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I didn’t wake up in the morning and roll out my yoga mat – that would have been too much work.
Not to mention, the decision to roll out the yoga mat would be one more opportunity to back out of the morning routine I had set for myself. One less decision for me to make meant I was one step closer to following my plan.
Instead, the yoga mat was already laid out on the hardwood floor of the living/dining room, waiting to be used.
Elsewhere in the apartment, coffee was already brewing (because I had filled and prepared the machine before going to bed the night before). Breakfast was in the fridge, ready to be eaten, and lunches were stacked next to the breakfasts, ready to be bagged, transported, and eaten later on throughout the day.
I opened my laptop and pressed play on the tropical-themed chill-hop playlist I had intentionally left open on the browser.
Last, I looked in front of the laptop on the table and saw a notebook open at a blank page, with a pen at the ready on the right.
It’s not a breakthrough realization, but it’s one that I’m having to continuously remind myself of (meaning that for some reason, it’s not being integrated): the more I prepare the night before, the easier it is to follow through with my morning routine.
This is important because the quality of the rest of my day is mostly influenced by my first waking hour before I leave home, which is almost always under my control.
Starting off strong and building momentum allows for an easy-to-follow routine that requires little motivation to keep in place.
Start Off Strong
The first and most obvious benefit of preparing for your morning routine before going to sleep the night before is that you can wake up, roll out of bed, and begin whatever you had planned within seconds of leaving the bedroom.
The more time you waste measuring (many) tablespoons of coffee, opening your journal/diary, and rolling out your yoga mat, the more opportunities you have to skip part of your planned morning routine.
I’m a bit rushed, you’ll think to yourself.
I’ll make some coffee but I’ll skip the journal entry this morning, you’ll reason.
You are much less likely to waver from your initial plan if everything is laid out and ready to use as soon as you wake up.
Build Momentum
Once you’ve successfully followed your routine for a few days, motivation becomes less of a factor in your repeated behavior. You are moved to prepare for your routine because it becomes comfortable.
Instead of looking for a reason to do what you are supposed to, momentum takes over.
Each day becomes easier than the last, as your positive experiences of good intention and effective action compound over time.
Soon, you can’t imagine a morning without your routine. What was at one time difficult to plan for has now become second nature. A habit is formed because you put yourself in a position to succeed.
Enjoy the Routine
At first, developing a routine that is easy to adhere to can be quite difficult.
Life gets in the way, and as we rush to get out of the house in the morning, we tend to edit and modify the routine we had planned for ourselves the night before.
Taking the time to prepare everything from the next day’s lunches to rolling out the yoga mat before bed makes it easy to follow your well-intentioned plan.
This is important because a good start to the morning sets a good tone for the rest of the day.
And all of that begins the night before when you spend the time and energy to put your future self in a position to be happy, productive, and fulfilled.
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