UPDATE: Mini-laundry [0:55]

Back in episode #2, we talked about doing laundry in small batches to help keep on top of it.  But, so far, I haven’t managed to make that happen ?

This strategy has helped somewhat, but I find that I still manage to fall behind!

Back to the drawing board!

I’ll update you as soon as I come up with something new!

If you have any thoughts or tips, I’d love to know! Email me at podcast@wordpress-739001-2510787.cloudwaysapps.com, or scroll to the bottom of this page and leave a comment!

What to include in a morning routine [2:36]

I’ve spent quite a lot of time thinking about what to include in my morning routine. And, so far, this is what it boils down to:

5:00 AM | Wake up

I get up at 5 AM each weekday. On weekends, it’s usually between 5 and 7 AM.

5:15 – 5:45 AM | Bathroom

After waking up, the first thing I do is hit the bathroom.

• Use the bathroom
• Test ketosis level with ketone strips (click here to get the ketone strips I use)
• Weigh myself (click here to get the scale I use)
• Shower

5:45 – 6:00 AM | Coffee, Podcast, Dishes

I use an overlapping strategy here: Basically, I overlap 3 different tasks at once.

• First, I start my coffee
• While that’s brewing, I put on a podcast episode
• Then, I do any dishes that are in the sink

Usually my podcast episode will last a bit longer than the other two. So, I’ll sit down with my coffee and finish the episode.

6:00 – 6:05 AM | Water flowers

I water my flowers each morning. I use this as a mindfulness technique — a pre-meditation.

6:05 – 6:15 AM | Meditate

I meditate for 10 minutes daily using the Headspace app (click here to get Headspace)

6:15 – 6:30 AM | Journal

Each morning, I spend 15 minutes journaling. This includes two things: Tracking habits / stats, and writing out goals, memories, and gratitude.

Stat & Habit Tracker

I track a set of stats from the day before / that morning, as well as a set of things I want to ensure I do each day.

I use a Moleskine squared (grid paper) notebook for this (click here to get this notebook)!

A couple quick notes:

• Each shaded box means I completed that habit that day
• I do a rough carb count each day — always tracked in a multiple of 5 to be simple
• A four-digit weight doesn’t fit in that tiny box, so I chop off the hundreds digit!
• The overall energy line is from 1-7 (1 being no energy; 7 being lots of energy)

Goals, Memories, & Gratitude

Then, I write out a set of goals that I’m working on. I got this idea from Rachel Hollis in episode #205 of Amy Porterfield’s Online Marketing Made Easy podcast (click here to listen to that episode).

I write out each goal as though it’s already happened. And yep, I write these out every. single. day. 

I also write out any memories that stick out from the day before. These are short, to-the-point memories — non soliloquies here.

Finally, I write out at least one thing I’m grateful for each day.

A couple of quick notes about this:

• Each goal is numbered, memories start with an “M”, and gratitude is a “G”
• The arrows to the right of the goals represent what progress I made the day before:
  • A right (forward) arrow means I made progress
  • A left (backward) arrow means I regressed
  • A horizontal line means I made no progress
  • A double-ended arrow means I took steps both forward and backward

6:30 – 8:00 AM | Work on Easier

After all of this, I begin work on this podcast! I spend about 90 minutes each morning working (plus time after work, too).

8:00 – 8:38 AM | Get ready for work

During this block, I get dressed, eat breakfast, and sometimes do laundry.

And yep, you read 8:38 correctly! I’ve been doing this routine for so long, I know that if I leave by 8:38, I’ll get to work right on time.

8:38 – 9:00 AM | Drive to work

Often on my drive to work, I’ll either listen to another podcast episode or to a book on Audible.

If neither of those, it’s my local NPR station!

AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION: What’s in your morning routine?

I’d love to know what you think about morning routines!

• Do you have a morning routine?
• What do you include in yours?
• What challenges do you have?

Email me at podcast@wordpress-739001-2510787.cloudwaysapps.com or leave a comment below!

LIFE HACK: Never miss another morning alarm! [19:03]

Here’s a super-quick hack for always waking up on time:

1. Invest in a Google Home (or Amazon Echo) if you don’t have one
2. Ask it to set an alarm for your desired time
3. When the alarm goes off, get up out of bed to turn it off. DO NOT TURN IT OFF WITH YOUR VOICE