Lamentations 3:22-24 ESV
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”
I am not a morning person. Neither is anyone else in my home. That’s why I get up at 5:00 am.
If you are following my journey through #MindsetReset, you already know the positive impact that the work of Mel Robbins has had in my life. Today, I’ll summarize how some tweaks to my morning wake-up routine has impacted me. You can listen to Mel detail some of these items in her Mindset Reset PLAYLIST ON YOUTUBE videos 6-10. For even more science/research and examples of how this works, I recommend you check out Mel’s book The 5 Second Rule. To be honest, you should get the audio book on Audble… Mel narrates it herself, and it’s fantastic. So, here’s my morning routine and why it’s been a great change:
6:00 pm (the night before) I stop household tasks to be present with my kids. Sometimes we are still at the table, other times we are not.
6:30 pm kids put on jamies. A final snack/drink is offered. Then we snuggle on the couch with a little family tv time. {You can criticize this choice, but I’ll tell you it works well for us, mostly because we all just really like doing that together. We are all calm, happy, snuggly, and together.}
7:00 pm kids brush teeth and go to bed. This seems to take forever because each one likes specific songs etc. It’s one of the few times no one is allowed to interrupt my one-on-one time with each kid, so I’m not complaining.
Sometime around 7:45 pm I pack tomorrow’s lunches and fill the dishwasher. Usually I have already attended to the kids’ backpacks etc. to be sure I saw the notes and got it all ready. No morning scrambles!
8:30-9:00 pm I head to bed. Often the grown ups will watch a show or talk. I’m a night owl by nature, but I can usually expect to be sleepy enough by 9:30-10:00 pm
5:00 am ALARM. No snooze. I have gone back and forth with the no snooze thing, and it’s definitely better when I don’t. Slowly meander to the bathroom, fill my water bottle, and head to the couch.
Until 5:30 am I sit awake but not really moving under a fuzzy blanket on the couch. Alone. Drink water. Pray, visualize, do a little mental planning of the day. Make myself smile (do you know that can trick your brain into thinking you are happy? Yup, try it out!). Read a bit of the Bible. This month I’m doing daily Proverbs. Usually I have a little devotional that I use to choose which verses to turn to. I DO use my phone for the Bible app only. Look, in my house none of the Bibles are complete (thanks little hands), and if I turn on a light SOMEONE will wake up. So there I sit in the dark. Then I put my phone down.
5:30 am shower. At this time, wonderful husband is making the coffee. {I think I might devote an entire post to our coffee habit… love it!}
NO PHONE EMAIL/FB/ETC. until I am clean and dressed around 6:00. This one is NEW for me. I am in love with choosing not to look at notifications or news feeds for an entire hour. As I’m futzing with my hair and make-up, I speak my TRUTH STATEMENTS to myself.
I have now just spent an hour uninterrupted. So worth it.
6:00 am I sit at the table with my fabulous fresh fatty coffee. My weekly planner is open in case I get a thought about something that needs to be done that day. Usually the 2-year-old is on my lap. Before setting this routine, I was always annoyed that she was bugging me while I was rushing about trying to get ready. I am loving the special time with her. She’s so funny!
6:30 am the rest the of the crew is now all up and moving. I help get down plates for waffles or pour the milk for cereal etc. A button here, a hair tie there. But I’M NOT STRESSED because I”m not in a rush to get ready myself.
**Special NOTE** I have a picture list on my fridge of the daily tasks my kids need to to to get ready. I put their names on magnetic clips so they keep track. This is a GAME CHANGER for me. No longer do I have to keep mental track of what they did or didn’t do. No more barking morning orders. I just calmly say, “Ok, check your chart,” and they do. WOW.
Just before 7:00 am everyone is pretty much done needing me, so I go back to the bathroom for the final touches drying my hair and brushing my teeth.
7:15 ready to head out. Grab the travel mug with coffee serving #2 and off we go!