My Body-Mind-Spirit Morning Routine

The Struggle

The moment I wake up each morning, a struggle begins. Part of me desperately wants to remain in bed. To combat this emotional urge, I perform a 12-activity regimen designed to get my body, mind and spirit going.

According to Roy Baumeister, humans have a finite amount of willpower, which is spent throughout the day. Decision fatigue is a major factor which drains that reserve. This mental energy is depleted by every decision we make, big or small. At day's end, our willpower reserve is often drained. To prepare for this, I employ an early-morning routine to fill my willpower reservoir without having to expend much in the process. If I get distracted by some activity not on my routine, I either quickly do it (to score some easy motivation points), or I write it down to do later. I avoid tasks that derail my flow.

These 12 activities are principles, not steps. They are not all necessary, nor need to be done chronologically. To make the routine easier, I choose which activities I will do the night before, then make adjustments the day of (if necessary). When I don't plan ahead, I tend to dilly-dally my morning away. For morning success, I try to do at least one activity from each of the three categories: body, mind, and spirit. Somedays, only three of the activities are required to get me going. If I have a "big day" ahead, I may choose to prepare by doing more of the 12 activities.

My Routine

1) Rise with the Sun (1 min/Mind & Body)

Assumption: A restful night's sleep is essential for me to be effective the following day! In order to rise with the sun, I must get at least 7-8 hours of quality sleep the night before. When I am rested, I wake up naturally and desire getting out of bed. If not, an early start is just miserable.

President Thomas Jefferson claimed that the sun never caught him in bed in over 50 years.  He stated, "whether I retire to bed early or late, I rise with the sun." That inspires me. I want to be more intentional about how I use my time on earth. This goal (and the success of the entire morning routine) hinges on my going to bed around a specific time each night so that I am able to get up the next morning having had between 7-8 hours of sleep.

2) 5-Second Rule

Each new day, my motivation level begins at zero. As I gain consciousness and check in with how I'm feeling, my body, mind and spirit all plead for me to stay in bed. There is no reasoning with myself in this emotional state. Instead, I employ the following a ritual.

First, I shift the emotional decision to get out of bed to a cognitive one by using a de-corpsifying mini-routine Mel Gibson calls the 5-Second Rule. I verbally count down to zero from five. Once the countdown has begun, there's nothing I can do to stop it—excuses and negative thoughts don't matter; getting out of bed is inevitable.

As I countdown, I physically prepare my body for "lift off" by checking in with different parts of my body. First, I bring awareness to my extremities by wiggling my fingers and toes. I take a deep breath and gently stretch my limbs, visualizing the oxygen reaching my resting muscles. Lastly, I smile. This reminds me that I love life. I believe my time on earth is sacred. Each new day is an exciting adventure and I want to make the most of it.

When I reach zero, I state a mantra and start moving. Some phrases I've experimented with include:

• "This is not going to kill you."
• "All I have to do is swing my legs over the side of the bed and sit up; and I know I am capable of that."
• "I always feel better once I _____ (e.g., get out of bed, splash water on my face, eat something, any part of my routine I'm looking forward to)."
• "With each deep breath, I feel better, stronger and more awake."
• "Hammer Time!"

3) Make Bed (1 minutes/Body)

Before I do anything else outside my bed, I like to take 10 seconds to make my bed. A small accomplishment or "win" here, establishes momentum for continued success throughout the day. (It also prevents me from falling back into it.)

4) Rehydrate (8 minutes/Body)

After a long night sleep, my mouth is parched, as are my muscles and joints. To combat this stiffness, I drink 24oz (3 cups) of water throughout my 90-minute morning routine; typically before each new activity. I primarily sip out of a  32oz Nalgene, which I fill the night before. Additionally, I keep caches of water bottles and available cups stashed throughout the house depending on which activities I choose.

Rehydrating doesn't only mean wetting the inside of my body. One of the first things I do in the morning is either splash cold water on my face or take a quick shower. In the shower, I start with warm water because it lengthens and relaxes my zombie-like body. But I end with cold water because it closes my pores, invigorates me, and releases needed dopamine to spin up to the next task.

5) Practice Yoga and Mindfulness (35 minutes/Body, Mind, & Spirit)

They say 90% of illnesses is stress-related. Full-body breathe and movement is my opportunity to reconnect my body with my mind and spirit. As I reconnect my self, I am reminded of my purpose and goals, and the flow increases the oxygen delivery to my brain, increasing my mind's creative capacity. I begin and end my yoga routine to practice mindfulness, which increases the overall effectiveness of the practice.

6) Practice Gratitude (5 minutes/Spirit)

After recollecting who I am through yoga, it is a perfect time for me to thank God for a new day and for 3 other specific things I’m grateful for. (This principle is often best employed after I have gotten current for the day by glancing at my calendar and to do lists.)

Here's a list of things that amplify my practice of gratitude:

• I kneel to pray.
• My prayers emphasize gratitude.
• I review my personal journal entry from the night before.
• I prepare by listen to inspiring or motivating music to help give my mind something positive and relaxing to subconsciously chew on.
• I capture any new thoughts during this time in a tiny gratitude journal I keep by my nightstand.
• I allow myself to really feel blessed. (Each expression of gratitude adds a bit of willpower to my reservoir.)

