Get Your Motor Running…

Is your life crazy at times? I know mine is! Where does the time go? The days seem to get shorter, and I know that months and years are somehow disappearing. I remember my parents talking about how time was flying by, and frankly as I child, I thought they were nuts. I understand now as I keep trying to figure out how half of 2018 is already gone.

With daily life and two companies to run, I stay busy. Organization is the only way I can stay sane. Without that, chaos would ensue, and I would surely be in a padded room somewhere trying to figure out where it all went wrong. Even with a crazy schedule, I love my life. I love what I do: working with engaging, interesting and creative entrepreneurs where I am always learning and moving forward. However, an organized routine is vital. I have a picture hanging in my office that says, “Success doesn’t come from what you do occasionally. It comes from what you do consistently!” I live by these words daily. Sure, there are times I get off track; bad days or unexpected circumstances come up. I’m sure we have all experienced the fun of trying to get back on task after the holidays or a week-long vacation. Being organized and having a routine to return to can make all the difference in the world.

Organization can make or break you!

There are many ways to be organized, and all have merit. I want to focus on one area that I find particularly important for me as it determines how the rest of my day is going to go… a morning routine.

Starting out your day on the right foot can make a difference. When do you get up? What is the first thing you do? Is your routine the same every morning or does it vary? There are no right or wrong answers to these questions. It all comes down to figuring out what is best for you.

So, how do you go about putting together a morning routine?

It’s important to know yourself, your personality. Are you an introvert/extrovert? Are you more practical-minded or maybe more action oriented? Your personality traits will dictate how you should spend the morning to be most effective. Isn’t that why we have routines in the first place. If you are more introverted, you may need your alone/quiet time to focus on your day ahead, while for the extrovert it may be better to do early morning networking and socializing. Someone more practical will crave structure and may do the same things every day. An action-oriented person may change it up for what is needed that day.

It’s important to have some organization to your morning, even if it is doing something different every day. I have spent years working on my routine and have a much more productive day if I stick to it. When I skip it or get sidetracked, the day always seems to get away from me.

CEOs and business owners often talk about their morning routines and how they would not be successful without them.

Richard Branson explained in 2014 that he wakes up at 5 am to exercise and be with family, which puts him in a great state of mind when getting down to business.
Tory Burch said she wakes up at 5:45 am, checks emails, get her three sons out of bed and then exercises for 45 minutes.
Steve Jobs said in a commencement speech he gave at Stanford University that he asked himself the same question every morning, “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I’m about to do?” If the answer was no too many times in a row, he knew something needed to change.
Barbara Corcoran works out for an hour on alternating days and jogs to the office. She does her to-do list the night before so she knows exactly what her priorities are when she arrives in the morning.

So, what are some ways you can figure out how to design your morning routine?

Like I mentioned before, figure out your personality type and start from there.
Get Energized! If you noticed, exercise was a prevalent theme amongst some of the more successful entrepreneurs of this world. Consider a short but daily routine that will wake your body up.
Fire up your brain! Read a blog, check out the news or listen to a TED Talk or podcast. Get your brain in gear and learn something new.
Don’t forget breakfast! You need fuel for that busy day ahead.
Alone time. Sometimes before the busy day, you need a little time for yourself before the barrage of phone calls and questions start.
Consider making a list for the next day before you leave work the night before. What are the two big priorities of the day? That way you have a plan when you walk in and don’t have to waste time figuring out what you need to do.
Inspiration! People find reading affirmations are an excellent way to get their brain in the right mindset. Take a lesson from Steve Jobs, design a question to ask yourself every morning to motivates you.

Organization is a life skill that is important for so many reasons. It could mean the rise or fall of a new business, quality time with family instead of always rushing around, money saved when you ensure bills are paid on time, or just keeping yourself sane on those days where life can get overwhelming.

There are so many areas in our lives that can benefit from organization. Take some time and look around and see how things are around your home and in your business. Most of us can always use a little decluttering, sometimes a lot. If it is a lot, don’t get discouraged, find a place to start. It will take some time, but you will appreciate it in the long run. Morning routines are an area I stressed as they can determine how the rest of your day goes. When you get off to a rocky start because you weren’t ready for the day, it seems like the day follows the lead. Starting that day with a plan and being refreshed gives your day great possibility. Try developing your own routine if you don’t already have one. It will probably take some time to figure out what is most important to you. Once you make it a habit, the world is just out there waiting for you.

Photo by Justyn Warner on Unsplash

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