Morning Ritual

This year I am working in a new district which requires me to spend about ninety minutes in my car driving to and from school each day.  I am sure this commute with not be as enjoyable during the winter, but right now, I love it!  I have been listening to audio books/podcasts and I love having time to focus on me without the distractions of a to do list.  I have enjoyed listening to personal development, health/fitness and education podcasts and I have already learned a lot.  

One of the common topics during many of the podcasts that I listen to, in terms of personal development, is starting the morning off right by having a great routine.  Now, my ideal morning does not happen very often and I am thrilled if my plan worms out 2-3 times a week. The sleep schedule of a one year old is not always conducive to waking up early. 

Three years ago I was consistently getting up at 5 in the morning and I loved having time to read, workout, journal and complete house work. This habit disappeared once my daughter was born and I am slowly working my way back to a consistent morning routine. I have found that waking up early, feeling productive and spending some time on me, really help my day go better. 

What does your ideal morning look like?  What one activity would make your day go better if you completed it first thing in the morning?

Everyone is different, my husband's ideal morning is waking up at 6:15 am, taking a shower, eating breakfast and leaving for work at 7:15 am. I find that I feel stressed when I do not give myself enough time to get things accomplished in the morning. Does your morning help you start your day on the right foot or add more stress to your day?

I created an Evernote notebook for my morning routine and I have a note for each day that contains a checklist with my morning routine. The other tool that has really helped me is coming up with multiple morning rituals, which is another idea I learned from the '5 AM Miracle' podcast.  I created and wrote down a Morning Ritual for my ideal morning, a weekend/no school morning and a morning I wake up late or sleep in.  Having these ideas written down has really helped me feel more organized.