In his now famous speech to a graduating class at Stanford, Steve Jobs said, “For the past 33 years I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: ‘If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?’ And whenever the answer has been ‘No’ for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.”
It turns out one thing that many famous and successful people have in common is a morning routine that helps them have a awesome productive day and win at life.
As part of my 2017 journey to a happier, healthier life I’ve been thinking a lot about my morning routine and trying different things to see what works for me.
Here’s what my routine looks like so far;
- Wake up at 6:30
- Drink 8 ounces of water. I keep a 16 ounce bottle of water by my bed and drink half as soon as I get up.
- Exercise – nothing special 25 Jumping Jacks, 20 squats, 30 curls (25lb dbs), 20 push ups, 30 sec plank and light stretching. In total, about 10 – 15 minutes.
- Drink remaining water
- Shower
- Meditate
- Breakfast – High protein, low carb
- Listen to Motivational Podcasts on the drive to work
I’ve been doing some variation of this routine since the beginning of the year and its definitely had a positive impact.
But there is room for improvement; some mornings I’m late to work, miss breakfast or meditation.
The two main culprits are;
- Lack of preparation the night before
- Procrastination
Its still a work in progress but I’ve felt more energized, motivated and happier as a result.
What is your morning routine? How are you preparing for the day?