Morning rituals are so important. As a converted night owl, I will tell anyone who will listen how much happier I am since becoming an early riser. I used to stay up until 3 or 4 in the morning then get up around noon. I found it so depressing to work late into the night, when everything was dark and remained dark. Now that I wake up around 6am, I love meditating, writing, and just being in the moment of a day getting brighter.

Another resource I’d recommend for those looking to initiate morning rituals is the book, The Sweet Spot, by Christine Carter, PhD. I enjoyed the tips and research in this book so much, I read it twice in one month. One of her best pieces of advice is to have a plan for when things could go wrong so you don’t have to waste time coming up with a solution — for example, you’re running late, so you have a few prepared lunches in your freezer that you can grab and go. She also writes about how to automate your mornings, which I found incredibly helpful and easy to implement, and what she calls the “minimum effective dose,” which is embracing the smallest amount of effort that can reap the biggest rewards. For me, one example would be 20 minutes of strength training every day but Sunday. Even when I travel, which can be often given my nomadic lifestyle, I bring a band with me and it’s super easy to just crank out 20 minutes. I sleep so much better, I’m healthier and slowly getting stronger, but best of all I have buy in for my success because 20 minutes feels totally sustainable over the long run.

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