My Morning Routine
At the very back of my planner I have a list of blog topics. I created this list in 2017 and had to transfer that list to my 2018 calendar. Meaning, I have done a really poor job at attacking this particular “to-do” list. A few reasons I have pushed off some of these blogs…
I haven't completed or succeeded at the task I want to write about.
I don’t even know where to begin on some of the topics
Another topic has popped into my head and my creative juices have gone that route.
The biggest one I have pushed off because I haven’t fully succeeded at the task is “how to find a routine when you're a creative entrepreneur”. When I wrote this as a possible topic at the beginning of 2017, I had it at the very top of my list. “Surely, by the end of the year, I will have some awesome routine and will be in a place where I can offer advice to fellow entrepreneurs!” Ha. Funny, Katie. It is almost the end of 2018, and I am just now starting to get into the groove of finding my routine. No, I still don't have a solid one, but I am working on it.
The hardest part about working from home is getting started. It’s easy to do the work once you're doing the work. But starting to do the work is a real struggle at times. By the way, this blog isn't about working from home (I, of course, am pushing that off for another time). Anyway, I decided I needed a solid morning routine and some better habits to be the best version of myself as a boss, mom and wife.
To be honest, having a morning routine is 100% new to me. My family and friends can attest, I have always been all-over-the-place in the early hours. A complete hot-mess. When I was a sports reporter, my days and weeks were so incredibly inconsistent, a morning routine was completely out of the question. I know it worked for some of my coworkers, but it never worked for me. I was just lucky if I woke up and left the house on time with a bra on. But, with working from home and tackling motherhood, I knew I needed to make a change and create a more balanced, productive, organized morning routine in order to keep moving forward. And now that I have more flexibility and can set my own schedule, building up this habitual morning routine has actually allowed me to enjoy the “perks” of working from home and being my own boss.
First and foremost, I MUST have a to-do list before I can do anything. This isn't new to me as I have always been big on fancy planners with pretty colored stickers and to-do lists. But, the biggest difference is that now I write EVERYTHING down. Do I need to call my mom today? Return an email? Send an invoice? Check the mail? Do the laundry? Go to Target? Vacuum? WRITE IT DOWN. This may sound like overkill but it’s what works for me.
I’m so happy with my current morning routine, and the fact that I manage to get all of my work done without ever feeling rushed or stressed has been a game changer! So here is what my morning looks like these days: I wake up before my son (it sounds like common sense but I have never been an early riser) to make sure I have plenty of time to “get ready”. I have to put get ready in quotes because I do a really poor job at it when I know I am not leaving the house all day. Then, I get my son up and ready, make him breakfast, take time to play with him for a bit and then drop him off at daycare. When I return home, I immediately tackle my house chores. I allow myself 25 minutes of picking up the house, catching up on laundry, dishes, etc. I then go to my son’s room and make sure that it is orderly and ready for bedtime that night. I have quickly learned that having an unorganized, messy house can be a #1 distraction when you're working from home. Then, I pour myself a cup of coffee that my amazing husband brewed for me and it’s to my office I go and you can guess what happens next… I light a candle, turn on a work-related podcast, open up my planner and head straight to my to-do list to cross off my chores. And then I proceed to jot down my work to-do list for not only that day, but the days that follow as well. I then check my inbox and send emails before I start working on my business or any projects. Next, I go to Freshbooks to make sure all my accounting/ time-keeping is up-to-date. Once all my admin stuff is completed and crossed off the list, I feel ready to tackle my clients’ projects with little to no distraction. I still need to fit in a morning walk (which I went 4 months of doing and suddenly stopped), but baby steps.
So if you're trying to figure out more efficient ways of completing your work or daunting tasks while staying stress-free, I highly suggest finding time to carve out some “me time” with a morning routine! Whether it’s working out, reading, listening to a podcast or making breakfast, figure out what suits you best and make it a habit! I guarantee you will notice a difference by the end of the week.
Even though I have found my groove, I still find it interesting to see what works for others when planning something new for myself. If you have an awesome morning routine or habit, I would love to hear about it!
Current podcast I am listening to: Being Boss. My fellow creative entrepreneur, Brianna George, suggested it and I have been hooked ever since!