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You always hear entrepreneurs talking about the importance of a routine. While I am a serious creature of habit I have to admit I found it hard to find my routine.
I mean I had normal stuff I just organically did like brush my teeth in the morning, drink my lemon water, etc. The things I do at night, shower, watch an episode of American Dad then turn on a guided sleep meditation. But a real routine that was structured and zen and stuff, I didn’t have.
So I started thinking about what I really like and what helps me unwind and just snap out of the never ending loop in my mind. So I think I finally found my routine and I’m excited to share.
First, let me give you a little back info. I’m in the process of offboarding a major client and upping my workload with another. That means I’m putting in A LOT of hours right now. Which means, as someone who is historically not a morning person…scratch that…that doesn’t really capture the way I felt about the morning…. So let’s try that again. As someone who hates engaging with other humans before 10 am and thinks that mornings are gross it was an interesting transition.
The first day, I set my alarm for an ambitious 5:45 am. Now that fluctuates between 5:30 and 7 am and I’ve been holding strong for a month.
It was vital for me to find ways to make getting up in the morning less tedious so I wanted to share my tips for how to fake your way into being a morning person.
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Follow The 5-Second Rule
If you’ve been in the online space for a while you’re probably familiar with Mel Robbins, author of The 5 Second Rule. Basically, the rule is when you decide to do something you take action in the next 5 seconds so you don’t change your mind. In this case, it means the second that alarm goes out I start counting down, “5, 4, 3, 2, 1,” then my body shoots up and sleep time is over. I’ll be honest, this doesn’t always happen but when I do follow the rule my mornings are the better for it. No snooze button and crappy “20 more minutes” of sleep that really just make you feel more sluggish.
Make Your Alarm Fun
I have an Alexa and I love it. You can program it to use different celebrity recordings to wake you up. Mine is Alec Baldwin telling me that the early bird catches the worm. Another thing I noticed was that having to tell me alarm to stop, “Alexa, stop” is very different than just hitting a button. I feel like the first time you speak on any given day means you’re really awake.
Turn Up The Ac
I have to sleep with it super cold in my apartment. I’m in Texas so this time of year the air conditioner is a constant but at night I turn it down a little lower. One of the first things I do when I get out of bed is crank it up. The cold air that is great for sleeping is not so great for working. Like a rainy day, having the air conditioner too low just makes me want to get under the blankets and be lazy.
Get Some Light But Not Too Much Light
I am a vampire. There I said it. Most weekends unless I have work to do the blinds stay closed and I wait until night time to leave the house. Seriously, I’m in Texas it was in the 80s this weekend and it’s not even summer yet! But when it comes to starting the day I like to open up the blinds in my bedroom. Because the sun isn’t in full effect yet it’s not overpowering early in the morning. Then I turn on my salt lamp for a little extra soft light. I don’t normally turn on the ceiling light until a few hours into work. It just feels less aggressive and more of a soft transition from night to day.
Have Some Warm Lemon Water
I always keep lemons at my home. As an allergy sufferer, one thing that can make mornings hard is that drainage that happens after 7 hours of being horizontal. I feel like my lemon water is a great way to just reset everything and feel a little less yucky when my allergies are worse.
Get A Toothbrush You’re Excited To Use
Up until a few weeks ago, I hadn’t used an electric toothbrush in years. So when I got the opportunity to try the CariPro by Smile Brilliant I was excited. I love using this toothbrush! First of all it just makes my teeth feel so clean. You may know that feeling where you thought you brushed your teeth really well but afterward, you slide your tongue across them and it just doesn’t feel clean? I don’t experience that with my CariPro. It gets my teeth, what I like to call, “dentist level clean.”
It comes with 5 brush modes, is waterproof and holds its charge for up to 30 days!
Finally let me say, not everyone has to be a morning person. While I’ve been imitating one the past month after this season of my life I probably won’t get up as early as I have been. It’s okay, some of us work better at night. The thing is, life doesn’t always work with our preferred sleeping habits. You have a big launch, a client event, a family situation and you have to adjust so these tips are for you, my night owls who need a little help starting their days earlier from time to time.
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