What do successful people have in common? Nearly all of them have a structured morning routine. Bill Gates (Microsoft co-founder) spends an hour on the treadmill watching courses from The Teaching Company. Former US President Barack Obama keeps a strict morning workout routine of weights and cardio at 6.45am, before eating breakfast with his family and helping to pack his daughters off to school. If getting out of bed each day feels like a challenge, or if the most is not being made of those morning hours, then read on.
Investing in a morning routine is one of the most powerful ways to take ownership of the day and improve overall well-being. Preparing physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually each day through a structured morning routine will help develop into the successful person one wants to be. I speak from experience. I have always had to get up early for work, but it was not until recently that I mastered the morning routine. Before I was self-employed I used to get up early because I had to be at my desk by 9am, but I never took time to reflect on whether I was using my time effectively or what I was doing before work was influencing the rest of my day.
The Life SAVERS Model
The Life SAVERS model is a great tool to bring some structure to a morning routine. It captures the main themes frequently referred to in articles discussing the morning routine. The model was created by Hal Elrod, author of The Miracle Morning. The six parts of the routine — silence, affirmations, visualisation, exercise, reading, and scribing — can be scaled to fit any life. Elrod has even suggested scaling them to just six minutes, to fit the lives of the busiest people. However, most productivity and personal development specialists suggest aiming for a morning routine of around 90 minutes.
| S | A | V | E | R | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silence | Affirmations | Visualisation | Exercise | Reading | Scribing |
| Be quiet in your mind and block out the chatter through meditation, prayer or focused breathing. | Tell yourself encouraging words to achieve goals, overcome fears and feel happy. | Imagine yourself doing each thing you need to do for the day and imagine what it feels like to succeed. | Take a walk or a jog. Getting moving allows blood and oxygen to flow to the brain. | Fill your brain with positive thoughts and ideas to improve yourself. | Write a journal to process your thoughts and reflect on what you have achieved. |
| Source: Hal Elrod, The Miracle Morning | |||||
Starting Small and Building Gradually
I am a firm believer in keeping things simple and in making changes gradually. Changing a morning routine means changing habits. If the aim is to increase the chances of making a new habit stick, then do not overhaul life in one go — change just one aspect. Small successes will provide the motivation to keep going and introduce new habits in the coming months. Pick one of the elements of the Life SAVERS model and start building it into the morning routine. If that means getting up 15 minutes earlier, then trade off the difference with going to bed 15 minutes earlier. A good night's sleep is equally as important as a good morning routine.
I am personally a big fan of the exercise element of the Life SAVERS model. I take a 20-minute walk each morning to reflect on the day ahead, clear my mind, and engage with the outside world. I always come back home feeling energised and ready to start my day.
Taking action and investing in a morning routine is one of the most impactful things that can be done for personal and professional development. The future self will be grateful for it.
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