How to Create a Morning Routine

In my continuing quest to steward God’s time wisely, I’ve stumbled across a valuable tool that helps me arrange my mornings and give my best time to the best things. I’m talking about a morning routine. Let me show you how to create your own morning routine. But first, I need to explain why this is such a valuable tool…

Why You Should Create a Morning Routine

It prevents procrastination. We all have those days when we know what we should do but come up with excuses until it is too late. When you have a morning routine, those excuses don’t count. No longer are you diverting your brain’s bandwidth to determine what activities you will perform in what order. Those decisions were already made, and they are processing subconsciously in the background.

Following a morning routine taps into your mind’s natural rhythm. We all experience a mental boost shortly after we awake (or so I’m told), and it only makes sense to get your quality activities done during this quality time.

You might say, ‘I’m not a morning person, I’m tired in the morning.’ Guess what – I’m tired in the mornings too. Being a morning person has nothing to do with being tired in the morning. You can still benefit from a morning routine, and you can enjoy it enough to get out of bed (as I’ll explain below).

Step #1 – Identify the Most Important Daily Tasks

What tasks do you need to do every single day? What tasks are most important? What tasks prepare you for long-range success? As you think about a task, if the answer is ‘yes’ to each of those questions – you should consider adding it to your morning routine.

The tasks in your morning routine should happen every day. Notice that when I say ‘should happen,’ I don’t mean ‘already do happen.’ There is a difference. You need to spend time with God every day. You need to plan and think long-term every day. That doesn’t mean that you already do – just that you should. Fill up your morning routine with these ‘should’ tasks.

The most important tasks are the tasks that you want to devote your quality time to. Often, these tasks involve thinking, reading, and meditating. They also prepare you for long-range success. They teach you how to think, or they deepen your relationship with God.

Step #2 – List These Tasks in an Orderly Way

I was tempted to say, ‘in an ergonomic way,’ since that is what I really mean – a method that is designed for efficiency and comfort. Each task you complete should naturally prepare you for the next task. For example, getting up and getting ready for the day should probably be the first task in your routine, since it will wake you up and help you be alert for the remaining tasks. Reading Scripture makes sense before prayer, since it will put you in a mindset of prayer.

As a side note, make sure that your routine is something that you look forward to. Something small can help with this. Personally, I enjoy making a cup of coffee or tea each morning. This isn’t a big thing, but it provides enough motivation to help me get out of bed and start my morning routine. Whether you include this or something else, the motivation will help you follow the routine.

Step #3 – Be Flexible, but Committed

When you create your routine, set aside a certain amount of time for each activity. In general, you want your morning routine to be about 1-3 hours long, depending on what activities you include. (3 hours may seem like a long time, but if you include exercise or music practice, you probably need a longer amount of time).

What if you don’t have 1-3 hours at the beginning of the day to do these things? Sometimes you can solve this problem by getting up earlier in the day. Other times, you legitimately can’t fit it in. In those cases, think of your routine as an accordion – something that can expand or decrease to fit the amount of time that is available.

Try to follow the routine every day. Some days you might mess up, but don’t give up. Yes, faithfulness is important, but it is also like a muscle – exercise it every day to get stronger with it.

Conclusion

In the end, having a morning routine is primarily about practical stewardship. I’m a steward of God’s time, and so are you. Being a steward doesn’t require you to use a morning routine – but using such a routine might help you to be a better steward.