How to Start Your Morning for a Productive Day

The key to having the best day is to start it off with intention and purpose right off the bat. That actually requires starting the night before and setting yourself up for success in the morning!

The Night Before:

Kitchen:

Button up the kitchen! Spend the 15-20 minutes needed to wash anything you have “soaking,” put the hand-washed dishes away. Vacuum the floor. Fill up the water filter. Fill up the teapot or whatever needs done for you to be able to walk into your kitchen in the morning, light a candle, pour that cup of coffee and enjoy the atmosphere of your home that you have worked so hard to cultivate. Little things left undone sure make me feel unnecessarily awful about my situation. An untidy kitchen can make me feel like our entire house is junk and feeds a feeling of great un-satisfaction. Taking the time to wipe the counters clear of clutter and crumbs makes for the best greeting in the morning!

Exercise Gear:

The night before, I prepare for what I’m going to do for exercise the next morning. Right now, I’m training for a race, so I know I’ll be running one way or another. But I’ll consider the weather, length of time I’ll be out, if it’s a trail run or road, or if I’ll need to start while it’s still dark. All of those factors change how I prepare my basket the night before so that when I’m shuffling around in the dark, trying not to awaken anyone, everything I need is in one place.

Face Time Materials:

My church calls our personal time with the Lord “face time” instead of a “quiet time.” Because, though we quiet our hearts to hear from Jesus, sometimes when we get real with Him, it is far from quiet! Calling it face time frees us from the restraint of trying to keep it quiet. It reminds us that we are seeking His face, more than just asking for Him to do things for us.

My materials are always my Bible and a journal. Often times, I will have a devotional or another book. Having a set place that I use every morning means that I have everything I’ll need all ready to go. I’m not about “comfort Christianity” or “Jesus + Coffee”— I actually hate that one! But waking up early, it is helpful to have a blanket and a space heater near by. Whatever I’m going to want to have while I’m challenged by the Word is there and waiting for me in the morning.

Bedtime:

Go to bed on time! Admittedly, this is WAY easier for us early birds than it is for night owls. I’m sorry, I don’t have tips for people who like to stay up late! It is HARD for me to stay awake past 8:30. But if I put off doing my rounds to set me up for success in the morning, it will require me to be up later than I would prefer. Do what you know needs to be done (including washing your face and brushing your teeth) long before you’re tired or “need” to.

In the Morning:

My alarm goes off in the dark of the morning. Although I’m a tried and true early bird to the max, I think everyone loves to sleep. However, it didn’t take me long to learn that I value time alone more than I do any extra amount of sleep. I LOVE my kids. You will never open a post from me and see me bashing my kids. I don’t think it’s funny to be cynical and condescending about motherhood in the slightest.

That said, I learned that nothing put me in a bad mood like waking up after my kids. I REQUIRE time to process what’s going on in my own heart and body before I’m inundated with the needs of others. If that resonates with you, set your alarm according to your kids’ sleeping habits and the amount of time you’re going to want to have alone.

Note on Entitlement:

When my youngest was a baby, we were in the most pressing season of our lives, thus far. I NEEDED to hear from Jesus every day. As wild as the days were, mornings were my best bet at being able to meet with Him. That’s why, when my baby would wake up 15 minutes after me, I was ANGRY. I was soo frustrated that I was waking up at such an obnoxiously early hour, FOR NO REASON. I whined to the Lord, and like He so often does when we take our complaints straight to Him, He had an answer for me.

He immediately reminded me of the story in Matthew, when Jesus had just heard the news about John the Baptist dying. He went away to meet with the Father… and was met with a crowd. What did Jesus do? Was He frustrated and entitled and angry at them? No. The Bible says He had compassion on them. In the midst of His all out grief, having every reason in the world to demand a little time alone, He met them with compassion! And it’s amazing how one word from Jesus silences all our justifications and entitlements. Hearing my sweet baby up there squealing away at his awareness of the distance between us, I was now able to meet him, full of compassion. It was a joy to go grab my baby and bring him close to my heart, knowing that’s how Jesus receives me.

