How to Not Take Morning Routines Too Seriously (But Seriously Enough)

The biggest mistake I see people making with their morning routine right now --  taking it TOO seriously.

We get fixated on putting EVERYTHING into our morning and doing it PERFECTLY that it can be hurting us more than helping us. 

Here are 4 ways to not take morning routines too seriously, but seriously enough that your morning is still consistent, effective, and oh yea fun!

  

1) Do the obvious work.

Justin Welsh wrote in a newsletter "Do the Obvious Work." I wrote it down and kept it on my desk every since.

It's about not doing "busy feeling productivity exercises," but doing the things that actually move the needle forward.

If you feel like you have a long list of things to do in the morning, annoyed with yourself when you don't get to all of them and often declare your morning routine a failure, consider:

What are the obvious actions that are going to move the needle on my goals?

That's likely:

  • A workout - especially if you know you won't get it in the rest of the day

  • Sending a lead an email for your side business - because you aren't going to get sales without connecting with people

It's likely not:

  • Doing a cold plunge - because the expert on a podcast told you to do so

  • Perfecting your website - when you aren't taking the actions to get people to go there

Even if you didn't do the long list for your morning, give yourself credit for the needle movers you did do (while also considering if only the needle movers should be part of your morning routine).

 

2) Find the little things to make it fun. 

Once you get into the groove of a morning routine (congrats if you have made it there!), it can possibly feel monotonous, unmotivating, and not as fun.

A couple of ways to keep it fun without losing consistency:

Make a big breakfast - can be a weekend special to do after your morning routine and likely something you don't have time to do during the week

Invite your friend or partner to join you - join in on breakfast or morning walk 1 day before work or on the weekend

 

3) Journaling as play

For the past 7 years, I've gone back and forth if journaling is "productive."

On the mornings I have a lot to say, it feels productive, but the words aren’t always flowing out how I want. 

I always come back to how important "play" is in life -- space to express yourself and not be a perfectionist.

Julia Cameron expresses in The Artist's Way how important the "play" of morning pages is to connect to ourselves.

I remind myself often that even if it feels like a "not productive" journal day, just showing up to play is important.

 

4) Sequencing your morning to avoid burnout

When you do have a morning routine, it can feel like you have to give 100% energy from the moment you wake up through the next 2 hours, leaving you exhausted before you've even started the workday.

2 methods for avoiding burnout in your morning routine:

Pomodoro Method

45 mins of strenuous work, 15 min break

Example from my morning:

  • Write for 45 minutes, 15 minute dog walk

  • Write for 45 minutes, 15 minutes to make food

Instead of powering through writing for 2 hours, the recharge I get from taking breaks significantly improves my writing.

The Morning Ramp Up

Start the morning with slower, less perfectionist activities, and then move on to more stimulating, detailed tasks

Example from my morning: 

  • Starting with journaling before moving onto newsletter writing

  • Starting with a walk before doing a workout

This is not to be mistaken with starting the day with mind-numbing tasks like social media, but instead things that PREPARE you for the more strenuous tasks you have ahead.

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Let’s show up this week, do the obvious work, and have some fun along the way.