Retirement Morning Makeover Challenge: Day 4

Making Smart Choices About Your Morning Makeover

Yesterday we talked about how you might energize your mornings!

Today, I want you to think about what you should and shouldn’t be doing in those first few hours of the day.  In other words, we want to consider our choices, so that we make the most of the day.

That’s an important idea to ponder. So often we get stuck in a rut or a routine, and do things because that’s what we’ve always done. We do it without really thinking about whether or not it’s the best use of our time.

Now, retired, we can do what’s best for our mornings!

It’s Not About Cramming More Things Into Less Time

Making over your morning isn’t about figuring out how to cram more tasks into fewer hours.  We are retired, we have time on our sides -- we only need to consider how to use it wisely for our best lives!

Shift your thinking and don’t try to add to what you do in the morning. If you want 15 minutes for bible study, meditation, or exercise, don’t just think about getting up 15 minutes earlier, or shaving 15 minutes off your morning routine by showering faster, getting dressed in record time, and rushing through breakfast. In other words, don’t add to your already lengthy list of things that need to get done. You’ll only feel more rushed and stressed if you do. 

Spend just 10 minutes of your morning using the The Sunrise Manifesto I wrote about yesterday. You can seriously shift your mornings with this 16 week Gratitude Journal and Minimalist Productivity Planner. The ONLY Guided Journal Designed to Boost Happiness and Productivity in Less Than 10 Minutes.

It’s About Making Smart Choices About Using Your Time

Instead, what you should be thinking about is the best use of your time in the morning.

Compare your perfect morning with your current morning routine. What aren’t you doing on your ideal morning? If you can start by cutting things out, finding time to do what’s important to you becomes much easier.

There are two great ways to find things you can stop doing:

Busy Work: The first is to look for busy work. This is something you do out of habit that doesn’t necessarily need doing every day. Maybe it’s checking your email first thing in the morning, or playing around on Facebook for half an hour while you drink your coffee. If that’s how you choose to spend your time, that’s perfectly fine, but if you’re doing it out of habit, it may be time to rethink it.

Delegate: The second way to quickly earn back time is to see if you’re doing things for others that they can do themselves.  

Maybe there was a time when you had less to do in the morning and it made sense to take on the majority of morning chores. Did things change and if so, is it time to lighten your load and get help from your partner?

Maybe you have adult kids who have moved back into the home? We start out fixing their breakfast, making their lunch, cleaning up after them, because they are busy working. All too often we continue this long after they’re fully capable of doing things on their own. Why?

Don’t do it -- you should now live YOUR life to it’s fullest!  A few small changes may be all it takes to make the time in your busy morning for what’s important to you.

Download the Smart Choices Worksheet here!