Exercise/Facetime… Which Comes First?

OH MAN. This had been the question of my life. I had always believed that I should make “seeking the Lord” my first priority of the day. I have to wake up early to do that. Sitting (in a warm/cozy spot, no less) puts me to sleep. So, about ten years ago, I switched to working out first. And I honestly felt guilty about it up until ONE MONTH AGO!!! The religious spirit is a doozy. It lies, and says that I’m only spending time with Jesus if it looks a certain way.

Just last month, God put that to rest when He brought a memory to mind where I had the utmost joy and freedom while riding my bike as a kid. Might sound crazy, but He ministered to my heart with that and reminded me that He was right there with me in the midst of the ride, enjoying my presence every bit as much as I was enjoying His. He just wants us to be with Him, aware of Him in ALL that we do! When I work out first, I:

1. Can wake up earlier without risking falling asleep. (Hard to do that while moving!)
2. Actually get to see the stars and am MOVED with wonder at our Creator. EVERY TIME.
3. Usually listen to a sermon or worship music while working out.
4. Like that my kids see me seeking Jesus over working out. Nothing wrong with them seeing me work out, but when I think of them as adults looking back on their time with me, hands down, I want them remembering me in the Word.

Regardless of what YOU choose to do first, I highly encourage you to make both spending time with Jesus and exercising a priority every day. If you’re new to exercise, or want some fresh inspiration I like this girl on YouTube. If you’re wanting to pick up running, Nike Running Club has all kinds of plans that can get you started.

*** I am not saying that working out first is what you should do by any means. Just want to encourage you to get out from under the shame the enemy likes to dump on us for any and everything!

Journal and Plan Your Day:

Regardless if I’m reading through the Bible in a year, or just reading a few verses at a time, I always ask God to highlight at least one verse/passage to focus on. With that verse, I will use Lectio Divina (Divine Reading). I stay engaged better if I’m writing, so I always write out the verse for my “second reading.” Then I will reflect upon the words and write out what I’m receiving. It might be a prayer, it might be how I am seeing Jesus in the text…whatever is in my heart, I write out.

Once that part of my morning time is drawing to a close, I write out five more things:

Gratitude:

I write out three things that I am grateful for each day. Knowing I’m accountable to say what I’m grateful for each day keeps my eyes open to see the unmerited gifts all around me.

To Do:

Even if I feel like I have a million things to do for the day, I will write just three things that I know I need to be done. Winnowing it down to just three keeps overwhelm from kicking in. They are usually generalizations that have many parts underneath each one and give me direction for the day!

Move:

If I have already exercised or if I still need to, I write out what I did/plan to do. I like being able to keep track and see progress in my times or strength (another perk to exercising first: I can report how I did!) to be able to look back on for various reasons.

Cycle:

It is SO important to be aware of what day we are on in our cycle. I write what day I’m on, and how I’m feeling. Every headache, every lethargic or high energy day is logged. This goes hand in hand with tracking my movement. If I was running an easy pace at 8’30” one day and fell to 9’45” for the exact same run another day, my cycle was likely the culprit (along with diet being another key). Knowing where we are, and what we can expect of our bodies throughout the month can affect so much regarding our productivity!

Sleep:

This goes hand in hand with tracking my cycle. I like to track how I’m sleeping, so that I can see patterns develop. If I find that every month during my luteal phase, I’m waking up at 2 am, I might consider eating foods that support progesterone. As I’m turning FORTY tomorrow, changes are about to go down in my body! Knowing the details of all of these intricacies will be so helpful.

You, Too, Can Be An Early Bird

I don’t know about you, but when I have a plan for the morning, I have no trouble jumping out of bed! I can’t speak for those of you who are hard-core night owls, but I *think* these tips could work for anyone. If YOU are a night owl and this helps you, please comment or tag me on instagram!