Morning Routines

“Nothing much happened today….”

Those were the opening words of my first diary entry on January 1st, 1978.

Since then, I have written thousands more.

In a few weeks’ time, it’ll be 47 years since it all began.

And my daily morning entries have filled 49 page a day journals (a couple of years 1983 – 1985 I filled a few.)

I am grateful for my mother.

Since Christmas day 1977, with her gift of the little diary, every December 25th since, she has presented me with a new journal for the year ahead.

Filled with priceless memories, stories, insightful experiences, a few travelogues and a number of boring entries too , they have become a record of my life.

They are a way to remember.

I believe that how you start your morning sets the tone for the rest of your day.

In 1977, I began my years at High School in Dunfermline.

That summer, I started an early morning newspaper round.

Those early rises allowed me to establish regular morning habits that developed into consistent, reliable daily patterns from a young age.

I discovered that if you start every day with intention, a disciplined mindset is the result.

It has been the foundation for steady growth in my personal learning, development, family and professional life.

A structured morning routine helps you to focus on any priority tasks for the day ahead, without feeling hurried and to plan your time and resources accordingly.

Finding a morning routine that suits you, may take a little time.

The important thing is to commit to a routine that supports your own goals and lifestyle.

For me jotting down my thoughts of the activities of the day before in my journal is a powerful way to slow me down and clear my mind.

– Set a regular, consistent wake up time.

– Hydrate immediately and drink a glass of water.

– Journal – Start small – my first journal entry was just 12 words.

– Meditate & Study

– Prioritise your day.

As opposed to those first few words of my journal of 1978, something of real value happened that day, which has set the daily routines of my lifetime.

What did you do this morning?