What's your morning routine?

[jbischke]

I'm becoming a bigger and bigger believe in the power of a morning routine to set the tone for the day. I've been experimenting with this over the last couple of months. Here's (roughly) my routine so far:

-Wake up and immediately pop on my clothes + shoes + iPod and get outside
-Walk for about 5 minutes listening to a high-energy song and drink about 0.5 liter of water
-Continuing walking, turning off the iPod and start thinking about things I am grateful for (e.g., family and friends, teachers, mentors, health, freedom, etc.)
-After 10-15 minutes of walking I'll head back home and then the next 40-60 minutes is usually some combination of meditation, reading, visualization, good food, etc.

Trying to stay away from the computer/Blackberry for at least the first hour after waking up.

I'd love to hear others' strategies (especially Steve's ) for first thing in the morning. Whether it's an Hour of Power or whatever, It'd be great to hear what puts you in a kick-butt mood for the rest of the day. Thanks!

[JoannaC]

6:45 wake up (trying to make this 6:30 to get a workout in, but so far, no luck)
6:45-7 shower and make lunch
7-7:30 check email, blogs, news etc.
7:30-7:45 get dressed
7:45-8:00 eat breakfast
8:00 leave for work

[ticktockclok]

Wow, you people are lucky to have that much time.

Me?




6:30 shower

6:45 eat

7:00 bus

[jbischke]

No offense guys but I'm looking more for Tony Robbins Hour of Power-type routines. Stuff that maybe involves exercise, meditation, visualization, etc. I'm playing with different ways to start my day in terms of what produces the best energy/mood/etc. and so that's why I posted the question. If anyone has been doing something along these lines I'd love to hear about it.

[dealeted]

Originally Posted by jbischke

No offense guys but I'm looking more for Tony Robbins Hour of Power-type routines. Stuff that maybe involves exercise, meditation, visualization, etc. I'm playing with different ways to start my day in terms of what produces the best energy/mood/etc. and so that's why I posted the question. If anyone has been doing something along these lines I'd love to hear about it.

I'd love to hear others' strategies for first thing in the morning. Whether it's an Hour of Power or whatever, It'd be great to hear what puts you in a kick-butt mood for the rest of the day. Thanks!

Maybe change your initial post to reflect the kind of responses you actually want. If you want Tony Robbins routines, maybe you should go listen to him.

[ChefSalad]

Current routine (a took a lot of work to get to this, and I'm still not perfect at it):

5:30 - Wake up, urinate, put on undergarments and sweatpants, drink 1 L of water and eat one orange and one banana (an apple sometimes steps in for either one). I like to be done eating and drinking by 5:45

5:45 - I defecate. Yes, I really do do it every morning at the same time. (A lot of people don't believe me when I tell them. I don't know why.)

5:55 - I put on my running shoes, a sweatshirt or two (depending on temperature) and gloves.

6:00 - I begin my morning walk/jog. I currently can get through about two miles (3.2 km) with around 60-70% being jogging. It usually takes about a half hour. (This is quite an achievement for a man of my size. It is by no means my jogging goal.)

6:30 (or so) - I arrive back home, take off my sweater(s) and begin playing DDR on heavy. It's fun exercise, the music is upbeat and it gets me going. Even so, I plan to eventually replace my DDR playing with jogging, which I think brings more benefit.

7:00 - Eat a small amount of protein. An egg, a piece of smoked salmon, some hummus on pita, and leftover meat from last night's dinner are common choices. I try to get at least 10 grams in, which often means a combination of things.

7:05 - Shower, shave (more like trim in the winter; I do like my beard), and teethbrushing.

7:30 - Grab my breakfast and lunch. This includes lots of vigorous vegetable peeling and chopping, among other things. I generally eat oatmeal for breakfast, so I make that while I chop for lunch. Sometimes I prepare lunch the night before.

7:40 - Leave for work. I eat my breakfast in the car.

8:00 - Arrive at work. Call my business partner to ask him why he hasn't gotten there yet .

[Joel Chue]

-Wake up and immediately pop on my clothes + shoes + iPod and get outside
-Walk for about 5 minutes listening to a high-energy song and drink about 0.5 liter of water
-Continuing walking, turning off the iPod and start thinking about things I am grateful for (e.g., family and friends, teachers, mentors, health, freedom, etc.)
-After 10-15 minutes of walking I'll head back home and then the next 40-60 minutes is usually some combination of meditation, reading, visualization, good food, etc.

