My Morning Routine

Growing up, my dad was a morning person.  Waking up at the crack of dawn to walk the dog, eat cheerios and generally be a man.   After living with him for my formative years, I have been gifted and/or cursed with a lifestyle dominated by early mornings.  

My first few years of fitness included 5am training sessions, followed by a day filled with coaching that usually concluded around 7-8pm.  I was up early, to bed late and truly burning the candle at both ends.  

My more recent work in baseball led me to working afternoons and evenings, leaving the ballpark around 11pm after games to get ready for another day of helping ballplayers chase their dream.  During these few years, I was far less of a morning person, waking up at the sinful hour of 7 or 8am.   

What has held true for my professional career, regardless of wake-up calls, has been my morning routines.  With chaotic work schedules I’ve found it important to “bookend” my days with an established routine at the beginning and end.  

My morning routine can be summarized by four bullet points.  

1. Physical activity 

2. Mindfulness

3. Priority #1

4. Current events

Simply put, I’ve realized that the only way I can consistently have 100% of my focus on a subject is to do it first thing, prior to anything else in the day, but after physical activity. Something about being hydrated and moving helps me to focus on what I need to.   My priority could be programming for athletes, bill paying, content creation, thank you notes, continuing education or music.   Whatever it may be, it’s my #1 priority of the day.  If I get it done, I’ve already won the day.  

While my routine varies in specifics, it is the same in rhythm.  

1. Drink water and do 10-15 minutes of gentle physical activity 

2. Breathe/meditate/relax for 5 minutes - Notice and name, breathing drills, etc. 

3. Priority #1

4. Listen/read 15-20 minutes of news

The news is an unpopular opinion but I’ve found that by doing so I’m able to better communicate with people throughout the day.  There’s no substitute for having something to chat about.  I am sure to complete my priority of the day prior to the news, as in a world of pandemics, inequality and violence, it can be difficult to come out on the other side clear-headed. If it’s a particularly tough day in the news, I 'll be sure to do the relaxing, breathing or meditating after to let it all digest.  

Recently, my priority #1 of the day has been to train.  As my days are filled with coaching, I find it difficult to train later in the day.  While it stinks to have to train early in the morning, it leaves me feeling accomplished regardless of the rest of the day.  On weekends, when I’m not coaching, I’ll train later in the day and use the precious morning hours to program for clientele, read or whatever I need to progress outside of my normal work hours.   

Routines can play a huge part in finding mental clarity, financial wellness and overall happiness.   By sticking to my mornings over the years, I’ve been able to make progress while handling a heavier workload during the day.   

What are the routines that have made you find success? By clarifying what they are you can repeat them to find progress in the areas that you desire. Fitness, finance, family, etc. Good luck and WAKE UP!