10 years ago, I was in a mastermind group with Hal Elrod.
Hal was about to release the first edition of his now-best-selling book, The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life (Before 8 AM).
Obviously, his book went on to become an international mega-best-seller and catapulted Hal into the role of an elite influencer.
I occasionally meditated, journaled, and exercised in the mornings when I met Hal, but I didn't have a consistent morning routine.
Once I read an advanced copy of Miracle Morning, I was sold.
Soon after, Perry Marshall started talking about his morning Renaissance time.
Start your day with at least one hour of "me" time.
No electronics.
No news.
Quiet time to ease into the day.
Like everything in life, my morning routine goes through up and down cycles.
Currently, I'm in a down cycle.
My morning routine goes something like this:
- Start the day with the Daily Calm meditation or meditate on my own for 10-20 minutes
- Write in my journal either at a leisurely pace or do fast-journaling for 15 minutes
- Read a book for 30 minutes
- 45-60 minutes of exercise, Peloton rides or yoga/stretching
- Write my daily email
- Walk the dog
Lately, I'm not motivated to do my morning routine.
I've added so many tasks to my morning routine that it takes up to three hours a day.
It feels like work instead of motivational or inspirational time.
Way too structured to be useful.
By the time I start working, I have three hours of productivity under my belt and I'm ready for a nap.
So, I'm taking a break from my way-too-structured morning routine.
I'll ease into my day by being still and quiet.
"Listening"
Noticing what's coming to mind.
This is how Einstein, Edison and other great thinkers came up with their best ideas.
Be still and let ideas come to them.
When ideas came to them, they immediately wrote them down in a small notebook.
They carried their notebooks with them, day and night.
Some days they would write down 50-100 observations and ideas.
Instead of using a notebook, I capture ideas in the free Otter.ai app on my phone.
When I first started, I captured a few ideas in a day.
Within a few days, I'm now capturing 20-30 observations or ideas.
It's like building muscle.
The more curious you are, the more ideas and observations come to you.
Try it. You'll like it!
