Achieve Your 2020 Goals With a Morning Routine

 

photo: Joshua Franzos

If you didn't know I had a day job, let me clear that up for you. I do. In 2012, I left my career in the auction world for a job better at accommodating my desire to write. I have been working in a 30 hour a week administrative position at a nonprofit that primarily focuses on the Jewish community. This outward focusing on the community was especially true in 2019, during the aftermath of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting. But this year, my employer is re-focusing energy on the training, coaching, and mentoring of its employees. We're initiating a work culture of setting both work and personal goals and figuring out how the two can help each other. It's scary and exhilarating. 

photo: Joshua Franzos

In the wake of all this interoffice zhuzhing, there have been a few "lunch and learn" seminars. I attended one called "Creating Powerful Morning Routines," mostly because there would be a free lunch (score!) I was a bit surprised that "Morning Routines" are a thing. Upon further research, I'm noting that the internet loves to fetishize them, as the internet does.

photo: Joshua Franzos

The lunch seminar came and went.I found it interesting to look over how the "successful" and famous people started their mornings. It's so humanizing. Anna Wintour plays an hour of tennis everyday at 5:45am. Eva Chen rises somewhere between 5:45am and 7:30am and starts by checking social media. Oprah starts her day between 6:02am-6:20am by taking her dogs for a walk. So I ask you...Does looking at someone else's morning routine add value or context to our own lives? Other than satisfying low level curiosity and being mildly amusing? 

photo: Joshua Franzos

I already have a structured morning routine. It's pretty rigid, and it's been various incarnations of my current morning routine (shared below) since I started a devout writing habit in 2013. I have to be honest, I didn't expect to learn much. There was one thing that really grabbed my attention at the seminar. Ben Franklin's daily schedule. I was inspired by how he started his day at 5am with the question, "What good shall I do today?" and in the evening, after the day's work was done, he'd circle back and ask himself, "What good have I done today?" I thought I was a jedi master of the morning routine, but it turns out that my obsession with time and efficiency, quite often lacks gratitude. I think it's important to start weaving more of that in because I believe it will help tone down my frustration with my slow progress.

On that note, in case this helps, inspires, or even entertains you while you're on the john, here goes:

My Morning Routine

4:15-5:15 - My get out of bed time varies each day, but usually between 4:30 and 5. I check in with social media while I'm on the toliet. Brush teeth. Put gym clothes on in dark so I don't wake Josh or the dogs.
5:00am-5:30am - grab my pre-packed bag and go to the gym. spend 30 minutes doing yoga/strength training, then move on to cardio.
6:00-7:15am - 30-90 minutes fasted LIIT cardio/ or 30 minutes of fasted HIIT if my back allows. 
     During low impact cardio sessions, I spend this time thusly: 

• planning outfits
• listening to writing podcasts
• watching Outlander on Netflix (obsessed)
• brainstorming and/or troubleshooting plot and editing snafus in my book
• making lists for personal projects, packing, grocery shopping,etc.
• reading books (currently reading The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters by Balli Kaur Jaswal) 
• research

7:00am-7:15am go home, take dogs out, feed dogs breakfast, kiss Josh Good Morning. 

7:30am - shower, AM skincare routine, dress for work, hair, make-up.

8:15am-8:30am - take mirror selfie to document my OOTD for Instagram stories, post it.

8:30am -8:45am- quick breakfast with Josh if he's not at a shoot and we aren't intermittent fasting. 

8:45am-10:00am - edit novel
10:15am - probably still at home because I pushed the editing past 10, and need to leave ASAP.
10:20-10:35am - arrive at work, check and answer emails, check calendar, check list of things to do from prior day, add to that list, prioritize, act.
10:45am-12:00pm - check things off my list.
12pm-12:30pm - lunch. throw a Daily Harvest in the microwave (or blender), go back to my desk, eat while I edit my novel or write for this blog.

photo: Joshua Franzos

I've come to crave my routine. It supports me, my interests, my well being, and my personal goals. I wasn't always like this. In my twenties, anything routine or repetitive would weird me out. It bored me. I lived on chaos and novelty. but I guess in time, I got tired of being reactive as opposed to proactive. When you don't  pursue your own madness, it only seems to invite opportunities you don't want, or worse, a rut. 

I've definitely been in ruts, 2016-2018, most recently. I don't care to return there, so I'm keeping myself inspired and motivated by adding and slowly chipping away at stuff on my lists. It's quite satisfying to cross things off. I have a lot to look forward to this year, but I have a lot I want to add to that list too:

Some things I hope to accomplish this year: 

• finish my curtain pelmet project. The fancy mouldings you see in these pictures will be used to box in our curtains on the 2nd floor. I want it to look like an old Parisian flat. 
• Organize my home and get rid of "junk drawers"
• cut 30k words from my manuscript and polish it up like a diamond. I'd like to do this in six months or less. 
• do three unassisted pull-ups.
• travel more. (we have 2 international trips booked! already)
• express more gratitude
• see my family in California
• if I have time, I'd love to re-brand my blog

Do you have a morning routine? (Or a night routine?) How do you spend that time? Is there something you wish you could do in the mornings? Is there something that is so exciting, it gets you out of bed? Do you have any goals for 2020? Can your morning routine help you achieve them? Let me know in the comments.

photo: Joshua Franzos

What I Wore:
linen blend suit: last summer, Banana Republic.
Blouse: Dusty Daze, ASOS. Last spring.
Shoes: old, Christian Louboutin c/o eBay.
Lipstick: Urban Decay Vice Mega Matte lipstick in color 714. 
Eyes: Too Faced Pretty Rich Pallette, here. And an old Make-up Forever neon pink blush.
Fancy Moulding: Architectural Depot, here.



P.S. As always, any links I provide here have the possibility of generating income for me if you click or buy something through them, but I haven't been paid yet. Someone bought something once, $100+ pair of Nikes, and I got 15 cents. So like, knock yourself out. It may be ten years before I receive a $30 paycheck consisting of clicks.

Your Bosom Friend in Pittsburgh,

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