If you’re looking for a simple routine to supercharge your morning and find more joy, this is for you. This is the morning routine I use every day. I pray it helps you find peace and joy in your day.
My day would be perfect if I could sometimes skip the morning.
Okay, maybe I’m being a little dramatic. But for many of us, mornings are hard.
One morning, in particular, is forever seared into my memory. There I was in my bathrobe rubbing the sleep from my eyes and walked right into a barrage of requests. One kid needs breakfast made, the other, help to find his special t-shirt and my daughter shoves a paper to my face which says today is indeed picture day. Surprise! One glance at her tangled hair and I knew I was in trouble.
“Make it pretty like Elsa, please mommy”, she screams.
Meanwhile, the bus arrives in thirty minutes and all the snacks are gone.
It was complete and total pandemonium!
I could feel my patience melting like an ice cube on a hot sidewalk.
At this point, I was ready to call it a day, crawl back to bed and hit the reset button.
Thankfully, this does not have to be your reality. As a matter of fact, there is a super simple way to supercharge your morning and get ahead of all the chaos.
And it all starts with what you do before going to bed.
I’m not talking about laying out your clothes, getting lunch pre-packed or checking backpacks for homework.
Nope, this is much more important.
Climb off the hamster morning wheel
I use to find myself stuck on the proverbial morning hamster wheel. I was going to bed exhausted and waking up exhausted.
Each morning I spun my wheels, trying to stay one step ahead of my day but never catching up long enough to get a break.
In fact, most days seem to follow the same hectic pace set in the morning.
I knew something had to change. There was no way I wanted to keep feeling like I was perpetually behind.
Not to mention, I was not being the best version of myself. In fact, I was becoming a grumpy, tired and unhappy mom and wife.
Yet, I knew the key to finding my joy lies in getting a handle on my morning. The Bible says “satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.” Psalm 90:14
I want to love my mornings and feel rejuvenated when I wake up. Thankfully, I stumbled upon the inspiring book called The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod.
After listening to his audiobook, I implemented his program into my mornings. It was the tool to jumpstart the routine I follow today.
Over time, I tweaked the Miracle Morning into the model I use today.
The best part? It’s super simple and it works!
Nothing changes until you do
This morning routine actually starts the night before. It begins right before falling asleep.
Step 1. Laying in bed, state these 3 declarations:
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Declare in Jesus’ name that you are going to have a restful night’s sleep.
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Declare what time you are going to wake up.
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Declare that no matter how many hours of sleep you get, it will be enough to wake up feeling recharged and energized.
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For example, if it’s 10 pm and you want to wake up at 5 am, say “I declare that I will sleep well tonight and 7 hours is all I need to wake up feeling rested and refreshed.”
Even if you have a hard time falling asleep or staying asleep, try this technique of declaring sleep and rest for yourself.
I will say though, I need 7-8 hours of sleep to feel rested in the morning. Some people need more, some need less sleep. I don’t tell myself I will feel recharged and energized if I know I’ll only get 4 hours of sleep. That would be crazy and my brain will not believe it.
I am not sure what it is but I have never used an alarm clock to wake up and since starting this practice, I am surprised that I am able to wake up at exactly or very close to the time I declare the night before.
The alarm always makes me feel like I am already behind.
Step 2. When waking up in the morning before fully opening your eyes or the alarm goes off:
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Say “thank you, Lord, for this day.”
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Declare in Jesus’ name that today is productive and you will calm and joyful. Invite the Holy Spirit to guide, lead and empower you.
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Usually, when I get out of bed, I take a few minutes to pray, read the Bible and meditate on God’s words.
Is it really that simple?
The truth is, there is no magic pill to create a picture-perfect morning. It takes preparation and intention.
The secret of this routine lies not in changing your day but in changing YOU.
After using this simple morning routine, I am run my mornings instead of having my mornings run me.
Because the truth is, tomorrow morning you’ll still have to make breakfast; that ‘special’ t-shirt will still be missing and it WILL be picture day at school when you are least prepared.
Oh, and the snacks will be gone as well!
But you, sweet friend, will be in a better place. You will be calm, peaceful and ready for all the shenanigans your morning throws at you. You have claimed it for your own.
There is a joy that comes from deciding for yourself and your family how you are going to show up. It releases you of the stress of not knowing what’s coming next and replaces it with the peace you have claimed over your day.
My mornings are hectic. And yours will be too.
But I can say with certainty, this will help empower you to show up the way God intended; calm, peaceful and full of His grace.
I’m off to the supermarket to once again replenish the snacks for tomorrow. Pray for me.
Get Your Checklist
Want to get started on this simple morning routine?
- Click here to get your Morning Routine checklist as well as my favorite morning and nightly prayers. You will also be joining the FTJW mailing list if that’s okay.
2. Print out the checklist and leave it next to your bed.
3. Recite the prayers whenever you need help on what to say in the morning.
4. Repeat the declarations before bed and when you wake up in the morning.
I can’t wait to hear about the difference you notice after trying it. Will you let me know? What the most challenging part of your mornings right now?
xo
Eva
