Good Morning Sunshine: Morning Motivation

My top tips for creating a motivated morning:

• Create (and stick to) a bedtime and wakeup time. When you have a routine like this, your body gets used to it and feels more rested when it's time to get up in the morning. This is where the 5-second rule (see resource below) comes in to play for me. I NEVER EVER want to get out of bed and in order to accomplish this, I count down from 5 to 1 and then make myself jump out of bed super quick!

• Listen to a podcast. I love listening to podcasts while I'm getting ready for the day or commuting. It's a quick way to jump-start my brain in the morning. Check out some of my favorite podcasts in the resource section below!

• Create a morning routine. Routines are super good for us! Go through your morning routine while you are still waking up; by the time you're finished with you're routine, you'll be awake and ready to take on the day! This is the time you can commit to your beauty and/or hygiene routine, making your bed, etc.

• Lay out your clothes the night before and then dress for success (even when you're staying home). By no means does this mean you need to get 'dressed up' (unless you have to for your job). When you actually get dressed for the day (instead of wearing PJs or sweats), you are subconsciously setting yourself up for success at being more productive and getting more tasks done.

• But first, coffee (or tea)…and water for hydration. Hydrating first thing in the morning helps your body feel energized for the day. I'm terrible about this... Normally, I drink all my caffeinated things first, and thennnnn hydrate. However you want to do it, as long as it gets done... Note: You don't HAVE to caffeinate...I'm just sayin'...coffee is huge in my life...

• Review the day's schedule/journal. This is the time I take to review what's going on for the day and what I have scheduled. Occasionally, I will write in my Morning Pages journal (but I'm terrible about doing this). The Morning Pages Journal (resources below) is several pages of stream-of-consciousness journaling where you brain dump anything and everything that crosses your mind. The purpose of this is to make space in your mind so that it doesn't feel so cluttered or overwhelmed (creators- this means your have more mental space to create!) I also use this time to write in my Hero's Journal! If you've never heard of/seen The Hero's Journal (90-day journal), you need to fix that right now and see the resource list below! I love my Hero's Journal. Each day, I write down three things I'm grateful for, my current 90-day goal, my top three priorities for the day to bring me closer to reaching my goal, my top allies and enemies, and notes or a to-do list for the day. It also has awesome illustrations that you can color throughout and an amazing quote per day.

• Inbox to Zero. I like to do this first thing in the morning so I get a handle on any important correspondence. This just makes my email feel all nice and tidy and therefore makes me feel a bit more 'nice and tidy'.

• Movement. Stretch, Nerd Fitness App, yoga, workout, Ring Fit Adventure, Zumba, lol. YOU DO YOU, BOO-BOO. Just do something to be mobile.

My favorite resources:

• Good Morning, Good Life by Amy Schmittauer Landino Amy Landino on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR9gMSj0UUxGvgfpNhhF3Jw

• The 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins

• Activated Authors Podcast

• The Rebel Author Podcast

• Write-Minded Podcast

• Simple on Purpose with Shawna Podcast

• World Anvil Podcast

• The Artist's Way Morning Pages Journal by Julia Cameron

• The Hero's Journal-Give Your Goal a Quest! https://theherosjournal.co/

• Nerd Fitness App - Gamify your Mindset, Nutrition, and Fitness https://www.nerdfitness.com/

• Ring Fit Adventure on Nintendo Switch

• Fitness Boxing on Nintendo Switch

• Knockout Home Fitness for Nintendo Switch