An Unexpected New Productivity Routine

I'm almost afraid to admit it (because once you say it out loud you can't deny it anymore), but I might not HATE my 5AM morning sprints quite as much as I did when I started. I know, I know... I declared my everlasting hatred of getting up that early in the morning, but let me plead my case in this week's blog post.

First, I get to do my workout and get it out of the way. Being more consistent with exercising has been something that has alluded me and I want to be better at this. During my 5AM sprints, I always start with a 20 or 30 minute workout. I feel accomplished and ready to tackle my other goals. It gives me a quick (but not easy) win and provides just enough motivation to get on with my other tasks. After getting ready for the day while listening to my daily Bible verses (I do a "read the Bible in a year plan on YouVersion app), I then get to making breakfast and preparing my meals for the day. This usually takes me a 30-45 minutes. I usually make oatmeal, a smoothie, tea (I know this sounds strange when paired with the smoothie, but I usually don't have the smoothie until later in the morning), and some fruit (usually an apple, an orange and sometimes some cherries). 

With my breakfast of champions prepared, I usually prepare (portion out) my meals for the day. Now that I've started the CookUnity (referral link) program, this takes only a few minutes to prepare. Since I am also measuring my portion sizes, I only have half a meal at a time. So I portion out 1/2 a meal for lunch and 1/2 of another meal for dinner (the other halves will be my lunch and dinner for the following day). Although I LOVE cooking shows, I do NOT like cooking. Starting this new program means I can have good tasting food and spare myself the time it would have taken to prepare it, which means I can spend more time on the things I actually enjoy (Matthew McConaughey would call that a Greenlight -- can you tell I just finished reading his book?)

If I'm being honest, just doing those few tasks takes me about 2 hours (well it takes me about 20 minutes to actually get out of the bed). So then it's 7AM and I'm ready to actually get productive. There is a magical block of time between 7AM and 10AM that I used to spend getting up and getting ready for the day that has now opened up as a peaceful time when I can make progress on a single goal with complete focus. I spend most of the rest of the day the way I always did before my sprint where I do 2 hour blocks of work including research and writing with my writing group that I do with colleagues at work, my course prep accountability group that I do with the Productive Online Nurse Educator members, and then a variety of different tasks, depending on the day, ranging from committee work, tasks for organizations I am a part of or other obligations. By 7pm I'm usually winding down for the evening and by 8pm I like to be actively moving toward ending my day. Ideally, I like to be snoring by 9pm (yes, I snore) but that usually ends up being 10pm. 

Since I'm only doing the 5AM sprints 3 times a week (for now, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday), it seems pretty manageable. I planned to stop when the Fall semester started because I value sleep and know that it is important for me to be well rested both for my physical and mental health (and for the sanity of those who have to be around me). But I have been able to structure my time so that I am still getting enough sleep. So I've decided to see how long I can keep it going for. I'll check in again at the end of the semester to let you all know how it's going.

I'd love to hear about your own morning routines and what has been working for you. Share them in The Online Educator Facebook Group!