We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post. “We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates  Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a  means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated  sites.” You can read my full disclosure by clicking on the disclosure policy in the menu above.

3 Keys to a Successful Morning

I was recently driving along….for 11 hours….and thinking about what I love about mornings, and what I want to revamp a bit. As I looked through my memory files, I realized that there are 3 things that I do that really help me to attack my mornings. And when I do them consistently, I have very successful days. And of course, isn’t that what we are all looking for? When we lay our head down at night, we want to be able to say, that was a very successful day! So today I am sharing 3 Keys to a Successful Morning!

3 Keys to a Successful Morning

Key One- Make a Must Do List the Night Before

First, start your morning the night before. And no, I don’t mean stay up all night. 🙂 If you know me well, you know that I love my 7.5 hours of sleep. I prefer 8, but I am really great with 7.5 too! One of the ways that I fall asleep faster is if I have already written out my Must Do list for the following day. This includes 3-5 things that I must do the next day. I check with my calendar and see if there are any appointments, or critical meetings I must attend.

Next, I look at my business and see what is most critical. Whether you are an entrepreneur, blogger, homeschooling, homemaker, or any other combination of things, there are “business” things you must do the next day and you know what they are. By writing these must do items on your list, you can turn your mind off more easily, knowing that your Must Do list will remind you in the morning. This could be anything from writing content, contacting a business, managing a meeting, or teaching a unit to your kids. It could be making out your bills, menu planning, or cleaning the laundry room. The number of things possible are vast, but these are the things you MUST DO and they need to take priority on your list. They need to get the best, morning you, prior to all the other things that pull at our day.

After you have your critical list of Must Do’s sorted out, then you can write a list of non essential tasks that you should do, but it will be okay if they are not done. This is your “to do” list, if you have time after the essential items are finished. Now, when you wake up in the morning, you will be completely ready for your day. You can sleep knowing you have set a road map to your day. This way, instead of waking up and thinking, “What do I need to do today”? You start your day knowing exactly how you will organize and live out your day for success!

3 Keys to a Successful Morning

Key Two- Wake up early!

Now, early for you is probably different than early for me. I find, that in most of my life 6:25 works really well for me. It is early enough for me to start my day on a positive note, but not so early that I have to go to bed right after dinner! For years when I had a corporate position based on the East Coast, while I was living on the West Coast, I would rise and start my day at 4:30am. It really worked well for me. I would rise, start work for 2 hours, then eat breakfast and get the rest of my day started. Now, it does not make sense for me to wake at 4:30am, but for you it might.

If you have never really set and followed a daily wake time, try it out. I love to use the Bedtime App on my iPhone. It not only wakes me up with a gentle building sound every week day at 6:25am, it also tells me at 10:10pm that I have 15 minutes until bedtime if I want to have 8 hours of sleep. I love it!

Another tip, don’t ever, I mean ever, hit snooze! Snooze is your worst enemy. The sleep that you get after hitting snooze is not quality sleep anyway, it’s guilty sleep. The other thing about snooze, is that it starts your day by failing. Obviously, if your alarm went off, it is because you set it. And when you set it, you set it to be the most successful that you could. Right? When you hit snooze, you are not attacking your morning. You are saying, the first thing I want to do today is to fail. Fail at getting up on time. That is not a positive way to start your day. It is probably one of the most unsuccessful ways to start your day. Truly, who wants to start your day with regret and failure?

Don’t Hit Snooze!

Conversely, when your alarm goes off and you start your day by getting up immediately and starting on your morning routine, you are starting your day with success. You are telling your mind that you are going to achieve what you have set out to do. You are going to attack your day. And, you are going to get it done! Best way to start the day! Success!

And, make waking up early and starting your day with success who you are. When you have those moments when you are thinking I want to sleep in, verbally tell yourself, “I am a person who wakes up early and this is going to be a successful day”! It might seem silly, but it truly helps to reset your personal and work life. And that is a very good thing!

Coffee and Croissants! A quick and easy breakfast.

Key Three- Have a Breakfast Schedule and Prep Your Meals

The best way to start this is by writing out your breakfast plan for each weekday on a calendar that everyone can see. Schedule in a breakfast for each day that you will have each week on the same day. This way, you don’t have to use your early morning thinking and decision making power on something as simple as eating breakfast. You can just know, it’s Monday, Frozen Burrito. On Tuesday, Overnight oats. You don’t have to think at all, you just initiate an action that after a while is a pattern. Patterns take less brain work, and make life easier. A little prep can go a long way.

Also, it saves time. I love protein for breakfast, but I don’t want to make all the components of a protein breakfast, and put it all away, and wash all of the pans and counters before I start work. If breakfast sandwiches are already in the fridge and ready to go, I am literally 2 minutes to breakfast. And the two minutes that the sandwich is in the microwave can be used to unload the dishes from the night before.

Overnight Oats

Overnight Oats is another favorite, first because they are in mason jars which I love. Second because they are oh so tasty. Third because they are filled with great fiber and protein. And finally, fourth, because all you have to do in the morning is pull it out of the fridge, grab a spoon, and in my case, you can have breakfast at your desk while doing a devotional, or starting to write. I love it! And, you don’t have to dirty any dishes because you already did it the night before, you simply eat, put the jar in the dishwasher and the kitchen is clean!

If you are still making breakfast for your family this concept works equally as well! If they know that Wednesday is Bagel Station morning, they will eat bagels. They don’t want to decide either! Place Bagels (pre cut for little ones) next to the toaster with cream cheese, butter, peanut butter, or avocado. Have a few knives and plates at the ready. Then you will only have one quick counter to clean, have everyone place their dishes in the dishwasher, and you are ready to go!

You can read my recipe and tips for Breakfast Burritos in this post. I typically make them once a month, put them in large Ziploc freezer bags and write the date we will be eating them on the bag.

3 Keys to a Successful Morning

Now, you might be saying, but my family likes choice!!! So does mine, which is why we rotate Saturday morning breakfast ideas. When I make the menu plan at the end of the previous month, each person gets to choose a Saturday or Sunday breakfast. It could be French toast, waffles, pancakes, etc. Everyone does get their choice once a month, and the rest of the time we are on overdrive with no thought for breakfast needed.

In a nutshell, if you want to add success into your morning, plan your must do list the night before, set an alarm and get up early, and make a breakfast plan for the week. I hope you have found these tips to be useful as I truly find them to be helpful in my own life.  With all of them, it is a good idea to share with your family in advance that you will be implementing them in your, and in some cases their lives. That way, everyone knows in advance what is planned, and can just enjoy a productive morning that leads to a successful day!

So, do you have tips for how to make mornings smoother, and to really attack the day? If so share them in the comments below, and of course, have a great day!

Join me on Social Media

Remember to follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest, and subscribe to receive updates on my giving life.