Do You Really Need a Morning Routine?

There has been a lot of discussion around morning routines for entrepreneurs and business owners the past few years, but do you really need one?  

The short answer … it depends. Entrepreneur and business mogul, Gary Vee, has been quoted as saying, “I get up, I poop and I leave the house.” Whereas others such as Australian business mentor, Kerwin Rae, have an extremely detailed morning routine that lasts (literally) hours, which includes sun gazing and 2 hours of meditation.  

Ok great, but do I need one? 

Even before you get out the door to start your day, there could be a number of things that demand your attention and energy. These things might be important, or they might just be needed to calibrate your day.  

The first few hours of your day are critical. What you do during your morning hours can set the tone for the rest of your day. 

You already have a routine and you don’t even realise it. 

Humans have patterns. Even if you think you don’t have a pattern, I can guarantee you do. For everything. Here’s two fast tests to show you. Cross your arms. Now whichever arm is on top … swap them. Feel strange? 

Now put your palms together and link your fingers. Now swap their order. Feel strange? 

This is because our brains are ALWAYS creating and finding patterns but sometimes our patterns are the reason we’re not achieving anything.  

Ok, cool, but how does that help me? 

Do you have a habit (routine) of being unable to complete things? Have a look around and you might find that this routine bleeds into almost everything you’re doing.  

A morning routine doesn’t have to be as crazy as Kerwin Rae, or saluting the sunset while spraying essential oils on your face. It can be as simple as completing very simple tasks from the minute you wake up. 1. Make your bed and 2. put away the dishes immediately after you eat breakfast. 

By completing two very basic tasks in the morning, you are re-wiring your brain into completing things.  

Sure, but what else should I include in my routine? 

A morning routine is a practical preset for you. It creates stability for your day, it calibrates your mindset and sets you up. It introduces rhythm into your mornings and removes the chaos. You can include a number of things into your routine such as: 

• Meditation: your brain is the most important muscle you have. With today’s exponential existence of distractions from our phones and computers, our brain’s excessive stimulation is creating an increase in anxiety in society across the board.  

Meditation is a tool-sharpening exercise for your mind. It trains your ability to pay attention. “But guys, I tried it and I get so distracted.” That’s the point! That logic is like saying, “I tried exercise but I’m overweight.” That’s the point. We are starting from the beginning. Start small, and build up. Do not start and go from zero to trying to meditate for 30 minutes. The failure / give up rate is too high to risk that. Instead, start with doing 1 minute.  

• Reading: Get some knowledge into your morning — real knowledge that’s useful to you and your goals. Doesn’t have to be much, even 15 minutes will set you up for the day. 
• Exercise: This is the most recognised and understood one of today. Exercise is an important physical activity that will help boost brain function during the day. Doing this daily though is not recommended. We are humans (and even machines overheat). Training every second day will see a huge increase in your health and ability. Rest is just as important as output. 
• Planning / Evaluating: “Sharpening your axe before you cut the tree will see a faster achievement.” You cannot know exactly what is happening for the day, but you can plan as best as possible. Planning out what has to be done will give you a plan of attack. It’s your compass. Would you feel comfortable hopping into a taxi where the driver is new to the area but doesn’t want to use navigation? “I’ll just wing it”. Do you think you’re likely to get to your meeting on time? Hell no! So why do we do it with our lives? Planning will allow you to see what’s important to get done, and then look at when we can get that done in the day. 

Related: 20 Genius Hacks for Saving Time in Your Daily Routine

How do I start? 

Small. Start Small. The biggest error of today is that people try to do too much too fast and they fail shortly after. Look at the 4 examples above. If you’re starting from zero, jumping to pro will see you fail quickly. If you’ve never meditated, start doing one minute. When that becomes easier, increase it to 2 minutes.  

Allow yourself to improve.  

Same with reading. If you’re not a big reader, just read for 5 minutes. Set an alarm and knock that off the list. Not sure how to plan? Use an app that will guide you. Like TaskSpur. TaskSpur will lay everything out in front of you and guide you. Less thinking, more achieving.  

Less Stress for You 

Stress is a result of feeling overwhelmed. When there’s a lot in front of you it’s hard to know where to start. The trick is setting yourself up. Plan, then execute. A useful and productive morning routine will help you achieve something in your morning, feel good about it, and springboard yourself into the day. 

Familiar patterns require less brain function and therefore less stress too! With a routine in place, your brain recognizes the pattern of safety in the repetition and doesn’t have to flood you with stress hormones. 

Do I really need a morning routine? 

It’s up to you. But do you know if something will work if you don’t (properly) try it?  

Download the TaskSpur app for free (https://www.taskspur.com) and get yourself planned out to build a routine. Have yourself kickstart your morning with efficiency and comfort (and knowledge if you want) so that you can take on the day easier and complete your tasks. 

 

Related: 20 Genius Hacks for Saving Time in Your Daily Routine