Make Over Your Morning

 

When my children were younger, it seemed that the only time I could think straight was after they were in bed for the night.  I tended to stay up (very) late enjoying this quiet time.

The problem was that I then had a difficult time getting up in the morning. And getting up later was not an option. I had to get the children to school and myself to work.

I now realize the error of my habit. I had it backwards. The quiet time that I relished was available not only at the end of the day when my children were sleeping, but also at the beginning of the day, before they got up.

Now that my children are teens, their bedtime consists usually of “whenever the homework is done” and I have more freedom to establish my own bedtime routine.

Of course, in order to enjoy the quiet morning hours, my own strict bedtime is a requirement. As it turns out, this was the hardest habit for me to change when I decided that I wanted to wake earlier.

I have found the early morning hours to be priceless for getting important work done. By important, I mean the things that are most important to me.

But a productive morning requires a plan. 

About a year ago, I wrote about my morning routine and I have, for the most part, been faithful to this habit. But over the past several months, I have given much thought to how I use my mornings and what I could do to make them more enjoyable and productive.

Thanks to Crystal at Money Saving Mom, I found the ebook Early To Rise: Learn To Rise Early in 30 Days by Andy Traub. The ebook has really got me thinking about ways I can become more intentional about how I use my precious morning time.

Throughout the month of March, I will be sharing some enhancements I have made to my morning routine. I hope these will be an encouragement to you as you make the most of the special quiet time at the beginning of each new day.

What do you do to get the day off to a great start? Please leave a comment and let us know.