3 Reasons Why Your Morning Routine Doesn't  Work…

Image by Rachel CALAMUSA / CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

By Asif Valiji, Associate Mentor, Lighthouse International

Many of us look at legends and wonder - how do they have that kind of energy every day? Whether it's Richard Branson or Bill Gates, they must have an abundance of energy beyond ordinary levels to do what they do day in day out… how is that possible?

When we look a little closer we start to see that legends start their days very differently to most of us. Many of us have a morning routine however, most of the time it is driven by external forces like a job or our kids. We often don’t do the same things as legends because we feel like we do not have the time or don’t realise the importance of daily activities like exercise.

So here are 3 reasons why we struggle to implement a new morning routine and what we can do about it:

1. We Try & Take On Too Much...So Start With Baby Steps

Don't over commit yourself in the mornings. You’ll find that the more simple your activities the more likely you will be to remember to do them. At the same time remember to be creative and imaginative in your routine with the things you do, I found that doing star jumps and then washing my face with cold water really helped break up my routine and just got me feeling and thinking differently. Realistic, Simple and Creative. What works for you?

2. We Don’t Have Enough Motivation...So Find a Reason To Get Out of Bed

Viktor Frankl said when we have a burning why we will bear any how. This applies just as much to our lives as it does to our mornings. Have you ever struggled to get out of bed but then when you have a 5am flight on holiday you can’t wait to get up? We can all relate to that right? Having a reason to get out of bed is crucial and sometimes it may need to be something or someone outside of us. It could be an early morning gym class, or meeting a friend for breakfast...which brings us onto our next point…

3. We Don’t Have Enough Support...So Get an Accountability Partner...

Ever wondered how much easier it would be to have a group of friends or colleagues to help you with your morning routine? Don’t we tend to let ourselves down more when we are in private and no one else knows? One of the things that has helped us as a team is committing to each other what we would do in the morning and then texting one another with how we got on. We don't always do it and it may sound like a lot but it really helps! Even Barack Obama has an accountability partner to support him to get the best out if his morning!

Do you have a friend who wants to develop a morning routine? How could you set up a buddy system where you work together on it? This crucial principle of interdependence is something that most self-help literature misses. The more you look at legends the more you will see they had help to develop the right discipline, even if that came from their parents initially.

The Power of a Morning Routine

Creating a morning routine is one of the most revolutionary things you can do for your life, you will feel fresher and more energised and it massively increases your self confidence. It’s no surprise that so many legends make it a cornerstone of their day...