Starting a new morning routine
We’ve been talking a lot about goal setting and reaching these goals lately. Executing “the plan” can be a daunting task… Where do you start? Well, let’s start from the start—your morning routine. Scott recently posted his morning routine on Instagram—making the point that nothing has changed for him—if it isn't broken don't fix it
So, in that spirit, we thought that we would look a bit into the morning routine.
Setting the stage
We think that a good morning routine should set the tone for the rest of the day. A lot of people design morning protocols that look like something made for soldiers. Getting up and doing stuff is important, but there are other aspects of the morning routine that we think deserve some time in the spotlight. The goal of your morning routine should be to ease into the rest of the day. If you’re e.g., a writer then you should aim for the right frame of mind and optimize your surrounding—so you can be as productive and creative as possible. So, your morning routine should support your ambitions and your craft.
The important stuff
The first step is to realistically assess what you are like at the start of the day—do you jump right up in a cheery fashion and get down to business? Or are you more the type that needs some gentle (or not so gentle) tweaking to get you in a positive mindset for the day? We are both living in Denmark, which is a pretty dark country in the winter. There are often weeks at a time when you don’t see the sun. So, a mental boost is definitely needed first thing upon waking. We are big fans of cold water immersion first thing in the morning. Research has shown that a few minutes in a cold shower at 14°C (57°F) increases dopamine levels by 250%. Additional research has shown that you can just put your legs in cold water and still get the benefit.
Another way to raise dopamine levels and improve your mindset is to get moving (move a muscle, change a thought). It doesn’t take much movement to completely change the way you feel. Just 20 air squats to a chair will change your day. It’s important to choose movements that you enjoy, and that you can envision yourself doing consistently. Anything from a morning walk, the aforementioned squats, swinging a kettlebell, or jumping rope will do the trick.
Meditation has been universally recognized as beneficial to everyone—but it can be hard to get going with it. We are big fans of the Waking Up with Sam Harris and Headspace apps. Just a 10-minute commitment yields wonders for your daily mindset and ability to emotionally regulate throughout the day.
Breathwork is another great way to calm your nervous system and clear your head for the day ahead. We wrote a whole blog article on breathwork (link below) but any breathing technique that focuses on deep, slow belly breaths can only be beneficial to you.
We are also big fans of having some kind of spiritual book that we are working through. We like to think of it as positive brainwashing. Taking some time to focus on a little spiritual development also sets you up nicely for the day ahead.
It’s important for us to not look at the morning as this crazy effort to get all the above-mentioned stuff done. Try some of the suggestions out and see how you feel. It’s a great act of self-care to creatively build your own morning routine that works for you.
Lastly, make sure there is some time in the morning to relax with a cup of coffee and interact peacefully with your loved ones. Your new morning routine will also be benefitting them.
Until next time
Scott and Lennart