Carrie Baker – The Growth Collective

A while ago, (let’s say a year ago) I decided to decrease my stress levels by giving myself more time, particularly in the mornings. I found this to be a very tense time of the day for me, as a mum.

By getting up earlier, I created a shift that improved mornings for our family. After I managed to do this, I found other ways to give myself more time throughout my week, I wrote a blog post all about it, called: How To Give Yourself More Time.

The reason I made some big changes to my morning routine, was because it was exhausting racing through my morning, trying to get everyone ready for the day. I hated that I was losing my patience with the children and then with myself… I knew that I had to do something.

After one particularly horrendous morning, I decided, I’d had enough of arriving to work frazzled. At the dinner table that evening I told the younger two, that from now on, they would get themselves completely ready, packed lunch and all. I needed to quit chasing around after everyone, they were old enough to take some responsibility and get themselves ready for school.

Their big sister felt a little sorry for them and wrote out a schedule of the things they needed to do, and the time by which it all needed to be done.

I asked them all; “Wouldn’t it be nice to not rush out the door every morning feeling grumpy?”.

I was surprised how well they seemed to accept it, and just getting on with it. By the end of the first week our mornings were much calmer and I didn’t have to nag anyone. It was after this wonderful turn of events that I decided to get myself up earlier. It felt possible for the first time ever, that I might have more time for the things I wanted to do. And that’s where it all began.

We’ve all read those annoying posts about how you can have the perfect morning routine, full of mediation, burning incense, and different rituals to help you live you best life….

Well, this is not that…

A friend recently asked for some advice on how she could get up earlier. She wanted more time in the morning to get some work done first thing in the morning, with less racing about to get out of the door.

She knew that I changed my morning routine to give myself more time and space, and she was keen to know how I managed it.

So while I was at work, resetting for the next day, ( if you’re interested to know about my day job, you can read my About Me page) I left her a voice note, talked her through the steps I took, and gave her tips on how to make it work.

This made me think that perhaps there might others out there who’d like to know how to do this too. So… would you like to have more time in the mornings?

Firstly, what is your why?

What is the reason you want to give yourself more time in the morning? This is important because knowing WHY you are getting up earlier, will help propel you out of bed sooner than you are normally used to.

Decided the end result.

What it is that you would like to fit in to your morning, or achieve?

What will a great morning routine it look like, for you? What time would you ideally like to be able to get out of bed in the morning?

Have a think about the answers to these questions. By being clear on what the end result is, and what you are aiming for, it will help you to plan the steps, and succeed in making it happen.

Give yourself a week.

I’m not going to sugar coat this for you… It may feel like the universe will try to conspire against your plans, to create space in your morning. There will definitely be some wrinkles you’ll need to iron out.

You may need to let those you live with, know of your plans so that they don’t interrupt you, before you’re ready to be. If you have older children, let them know the expectation on them to stay in their room or leave you alone, even if they hear you’re up.

You may be able to delegate some tasks that need to happen, to others. It’s ok for those who live in your house, to help out and pull their weight a little, this could be the beginning of beautiful things …

Don’t wait.

Don’t feel that you have to wait until you are completely rested before you begin. You can try to get to bed a bit earlier if you want to, but your clever body clock will readjust in time.

Allow the first few mornings, just to settle into this new world of waking up earlier. Have a low expectation of what you may achieve, so you won’t be disappointed. But if you manage to get things done, you will be happily surprised!

Set an alarm.

I recommend that you begin with getting up 15 minutes earlier. If you try too much too soon, it will be a big shock to the system. To make it gentler on your body clock, make your way to your wake-up goal gradually, it will be easier.

Once you have successfully made it a week, you can set your alarm for a little earlier again. Then when that is comfortable, move it again, and so forth until you get to the desired time you’re aiming for.

Create a special routine.

The advice I gave my friend about creating her new morning routine, was to add an element that was special enough to entice her from the warmth of her nightly cocoon.

For you, this could be a special cup of tea in your favourite chair while you journal. Or wake your body up with some stretches. Whatever that thing might be for you, weave it into your morning routine so that you want to jump out of bed and dive into the day.

Prepare.

If it’s some work you want to do, some stretching or even exercise, my best advice to enable you to succeed with this, is to prepare. By getting organised, and setting out the things you need first thing in the morning, you can wake up and jump straight in. If there is any opportunity for you to dither, get sidetracked, or make excuses, you will. The easier you make it on yourself, the more likely you will achieve what it is you set out to do.

Just get on with it.

You may need to adjust your bedtime, to ensure that you are getting enough sleep. As you move your wake up time to be earlier, you will need to make sure that you are getting enough sleep.

You will need to tweak and adjust things as you go, finding your groove and flow as you navigate this new routine. You will need and want different things in different seasons.

There may be some days when your morning plans fail, but it’s only one day, and you can try again the next.

Would you like to know my morning routine? Yes you do, we are all curious about other people!

At the moment, (because it’s likely to change again) I wake up at 5:10am. Don’t choke on your tea, those hours aren’t for everyone and I am definitely not suggesting you wake up that early!

5:10am, my alarm goes off. Stretching and praying.

5:25am, shower, getting ready.

5:50 – 6am, wake boys and join husband over breakfast.

6:20am, check socials, emails, work on daily post.

6:35 – 7:30am, get on with other things; tidy up, check the boys are on task, finish getting ready, maybe write, think about days, take photos of sunrise and edit, send out my daily post.

7:35am, leave for the morning.

Mondays and Fridays I can leave half an hour later, so there is even more time.

I am planning on making it to a 5am wake up, because I really want allocate a chunk of writing time, into my morning routine. This will also mean that I need to be better at going to bed earlier! As I said, I am working on it…

To recap:

What is your why? What is the reason you want to commit to getting up earlier, and changing your morning routine? How will it benefit you?

Decide the end result. What will a great morning routine look like for you? What time do you want to eventually get up every day? It’s helpful to know what you are working towards.

Give yourself a week. It will take up to a week to settle into you changing up your mornings. Set your expectations low, there will be some wrinkles and that’s ok!

Don’t wait. You don’t have to wait for the conditions to be perfect, just begin!

Set an alarm. Try moving your wake up time in 15 minute increments, this will be kinder on you body clock. Slow and steady reaches the goal!

Create a special routine. By making a small routine that feels special or a little indulgent, it will help you to want to get out of bed, especially in the cold winter months.

Prepare. By getting things set up and ready to go the night before, you can roll out of bed and begin your morning. Take away any potential obstacles and give yourself every chance to win your morning.

Just get on with it. Adjust your bedtime accordingly and keep moving that wake-up time until you reach that time goal. Doing it gently will be easier on you and you’ll be able to maintain it long term.

There really is something I love about beginning the day early, achieving what I want to and feeling like I am using my time well. There is a huge difference between the way I go into my day now, compared with how I used to arrive to work before I made these changes.

I’m not promising a miracle morning, but you will gain so much by giving yourself more time, and making your mornings work for you.

If you have been thinking about doing this, now is your time, this is your sign to begin.

If you have an epic morning routine, I would LOVE to hear it. And if this has inspired you to begin planning a great start to your day, tell me your plans, down in the comments.

Time is a limited resource, and your mornings are an untapped potential of good things, go and use it!

Feel free to share this on your socials or with a friend. I love to hear from you, let me know if you liked it and drop me a comment below.

If you want to see my other accounts, you can find those here.

Sending you love friend,

Carrie xxx

I am here, to champion your personal growth, encourage your goals, and cheer you on as you reach for your dreams. You can do this!

Photo credit :: Pixabay / WordSwag