How to Create a Morning Routine that Sharpens the Saw

I was listening to a “Rise” podcast a few weeks ago about procrastination, and I actually got something totally different out of it. Rachel Hollis talked about how it’s so easy to let that first hour or so of the day be controlled by others when we do things like answer emails and text messages, scroll through social media, check Voxer messages, do some quick and easy work tasks, quickly take care of family/home things, etc. Even though I know that it feels so good to cross off some of my work tasks first thing, I realized that that wasn’t the best use of my first-thing-in-the-morning and “fresh” brain time.

So, for the past few weeks, the first 30-60 minutes of the day Monday-Friday is my “Sharpen the Saw” time (Saturdays and Sundays are a bit different). I really try and make this time just for me, and I really try to not let this time be controlled by others and other things. Which is hard sometimes when I hear texts and emails come through, so I’ve started leaving my phone in another room so I’m not tempted to pick it up! There’s nothing that will happen during that 30-60 minutes that can’t wait, especially since most of my work people are 3 hours behind me. 😉

Here’s my new morning “Sharpen the Saw” schedule, and I’m totally loving it!

• Wake up (usually between 7 and 8AM). I used to get up at 6 AM so I could get some things done before meeting Diane to work out, but since we both moved farther away from each other (we used to live .4 miles apart), we can’t work out together anymore, so there’s really no need to get up so early. And I’ve found my body and brain are really appreciating sleeping a little bit longer.
• Drink a glass of water.
• Study the Book of Mormon.
• Read from one of the MANY self-improvement books I want to read. Since I read at night for enjoyment and to help turn off my brain so I can go to sleep, nighttime is NOT the time to read something I really want to understand, learn, and then apply in my life.
• Write in my Start Today Journal.
• Depending on the time, work out. If there’s not time before I need to start working, then I work out between 11AM and noon.

So…how is this new morning routine working for me?

• It’s a priority goal of mine to read from the scriptures every single day, and it feels awesome to get this done first thing! It also allows me to think about what I read throughout the day, which has been a huge tender mercy.
• This new morning routine has been amazing and such a blessing! I’ve had a stack of to-read books for a long time, and it seemed that it kept growing rather than getting smaller since it was hard to find time to read these types of books. But now I’m guaranteed some time every morning, and it’s amazing how just a few minutes at a time add up to finishing a book! In fact, I’m well into book #2 already.
• Writing what I’m grateful for and my top 10 dreams in my Start Today Journal every morning has really helped me to feel more gratitude for even the smallest things that I might not have even paid attention to otherwise. And writing down my top 10 dreams as if they’ve already happened (“I am…” versus “I will…” or “I want to…”) has really brought these to the forefront of my thoughts, and I know this has helped me keep my focus on what’s most important to me. (PS: If you want to learn more about the Start Today Journal process, go here. It’s pretty awesome!).
• On the few mornings I haven’t followed this routine, my day definitely doesn’t go nearly as well. It’s been quite an eye-opener for me.

I actually just finished doing my morning routine for today before I hit “Publish,” and I’ve gotta’ tell you…it feels amazing to do something first thing in the day to sharpen my own saw and make sure I’ve put a little something back in my own bucket. I know it’s helping me to become a better person, AND it helps me show up better for those I work with and for those I love.

What does your morning routine look like? I’m always looking for ideas to make mine even better!