Morning Rituals. We all have them whether or not we call them a ritual or not–those things we repeat every morning that we don’t even think about. For some of us, it’s immediately grabbing our phone and checking social media or email before our feet hit the floor. For others of us, it is COFFEE FIRST. I think I spent a lot of time rushing in previous years, but now that I’ve reexamined my morning ritual, my life has a much less hurried pace.
Let’s talk about the difference between a ritual and a routine. According to Gretchen Rubin, author of Better Than Before: What I Learned About Making and Breaking Habits–to Sleep More, Quit Sugar, Procrastinate Less, and Generally Build a Happier Life, “A ‘routine’ is a string of habits, and a ‘ritual’ is a habit charged with transcendent meaning.”
Aligning Our Beliefs with Our Priorities
The key, then, is to align our beliefs with how we schedule our time, so that we pursue only those rituals that make us feel, according to Rubin, “freer and stronger.” If we have the inward belief that working out is important to our health, then working out becomes more than a legalistic routine–it becomes fueled by something much more–a deeply held belief. And, beliefs will carry you through the days when you don’t feel like it…willpower and legalism will not.
Stephen Covey, author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People Powerful Lessons in Personal Change, says,
“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule but to schedule your priorities.”
In other words, how we spend out time reflects our priorities and our priorities reflect our beliefs. If we are going to lead where we are, then we must align our time with our beliefs.
Setting Up Our Morning Ritual
In order to set up our morning ritual, we must first decide on what is most important to us in addition to building in time for what is necessary. My morning ritual goes like this (on most days pre-pandemic):
Wake up/Put on workout clothes (10 minutes)
Make Tea (5 minutes)
Quiet Time (45 minutes)
Workout (40 minutes)
Dress for Work (30 minutes)
Breakfast (10 minutes)
Gather things and get out the door (10 minutes)
Total: 2.5 hours
In order to know what time I need to get up, I calculate the time it takes to do each one of these tasks, add it up, and then decide what time I need to get up in order to accomplish all these rituals before I need to leave for work. So, to carry out my morning ritual, I need to get up at 4:30 a.m.
Now, I’m a morning person so that is no big deal. But, you do YOU!
Reasons Why a Morning Ritual Matters
Why is a morning ritual so important to me?
1. It helps me make the most of my time and prioritize my deeply held beliefs.
2. I can prepare for the next day the night before to avoid decision fatigue.
3. I eliminate starting my day in a rush.
So, what about you? How does your morning ritual help you eliminate hurry? What difference would it make if you reexamined your morning ritual?
I would love to hear your thoughts!
P.S.–The pandemic put a damper on my morning ritual due to the gym closure and my schedule for work being altered. So, I’m working diligently to get back to my pre-pandemic ritual, but I’m giving myself grace in the meantime.
My Full Focus Planner has a section for laying out a plan for a morning ritual.
