My Morning Routine
I'll be honest, when I first started private practice, I had a lot of free time. I barely had a caseload and I had the luxury of picking my hours everyday. I knew that this was going to be a recipe for disaster because ya' girl gets lazy real quick. I knew that I thrived on routine, so I had to set something in place in order for me to not turn into a lazy slob and regret ever quiting my day job for this.
The thing is, my days were so unpredictable. Some days I would be busy with attending meetings, others I was working on putting together marketing material, and on some days, I was busy preparing and attending sessions. Some days I had 4 hours worth of work, and others I had 8. For someone who likes predictability and routine, this wasn’t going to work for me. I knew, however, that the only thing that was in my control was my morning routine.
My first few days as a solo practitioner was spent trying to figure out a morning routine. That was my only goal for the week. Feeling like a CEO, I Googled to see what other CEOs did to start off their day. Regardless of who I looked into, I noticed that they all had one thing in common - alone time. All these bosses found some time first thing in the morning to do something they enjoyed, alone. Whether it was meditation, playing basketball on their court, or going on a jog, they wanted alone time.
Ok, got it. Step 1 to being a CEO, alone time. Now what do I like to do alone?
I was already working out pretty regularly at the time and usually dedicated my workout for the evening, but seeing that I was starting to see clients in the evening, it made sense to visit the gym in the morning. What a game changer that was. Have you been to the gym in the morning? You've got the pick of the place so early in the day. You want the corner treadmill? It's yours. Long gone are the days where you wait for the squat rack. Uh uh, honey. It's all yours
Additional perks? Aint nobody trying to talk to you. I can see why CEOs chose this morning life. After my morning workout, I made my way to Starbucks for my regular: Tall Americano. Black. But, I had to delay my gratification since Starbucks always gives you piping hot coffee. Instead, I took it home and let it cool while I shower the funk off from my workout and make myself a smoothie.
This has literally been my routine, Monday-Friday for the last 3 years. Granted, there has been moderate changes since life is also always changing. Moving from a house to a condo meant that I didn't have to drive to the gym. Instead, I would just have to roll into the elevator and make my way downstairs. I’ve since got a coffee machine so no more trips to Starbucks.
Due to COVID, the gym isn't a thing for me anymore, but morning workouts have led me into following YouTube videos (Chloe Ting, anyone?) or Apple Fitness. I'm now experimenting with morning walks, but Fall/Winter is a terrible time to run this experiment- I'll keep you posted with how consistent I am with it.
Morning routines have great benefits:
A relaxed morning routine helps set the tone for the rest of the day.
Engaging in activities that you enjoy and find relaxing prevents you from starting the day feeling rushed and overwhelmed.
Keeps you motivated throughout the day as you feel a sense of accomplishment first thing in the morning.
You feel a sense of control over your day. You feel like you own your time- not that time owns you.
I love that my morning routine also extends my day. My work schedule can sometimes become brutal that I barely have any time for myself, (work-life balance may be another conversation for later) but with an early morning routine, I get one extra hour to myself. It's great to have an extended period of uninterrupted silence. The calm before the storm is what I need to stay grounded.
Morning routines also boosts your energy levels. By engaging in physical exercise first thing in the morning, I feel a jolt of endorphins and it knocks the sleepiness right out of me. Starting the day with an energy boost gets me pumped for the rest of the day. In addition, since I’m working out, I'm also more motivated to eat a healthy breakfast, ensuring that I have a balanced meal and starting my day with the right type of fuel.
What's in your morning routine? What do you love about it?