7) Power Breakfast (20 minutes/Body)

Assumption: I haven't gone to bed too full or hungry. Breakfast is a time to physically store energy. Eating fats and proteins provide the slow-burning energy that support me physically throughout the day.

I choose to multi-task while I cook because preparing food for me is a repetitive task that can be automated. While I’m preparing breakfast, I spool up my mind for “creative thinking” (tasks that cost motivation) by doing things that uplift my mind and spirit.  However, when I eat, I do so slowly and deliberately. I enjoy the various tastes and the sensation of my body being nourished.

8) Seek Online Inspiration (10-15 minutes during breakfast/Mind)

I listen to something inspiring and new. I have a YouTube playlist full of videos I have bookmarked to watch later. However, audio-only media is typically all I can handle, depending on the intensity of my cooking. My go to audio sources include: LDS scriptures or talks, TED talks, or SPOTIFY podcasts (usually less than 15 minutes).

9) Memorize a Scripture (5 minutes during breakfast/Spirit)

While I wait for something to cook, I learn or recite an inspiring message. These messages include scriptures from the LDS Doctrinal Mastery app, or a favorite hymn/song, poem, or quote. I want to imprint my mind with inspirational wisdom, especially from God.

This simple act is important to me so I can help combat the influences of the world and align my will with God’s will every day. Benefits:

• Despite the brevity of this moment of study, I am able to ponder on it for the rest of the day (say 25 minutes), which is also an invaluable part of meaningful study.
• I also find myself sharing my scripture with others.
• I am more curious to ask others for theirs to put on my own list.
• With God’s words on my mind, I am more inclined to continue studying more deeply about them later on during my leisure time.

10) Connect Physically (2 minutes during breakfast/Mind)

Physical connection is important to me. Touch is a terrific releaser of feel-good chemicals (oxytocin, dopamine, endorphins). However, since I haven’t yet got kids or a wife to wrestle with, my physical workout will have to fulfill my physical need for connection in the morning. 

However, as I go about my morning. I visualize one or two people whom I might connect with throughout the day (e.g., smile, high five, hug, arm wrestle). Even a heartfelt handshake creates connection and is rewarded with dopamine.

11) Connect Emotionally (2 minutes during breakfast/Mind)

Emotional connection is also rewarded with an oxytocin boost. I may send a quick email (as opposed to a text or phone call so I do not wake anyone) a motivating thought, experience, question, or I love you note.

12) Plan & Strategize (20 minutes/Mind)

I quickly glance at my calendar and To-Do lists to get current for the day, which I have dutifully captured in Wunderlist. I then review anything that has accumulated in my inbox. To get my email inbox to zero, I ask the over-arching questions for each item: what is this? And what does it mean to me? Specifically, I employ David Allen’s Getting Things Done 4-step clarifying process:

1. As I work chronologically through each email, I ask, is there an action that needs to be taken?
2. If so, what is the next action?
3. Am I the right person to do this?
4. Once the right person has been identified, I immediately knock out tasks required of me, which only take 2 minutes. (Rationale: it would take just as long to schedule something as it would to complete it.) To do this, I ask, Can I do it in 2 minutes or less?

“Prime Time” (60 minutes/Mind)

If my math is right, I spend a total of 90 minutes getting my energy levels to a rolling boil after waking up. One day soon, I hope to learn how to supercharge my personal battery in the morning so my routine only takes me 5-15 minutes. But for now, I need that time to conjure up enough motivation to blast through the day with purpose and vim. When my willpower reserve is at its peak, I call this my "Prime Time."

With my motivation level probably higher than any other point in the day, I am prepared to tackle the most motivation-draining task on my To-Do list. (Typically, dissertation work.)

If I get stuck, here’s what I do to get moving again:

• If I don’t know which task I want to work on, I ask, which task will make me feel really accomplished when finish it for the day?  (By asking the same thing in another way—which task am I dreading most?—I would feed my anxiety and demotivate myself.)
• If my mind is wandering or I find myself off task, I ask myself, do I find I’m delaying because I don’t know where to start? And what is my next action?
• If I have successfully identified a task, but feel anxiety or doubt, I ask myself, do I know what I need to know to accomplish this action? And do I have what I need to accomplish it?
• If I am still lacking motivation,  I chunk the task into 10-20 minute actions. I then reward myself with a small break or treat in between segments.
• Once I get creative momentum on a certain task, I ride that wave. I keep working on it (taking appropriate breaks) until my schedule requires a change.

If I get to bed late, I will have a difficult time squeezing in all of these self-motivating activities the next day. When I fail to follow my routine, I practice self-compassion. Mindful of my current motivation-level, I re-evaluate how much of a task I can accomplish at a time. (Note: I don't bail on my tasks when the going gets tough—I become more flexible in how long I work on them. I still feel successful and less stressed when I stretch for 35 seconds, when I can't do 35 minutes.)

Bonus

"Cucurucu!" ("cock-a-doodle-doo!") is the Brazilian onomatopoeia for the rooster crow. This song symbolizes my morning routine. I love how the energy grows through the verses and chorus. If you skip around between the beginning, middle, and end, you'll hear how it mirrors the developing energy that can be found in following an effective morning routine.