I recently wrote a post about the five things I do before going to bed. Here is the companion piece, namely here are the five things I try to do each morning.
1 Spiritual development time. I find the morning to be a great time to set aside time for spiritual activities. Reading the Bible, prayer and spiritual journaling are some of the ways I use the morning to help me grow spiritually. Doing this first thing in the morning gets my heart and mind oriented toward a confident calmness in the Lord. He is the Lord, and He will lead me through the day. Early in the morning, I seek to acknowledge His ways, and He reminds me that there is strength in trusting.
2 Exercise. I have found that if I do not attend to exercise early in the morning, I am most unlikely to accomplish it later in the day. I go to the gym early in the morning and even though it is difficult in the winter where I live as it is dark and mostly cold. If I force myself to go to the gym, it pays dividends. As a matter of fact, the most positive thing that happens is mentally or emotionally, it helps me stay positive and optimistic about life. While I exercise I listen to audible books or my favorite podcasts, so I am not only getting physical exercise, I am getting mental exercise as well.
3 Read. I do my reading on a Kindle. I read some at night as well as early in the morning. Because I use an electronic device, I can read while waiting for someone to join me for lunch, at the doctor’s office and a host of other places as well. Since 1982 I have read a minimum of 100 books a year. Reading is where I find stories and illustrations as well as learn and stretch my imagination. If you do not read regularly why not start today? Begin by setting aside a half hour a day to read. You will never be the same!
4 Eat a good breakfast. Breakfast is the important meal of the day, and you need good fuel for the journey.
5 Work on one or two of your most essential items. The night before I identify what two or three things I must accomplish the next day. I plan to get one or two of them done before I get to the office. This one thing may be the best productivity activity that I know. If you get a couple of things accomplished while the day is young, it just pays dividends. Regardless of what emergency or unforeseen circumstance comes your way you can take care of the unexpected because you early in the day got a couple of crucial things completed.
If you do not have a nightly and morning routine, I challenge you to develop a method. I believe it will help you not only be more efficient but will lower your stress level as well.