My suggestion is that you do some light running.
Aerobic kind, not the type that pushes yourself to the max. But from what I understand, Tony Robbins enjoys that very much. Heard him saying that in one his tapes.

You should try sleeping at 11pm, waking up at around 5-6am and go for a run. The streets be dead quiet, a few cars here and there. Pop your mp3 player and enjoy. Its fun and relaxing.

[jbischke]

ChefSalad, love your routine! Sounds pretty similar to mine actually.

As for running first thing, I guess I like to ease into the day a bit more. I've really been digging doing the walking thing first thing in the morning. I love exercising later in the day so this has been working well.

Does anyone do anything in the mornings with meditation/visualization/writing goals, etc.?

[Max]

6:00 Alarm rings, I get up 5 minutes later
until 6:30 A light workout with a bit stretching, SitUps and PushUps
6:30 - 6:45 breakfast: normally just an apple
then taking a shower, prepare a little bit for school and leave home around 7:30

[Healthyfit]

This would be my ideal morning, I have done it a couple of times but I would like to be consistent.

5:30 Wake Up put on workout clothes
5:45-6:45 Workout-The Firm, Eliptical, Taebo, or dance aerobics
7:00 Dry skin brush and hot epsom salt or aroma therapy bath (Peppermint or Citris essential oils with Epsom salt)
7:30 Pray/Meditate prepare my mind to think positively for the day
7:45 leave for work
8:00 Arrive at Work
8:10 Eat breakfast at work

I was consistent with this for a week and fell of the wagon. I have to work on getting to bed earlier at night

[Rebecca]

I'm usually up at 5-5:15am and spend an hour split between reading (just finished trilogy of Conversations with God; now reading Writing to Change the World by Mary Pipher) and writing in my journal; then eat breakfast (oatmeal, fruit, 2 c skim milk, herbal tea), tidy kitchen, etc.; physical therapy exercises for leg injury; shower & dress. I usually prepare my to do list either before breakfast or after dressing. It took me ages to come up with a routine I like & can stick to. The reading/writing really starts my day off well. I'm ready to start work (I have a home office) by 8 or 9.

[bylto]

Great question.

6am- 6.15 quick workout, walking or indoor on bike (with affirmations)
6.15-6.45 - work on my website and pray
6.45 - 7.15 - make and eat breakfast
wash and get dressed and be out the door for 7.45

Feel energised and positive after this

[Andrew Brunelle]

10:00 Wake up
10:00-10:15 Write down any dreams I've had
10:15-12:30 Read blogs and forums

Midnight-2:00 AM I have no idea, but something to do with being online and I usually forget it the next day.

[icesar]

My morning routine pertains more to my actual work. But I guess before I ever sit down to work, I wake up, usually walk or jog, shower, have breakfast (cereal or peanut butter and banana sandwich), and get to work.

I experimented for a month with consciously being grateful and then visualizing my day during my morning jogs, and it definitely helped me have a better day. A vacation was enough to throw that whole routine off though.

Once I do sit down, this is what I _try_ to do:

45min Participate in 5 selected forums (this is one)
30min Gmail Inbox, clear it.
15min Snack, sunlight.
90min Post on the various sites on my network ( Kokua Web - A Network for Good )
45min Network/email with other bloggers & site owners.
15min Myspace marketing
60min Break time, music, lunch.

Afternoons vary

[MisterEThoughts]

What is Tony Robbins Hour of Power-type routines. Exactly? How does it work? where can I find out more information about this? Thank You!

[jbischke]

The first 2 CDs on his Get The Edge program describe it.

If you want to save some money you can probably find most of the details on his forums.

[Erock]

My morning routine is:

5:45 - Wake up
5:45-6 - Eat breakfast
6:15 - 7:45 - Play tennis
7:45 - 8:15 - Pump iron or run
8:30-8:40 - shower
8:40-9:05 - somehow make it to school on time

[Robert Avila]

You may be interested in the book or audio "Psycho-cybernetics" - by Dr. Maxwell Maltz and Dan Kennedy.

They discuss visualization techniques - "Theater of your mind" and "Mental Imagery" to enhance one's self image for goal achievement.

[da1prophet]

I've heard about this thing called morning...it sounds pretty interesting ; )

Seriously, when I get up I do the following. I'll spare you the details of going to the bathroom and all of that...

--feed dogs
--take dogs out to potty
--get mail
--make an Oregon Chai Latte w/ soy milk
--check email and Blackberry for any "mission critical" emails that may have come in during the night
--go to the gym and work out
--shower
--sit down at my desk and start doing whatever work needs to be done

[jbischke]

Originally Posted by Robert Avila

You may be interested in the book or audio "Psycho-cybernetics" - by Dr. Maxwell Maltz and Dan Kennedy.

