Ringing in 2021 with a Productive Morning Ritual

There’s something to be said about a little calm and a little routine. A lot of us, especially in the younger generation, can’t stand the idea of a routine. Our lives are chaos and, though we probably won’t admit it, we kinda like it that way. But whether you’re a thriving entrepreneur, a struggling student, a stay-at-home mom, or a writer trying to finish their manuscript that the world just isn’t ready for, finding your “ritual” can make a world of difference.

Notice how I switched from calling it a “routine” to a “ritual?” To me, the word “routine” sounds terrible. We all know the drudgery that comes from a routine. You fall into a routine with your partner, so things aren’t as spontaneous and exciting. You fall into a routine at work, so you lose your passion. You fall into a routine…and things just get boring. But a ritual is different.

A ritual is sacred, peaceful, and gives life.

“Your morning routine generates a 10x return for good or for bad. Make it good.”

—Todd Stocker, Becoming the Fulfilled Leader

Why create a morning ritual?

Designing a morning ritual for yourself sets the pace for the rest of your day. Not only could it help you be more productive, but a study done by Elsevier in Behavior Research and Therapy suggests there is evidence to support that creating a morning ritual can actually help with sleep disorders such as sleep inertia and insomnia.

The Huffington Post agrees! According to their studies, the best way to prevent mental fatigue is to kick that “night owl” thinking to the curb and start creating a morning routine for yourself. They argue that the night owl routine “will takes its toll on your physical and mental well-being and majorly impact your productivity.”

This is true in all areas of life. Ask any fitness guru and they’ll tell you that consistency is key. Trying to learn a new language? Well, you’ll need consistency there, too. But this is especially true in your daily life.

We are creatures of habit, whether we want to believe it or not!

The habits that you cultivate now will determine how the rest of your year goes. Are you going to mindlessly wake up and start your day without a thought? Or are you going to start off your day on the right foot by designing a morning ritual that you can get behind? One that will motivate you, provide you with the peace and calm you’ll need to tackle challenges that come your way, and keep you productive all day long?

Good. Me too.

My Morning Ritual

For those of you who don't know me, I'm a twenty-one-year-old actress and author, whose daily schedule is never my own. When I'm not working on a film or television project, I'm trying to write my next novel. Chaos is my middle name, which is why I'm ringing in 2021 with a morning ritual that truly sets the pace for the day.

Since I’m not your average twenty-one year old, my morning ritual may look different to yours. I prefer to keep mine strict because I believe it forms better habits this way. With the current quarantine and COVID-19 situation being what it is, my ritual has changed only slightly. I’m able to wake up a little later since the whole of the world doesn’t start running until around 9am my time, anyway.

Now, let me be clear: I’m nowhere near perfect or consistent when it comes to my ritual, especially under the current circumstances, but I am a firm believer that because I am turning these practices into habits, my days will only continue to be more and more productive.

My morning ritual takes about two hours, and I try to stay off social media at all costs in the morning. I’ll happily return important texts and emails, but everything else is going to have to wait. My ritual is the priority.

The ritual:

7am: Rise and shine, then drink 1 glass of water to get my metabolism going.

7:05am: Shower.

7:30am: Practice 20 minutes of yoga, meditation, language learning, or reading to welcome calm into my day.

7:50am: Write out the day’s goals in my planner and make myself a hot cup of tea.

8am: Eat a nutritious breakfast (prepped the day before).

8:30am: Dress to impress.

9am: Ready to start the day.

In my personal ritual, I like to transition from peace to work. I give myself fifty minutes in the morning just to myself—showering, yoga, meditation, reading—before launching into the day’s or week’s problems. Yours may vary. Check out this interesting article on “The Morning Routines of 12 Women Leaders” on the Forbes website if you want to see how successful women kickstart their day.

Getting Your Ritual Started—and Practices You May Want to Adopt

I always told myself that I was a night owl. When people would ask, “Early bird or night owl?” I’d always laugh. As if that were even a question. As a writer, I convinced myself that it was better for me to sleep from 3am-11am. If your sleep schedule sounds similar, you’re probably using some of the same excuses I was:

No one is awake from 11pm-3am so I get more work done!

I don’t work a conventional job, so why do I need to have a conventional sleep schedule?

I eat less if I skip breakfast and I don’t snack as much late at night, so I’m even losing weight!

Regardless of your excuses, this type of mentality will not work. You have to ditch that night owl mentality.

Once you’ve done that, you need to create a good sleep schedule. Studies have shown that most successful people wake up no later than 8am. Creating a good sleep schedule will be paramount to your ritual’s success, so make sure that you can make it work!

And it’s not going to be easy. For the first few days, you’re definitely going to be wondering, “Why in the world did I let that blogger talk me into this?” But trust me, hang in there, the results will be worth it. I’m willing to bet that within 2 weeks, you’ll have begun to form the habit, and you’ll feel better and more productive throughout the day than when you were a self-proclaimed night owl.

Your morning ritual is unique and doesn’t have to follow a strict timetable.

Even though I’ve chosen to use a timetable to structure my morning, that doesn’t mean it’s the norm. Unless you have a deadline you need to be finished by, the morning is yours to command. Write out your morning ritual and take as much time as it deserves.

With that being said, let’s check out some great practices to adopt in your morning ritual!

The following are some of the practices and habits of successful morning rituals. Take what you want and add your own to the list! Don’t overwhelm yourself, though. A morning ritual is meant to provide stability, tranquility, and a sense of productivity. You’re not going to feel any of those things if you pile on 30 things to do in your morning ritual that you can’t possibly hope to accomplish.

Habits and Practices:

• Drink 1 glass of water
• Make yourself a cup of hot tea
• Notice your first thought—Capture it in your mind and consider it
• Journal
• Photo log—Take a photo each morning, either of your surroundings or yourself, and log it in an app, journal, or cork board
• Listen to a podcast
• Work on a crossword puzzle
• Read the newspaper
• Meditate
• Practice yoga
• Set your goals
• Spend 15 minutes in nature
• Check your email
• Make your bed
• Try a new breakfast recipe
• Read a book
• Update your budget
• Spend a few minutes on social media
• Weigh yourself
• Check the weather
• Watch the news
• Plan the day’s meals
• Spend time with a pet

Don’t forget: your morning ritual begins the night before. Set yourself up for success! Place a glass of water next to your bed, or charge your phone (if that’s your alarm) across the room from you so you have to get up to turn it off. These changes may seem small, but they’ll make your ritual that much easier to follow through with.

You’re ready to begin cultivating your morning ritual! Get ready to tame that chaos, find your balance, and keep up that passion and fire all day long. If this article helped you, shoot me a message and let me know! I’d love to hear how your morning ritual is going.

Happy ritual-ing!