my personal morning alignment time

I already talked a little bit about how my mindset on mornings and why I believe that alignment before action is more effective, but what does that actually mean for my mornings? What does my alignment time look like?

Honestly, it is different every single day. Right now, I’m rereading You are a Badass by Jen Sincero and I have all but stopped reading The Power of Now for the time being. I’ve mostly made my Fall/Winter switch from Diet Coke over to English Breakfast tea (in my cute red teapot). I usually snuggle the cat for a few minutes before letting her out to explore. I don’t often shower in the mornings anymore. I wait until later in the day to shower after I’ve worked out and am in my less productive hours. Occasionally I do the hard things first (like dishes or thank you notes) so they don’t hang over my head all day. Sometimes I like to get straight to work which usually means filling up my water bottle, lighting a candle at my desk and going for the gold. An important distinction here is that I don’t start working immediately because I feel like I need to – it’s honestly sometimes the thing I would most enjoy doing in that moment.

You get the point – it varies by day. But my one rule is I can’t do nothing. If my alignment means going straight to work, then I’m making that a conscious choice to be my morning alignment activity. I must pursue what is going to make me feel good every morning. It’s intentional, not an unconscious routine.

Here are some reoccurring themes:

· Listening to a podcast. Probably Oprah, What the Eff, or Awesome with Alison.

· Reading a book. Usually a personal growth book.

· Eating breakfast. Often Almond Coco Loco yogurt. Sometimes candy.

· Doing chores. Probably the dishes because a clean sink makes me happy.

· Working. Not usually, but it happens. Sometimes I’m just excited to get started.

· Meditation. There’s no other way to say it other than it freaking works. Just do it.

· Lighting a candle. Who doesn’t want to start their day with good smells? Capri Blue for the win.

· Cuddling a cat. I would cuddle a dog too if I had one.

· Staying in bed. If I’m being honest, this happens more often than I like to admit. Sometimes I just don’t feel good and I’m lucky enough to be in a position where I work for myself and have flexible work hours. I know for myself that I’m much more effective and do higher quality work when I’m in alignment and I’m not willing to force myself to work just for the sake of output. Quality over quantity.

There you have it – a very non-routine routine. If you’re open to the concept of finding what works for you day by day, I’d recommend making a list just like the one above and setting the rule that you have to do just one thing on the list. That way you still have boundaries and your routine becomes doing one thing on the list vs doing the same three things in order every day.