Mix and match a morning routine

Make steady progress toward multiple goals

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Today's tip is to mix and match a morning routine.
By pulling together a few bite sized components in different combinations,

(00:27):
you can make progress while keeping your morning's interesting. Two.
I love the idea of morning routines. I also love
reading about other people's morning routines. But as I have
talked with people about their morning rituals, I've realized that

(00:47):
very few people do the exact same thing every morning,
seven days a week. People might call something a daily routine,
but it tends to happen Monday through third day, well
most days, unless they're traveling or something else unusual is
going on. I think this is an important point because

(01:11):
sometimes people assume that if they can't run four miles
and meditate for twenty minutes absolutely every morning, then there's
no point. But that's not true. You can have a
morning routine, even if the routine looks different day to day.
You can have a morning routine that is short some
days and longer on others. The point is to have

(01:35):
some chosen morning activities that repeat fairly frequently in your life.
So if you are having trouble figuring out what you'd
like to do every morning, maybe you are asking the
wrong question. Instead, make a list of bite sized activities

(01:57):
that would help advance you toward your goals. There are
lots of ideas to choose, from a quick strength workout,
writing five minutes in a journal, reading ten pages in
a difficult book, meditating for a few minutes, and so forth.
You might also choose some longer options, like writing for

(02:19):
thirty minutes or running three miles. Then you can think
through your week and consider how you might combine these
to make for satisfying mornings. Perhaps three mornings a week
you wake up, meditate for ten minutes, and then run
three miles. Three other mornings per week you write for

(02:42):
thirty minutes in your novel and do some strength training.
You leave one morning open to account for the fact
that something will come up that's okay, aim for seven
and know that six might happen. The upside of this
mix and match routine is that you get to choose

(03:04):
lots of options. You are running and writing, you are
meditating and doing strength training, but you are not trying
to create a mammoth morning routine. Incorporating all these things
that won't leave time for anything else, you get the
progress that comes from repetition. Doing something three times a

(03:27):
week makes it a habit. On the other hand, there
is enough novelty that the days feel a little different,
which can keep life from feeling stale. Now I know
that there is a certain force of habit that comes
from doing something daily. That is why perhaps the idea

(03:49):
of mixing and matching a morning routine sounds a little unorthodox.
But again, since almost no one does the exact same
thing three hundred sixty five days a year without fail,
we can see that people already shake up their morning routines.
For instance, they do one thing on week days and

(04:10):
another thing on weekends and holidays. If that is okay,
then why not very day to day as well. Plus,
by doing bite sized components, we can fit in more,
which can be helpful for people with lots of interests.
Morning routines exist to serve us. The point is to

(04:33):
come up with something that makes you excited to get
out of bed, and if that looks a little different
on different days of the week, so be it. You
can still make progress towards your goals and enjoy some
variety two. In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for

(04:54):
listening and here's to making the most of our time.
M Hey everybody, I'd love to hear from you. You
can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else.
Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at

(05:15):
Before Breakfast Pod. That's b E the number four, then
Breakfast p o D. You can also shoot me an
email at Before Breakfast podcast at i heeart media dot
com that Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters.
Thanks so much, I look forward to staying in touch.

(05:38):
Before Breakfast is a production of I Heart Radio. For
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