They discuss visualization techniques - "Theater of your mind" and "Mental Imagery" to enhance one's self image for goal achievement.

Thanks for this tip Robert. Have known about psycho-cybernetics for many years but feel it might be perfect for me. When the student is ready the teacher will appear right?

[빈센트]

Wake up, visualize for about 5 minutes, 10 minutes of isometric exercises, back to sleep.

[Liara Covert]

These are all great ideas. No particular routine will appeal to everyone.

I tend to awaken early. I appreciate uplifting radio or other music in background. Admittedly, I don't lead such a structured life that I could write down what I do daily down to the exact minute. This is a choice. I like discontinuity and sort of thrive on it.

Granted, I organize daily appointments and pile paper priorities where I can see them on my desk. I ensure that I incorporate 30-40 minutes of exercise per day, preferably outside. I go when I feel like it and often visit libraries or other uplifting venues and talk to people I've never met or hardly know. When it comes to exercise, I diversify to keep my life interesting (e.x.: gardening, walking, running, swimming, choosing from from options wherever I happen to be). I prepare meals as my stomach talks to me. I almost always take a snack and/or a bottle of water if I'm going out near a meal for an unpredictable period of time. I try to anticipate, and think ahead. My bedtime varies as well depending on commitments and projects. I write whenever I can as well.

[Robert Avila]

jbischke...

You're Welcome....Yes.....you are right!

It's amazing how when the student is ready ...the teacher appears - at the precise moment we find what we are looking for.

[Margot Stepien]

6.00 - Wake up, drink glass of water and start working out (sit ups, push ups, hantles, indoor bike, etc.) - While working out: I start with some energizing music, after 10 minutes switch to motivational audios (Brian Tracy, Steven Covey, etc.) to feed my brain with positive thoughts

6.30 - Shower, make a cup of coffie and start journaling, affirmations, rewritting my goals, etc. (while listening to relaxing music or motivational audio)

7.15 - Prepare nutritional breakfast

7.30 - Get dressed

7.50 - Leave for work

[Narz]

• Between 9AM-12PM wake up.
• 30 min or so, lay around, thinking about my dreams.
• 15 min or so make a to-do list
• 30 min - 1 hour listen to Holosync
• Have sex with my GF if we both feel like it
• Take a shower if I hadn't the night/early morning before
• Get up, shuffle outside, breathe some fresh air
• Do some cat stretches
• Bike downtown

[helgi]

My morning, roughly:

5:50AM - Wake up, brush teeth
6:15AM - Fetch the papers and make oatmeal
6:30AM - Eat oatmeal
6:45AM - Have coffee and sit down on the livingroom couch with a book
8:30AM - Put down the book and go to school

btw. Narz, are you the American Tom Hodgkinson?

[Shaden]

5:50AM - Wake up, get dressed
6:10AM - Leave for work
7:00AM - Return home exhausted but finished. Eat breakfast
7:10AM - Brush teeth, load up internet and check stats, reply to e-mail
7:40AM - Check my to-do list and see any that can be done at that point
8:00AM - Check my schoolbag
8:10AM - Wash face, get dressed into nice clothes
8:25AM - Leave for college

[Narz]

Originally Posted by helgi

btw. Narz, are you the American Tom Hodgkinson?

Never heard of him.

Having looked him up though he seems like a smart fellow.

[Nabusman]

5-6 AM - Wake up, brush, exercise (30 min), shower
6-7 AM - Meditate (30 min), yoga (30 min)
7-8 AM - Breakfast, listen to current audio series (Right now its the Great Ideas of Psychology)

[Isabelle]

I'm a FlyBaby (FlyLady.net: Your personal online coach to help you gain control of your house and home) so My Morning Routine is:

Wake up and hit the ground flying, make the bed
Take shower and get dressed all the way to shoes, fix my hair and face
Clean the bathroom and start laundry

Now, I would like to incorporate some ideas from the Hour of Power and from The Secret. First, I found my Gratitude Rock and I keep it with my moisturizer so it makes me think about being grateful every morning and evening. Now, for the Hour of Power, I'm thinkink about taking some fresh air in early morning. I will start with just 15 minutes, walking around.

Everyone has its own way to start the day and I think that as long as it makes you feel good, it's OK. It's easier when you have fun doing your routine !