likely to try on 15 outfits that never seem to work or frantically search for keys that are hiding somewhere in your house. Planning ahead is the first step for a winning morning routine.
Sleep!
Our bodies need rest! Put down the phone and rest. Rest is not a popular concept in our world today. Our bodies and our minds are created for work and for rest. Just like a car cannot run continuously without refueling, our minds and bodies must pause for refueling. I struggle with this discipline. For some reason, it is so easy to stay continuously connected to our devices. Our eyes need rest. Our minds need rest. Our bodies need rest. Put your phone down!
Wake Up, Look Up, Get Up
A winning morning routine includes waking up when your alarm goes off the first time. Don’t set your alarm with the anticipation of hitting snooze three times. Some of us (me included) set three alarms knowing full well that we will not get up until alarm #3.
Wake up on alarm #1. Look up! Before your feet hit the floor-do not grab your phone and check your email, social media (unless it’s Harvesting Home…)
Focus your mind on the day. Say a short sentence prayer like, “God, today is yours. I will follow you wherever you lead me.” Then get up!
Brush Your Teeth (or get them out of the jar!)
Years ago, a dear friend of ours, a senior adult man in our church, was transported to the hospital in the middle of the night with an emergency. We were at the house when they took him, and his one request to me was, “Bring my teeth, they are in the jar next to the sink!”
If your mouth does not feel fresh, you are not ready for the day! Brushing your teeth will wake you up, and you will feel better and your spouse will appreciate you!
Exercise
It doesn’t have to be long. Start with ten minutes of some type of movement. I try to walk on my treadmill or elliptical for thirty minutes. It gets your blood flowing, your mind awake, and you will have an instant energy boost. It does wonders for your emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual well-being! Start small and gradually add minutes to your movement. I started with fifteen minutes and now walk for thirty minutes in the morning and thirty minutes in the evening.
Quiet Time
Make time for the Lord a priority. You might wonder why I did not put this first. Personally, I need to be awake and present for my time with the Lord. In order to do that, I need to get up and move a little. You might need to grab a cup of coffee or tea.
This time with the Lord is not necessarily deep Bible Study time. Reserve long Bible study time for a different time in your day when you can devote longer amounts of time for more in-depth study.
This is relational time with the Lord. Use devotional materials, a Bible app, prayer journal, etc. Just like your exercise, if you are not in the practice of spending time with the Lord daily, start with ten minutes a day to hear from the Lord. When we give the Lord the beginning of our day, we allow him to speak into us Truth and encouragement for the day ahead. We allow Him to equip us for the day’s events, the people we will encounter, and the obstacles we will face.
I actually use my exercise time as my morning time with the Lord. While I am walking, I read scripture, read a daily devotional, and spend time prayer walking. One of my favorite movies is “War Room” starring Priscilla Shirer. In the movie, the character Miss Clara challenges Elizabeth Jordan, played by Priscilla Shirer, to set up a “War Room.” A war room is a personal place for prayer. I have set up my own war room beside my treadmill. I have a bulletin board and post-it notes for prayer requests. I have pictures of my family as visual prayer prompts. I always walk with my iPad. It has a Bible app, several devotional apps, praise music, and YouTube videos with Bible study lessons. I will share some of my favorite devotional resources in a later post.
I challenge you to set up a space for your quiet time and prayer. It might be a treadmill or your kitchen table, or even your closet.
Make Your Bed
Retired U.S. Navy Admiral William H. McRaven has written an excellent book called Make Your Bed: Little Things that can Change Your Life . . . and Maybe the World. This book emphasizes the discipline of making your bed as being the first step to developing discipline in other areas of your life. You might not accomplish anything else that day, but you can always see that made bed as the first step toward discipline. This is an excellent book and I encourage you to pick up a copy.
Eat a Healthy Breakfast
I didn’t say “eat a HEARTY” breakfast. Eat a healthy breakfast. By starting your day with a healthy breakfast, you fuel your body for success. Know what your body needs to be fueled for the day. It might be oatmeal, a protein bar, or a fruit smoothie. Just don’t skip breakfast!
I also try to start my day by drinking water. Drinking water is a habit that I have to work on every day. There are so many great tools now to help you track your water and establish a habit of drinking water regularly. One great tool is this motivational water bottle that is lined with timestamps and quotes to motivate you through the day. About 9 months ago, I gave up soft drinks. Even writing those words is truly a miracle. Prior to that, I would wake up, get up, and go to the Dr., Diet Dr. Pepper that is. Letting go of that habit has truly changed my life. If I can do it, so can you! Start your morning with water!
Start for Success!
I have found that when you start your day with good choices you are equipped to face the temptations and the trials your day may bring. Then you will be able to live victoriously!
Every day is an opportunity to make the right choices giving God complete control of all that is to come. I still struggle at times to “practice what I preach.” But when I do start with these simple steps the benefits I receive are things like peace, joy, physical energy, renewed mind, patience, and so much more! I want to challenge you to make the investment to practice these simple steps to a winning morning routine. It will result in harvesting health, which results in harvesting happiness, and ultimately yours will be a Harvesting Home!
This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.
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