Morning routines have been recently popularized by a book call The Miracle Morning. There is even a Facebook group with thousands of followers who share tips and tricks for establishing and maintaining their respective “miracle mornings.” If all the buzz has piqued your interest, keep reading to learn how and why you might revamp your own morning routine.

Step 1: Choose a wake time

Those who ascribe to the Miracle Morning method swear by waking very, very early–like 4AM! If you are already an early riser or would like to be, then by all means, set an early wake time for your morning ritual. Night owls need not despair, the wake time isn’t the most important element. What is essential is waking up with enough time to go through a daily ritual without being rushed. Generally this means setting the clock for 1-2 hours before you need to begin getting ready for the day. It is also ideal to wake at the same time each day to reinforce the habit.

Step 2: Determine your ritual

After committing to a wake time, the next important element of a morning routine is the actual ritual. The Miracle Morning suggests these habits called SAVERS: silence, affirmations, visualization, exercise, reading, and scribing (writing). If you put in 10 minutes to each of these habits you would have a solid hour-long routine. As with the wake time recommendation, what is most important is creating a ritual that is of value to you and repeating it daily. Most meaningful morning routines do consist of reflective or meditation time, reading and writing, a chunk of work, and exercise. For specific inspiration, check out this website which posts routines of real people.

Step 3: Set goals

Research suggests that will power is greatest first thing in the morning. By carving out early hours to devote to a morning routine, you are setting yourself up to be in your most focused and productive state of mind. Taking this into consideration, use your morning routine to work on personal or professional goals. Go ahead and write out a few concrete goals (e.g., lose 10lbs, start a meditation practice, start a side business) and keep track of your success. Seeing how you progress over time is an excellent way to reinforce your newly established morning routine and will help you join the thousands of people who claim that the habit is life changing.

Interested in discussing morning routines in more detail and getting help customizing a plan to fit your individual needs? Contact me for an appointment!