Why Your Mornings Are Setting You Up For Failure (And How To Fix It)

Think about your mornings.

Are they a frantic race to get out the door? Is it impossible to find time for yourself? Does it feel like time is always slipping away from you?

If you answered “yes” to any or all of these questions, then it’s time for a change—and that change involves adding a morning routine that sets your day up for success.

While the first step to solving the problem is admitting that you’re doing mornings all wrong, you need to identify what isn’t working and why before you can fix it.

Here are some things to consider when starting your morning routine:

You don’t have a morning routine

You wake up and realize that you’re already running late. Sleep deprived and with no time to spare, you rush to get ready. You scramble to get out the door and spend the rest of your day reacting instead of acting.

No one wants to play a game of constant catch up — it’s simply inefficient. So, if your mornings look anything like the above, it’s time to get your own morning routine going.

While doing the same thing day in and day out can make you feel like you’re stuck in the movie Groundhog Day, your mornings (and the rest of your day) could seriously benefit from a little routine.

Think about it: instead of waking up and being pulled in a million different directions, wouldn’t it be nice to start your day calm, collected, and in control?

What to do instead:

Take a moment to think about what your ideal morning looks like.

Write it down, then add it to your planner or calendar. Do what you have to do to make sure that you follow through.

Even if you only have 15 minutes to spare, commit to those 15 minutes daily and stick with it. It’ll make all the difference in starting your day on the right foot.

You don’t plan ahead of time

If you don’t have a plan in place, it’s easy to lose focus.

Instead of wasting valuable time in the morning thinking about what you should be doing, it would be much more efficient to wake up springing into action. That way, you’re making the most of the precious time available to you.

So coming up with your morning routine in advance and thinking about the day ahead can help you stay focused when you need to most.

What to do instead:

Carve out time before you go to bed to think about your plan for the following morning.

Write your plan down if it helps and visualize what you’ll be doing. When the morning rolls around, you won’t have to put any thought into executing your plan. You’ll know exactly where you need to be and what you need to be doing to make the most of your mornings.

You don’t get enough sleep

You go to bed later than you had hoped. It leaves you with less time to sleep which screws up your entire morning. This is the cycle of sleep deprivation that is all too familiar for most of us.

Admit it, there is no better feeling than laying in the comfort of your bed and getting a few extra minutes of sleep after your alarm goes off.

While hitting that snooze button and waking up at the last possible minute may sound appealing at the moment, doing so can leave you with that frantic, rushed feeling that we all know and dread. That means you most likely won’t have time to stick with the routine you planned out the night before because you’ll simply be too busy reacting.

What to do instead:

The first step to getting back on track is to make sure you’re getting enough sleep.

Whether it’s 6 hours or 8, aim to go to bed at a time that gives you an adequate amount of sleep so that you can wake up feeling well-rested.

It may take some trial and error to figure out the perfect amount of sleep for you, but it’s worth the effort. So, set a bedtime schedule, stick with it, and you’ll be hitting those goals instead of hitting the snooze button.

See Also: A Good Night’s Sleep: The Key to a Happy Life

You don’t make time for you

We get it. When you have work, school or a family commanding your time and attention, it’s easy to throw your needs on the back burner — oftentimes, it’s even necessary to do so.

However, you’re not doing yourself any favors by attending to everyone else’s needs but your own. Working yourself ragged leads to exhaustion, burnout, and overall dissatisfaction. And who wants that?

To be the best version of yourself for work, school or your family, spending time on yourself can work wonders. Even if you only have 30 minutes out of the entire day, it’s important to make the time to do it.

What to do instead:

When the family is awake and emails are going off, it’s distracting and your attention is going to go to those priorities. That’s when waking up earlier can really come in handy.

By waking up before the craziness of the day starts, you’re giving yourself time to focus on your needs, goals, and priorities first thing in the morning. It’s putting you in the right frame of mind to collect yourself, take action, and take on the rest of your day.

Whether it’s meditation, exercise or journaling, think about an activity that makes you happy. Then wake up earlier to squeeze it in your schedule. You may have to incorporate this new habit slowly and work towards waking up at an earlier time, but it’ll be worth it in the long run.

See Also: 5 Benefits of Journaling To Inspire and Motivate You

The goal of all of the above is to set a plan in place so that there’s no thought required in the morning, just action. Like any new habit, it can take time for your morning routine to become second nature. But do what you can and come up with a plan that fits your lifestyle. If you stick with it, you’ll be able to reap the benefits that come with a solid morning routine.