The life of an entrepreneur is all hustle and bustle, but if we don’t stop and make time for ourselves, we promise you the burnout will be real. Not only is being a woman hard as it is, but being a female entrepreneur with kids, families, and responsibilities is like it should be its own superpower! We understand the struggle and it has taken us many years to develop effective morning routine habits that enable us to be the best version of ourselves and bring our A-game to work every single day while still juggling everything life throws our way. We want to save you the trouble of figuring this all out on your own and share with you 6 great morning routine habits for entrepreneurs. We promise you’re not on your own feeling frustrated that you’re always giving from an empty cup.
1. Wake up early and make your bed
Before you wake up early, ensure you get at least 7-8 hours of sleep at night. We are typically asleep by 10 pm and wake up at 5 am to go to the gym. We know for most people 5 am or even 6 am sounds intimidating to do, trust me we have been there. Most people do not wake up that early to go to work but let us be a friendly reminder that as an entrepreneur you chose to be different from the rest of the world and go against all odds. Being an entrepreneur is hard work, some days you want to give up and some days you love your work so much that it makes those hard so worth it.
We can tell you from experience that the first 1-2 weeks are the hardest, but after you keep consistently waking up early, you will get used to it and it WILL get much more manageable. If this helps anyone reading this, I (Melissa) started out waking up early using a Circadian Rhythm Alarm Clock, which mimics the sunrise and gradually makes the room lighter and lighter until it peaks its full lighting strength, and the alarm goes off. This helps your eyes gradually adjust to the light and will help you feel ready to wake up. Trust me, it’s a game-changer! Let me also remind you that this doesn’t come easy to ANYONE. It’s a choice, and if you’re already telling yourself “But I’m not a morning person”, believe me when I say the majority of people really aren’t morning people, but they realize the value of how much more they can get done just by waking up earlier. There are only 24 hours a day, you can’t add more time in the day, but you do have control over what you do with every minute of those 24 hours.
Making your bed first thing in the morning sets the tone for the day. It’s a small and easy habit that impacts the rest of your day. Doing one task right first thing in the day will lead you to take on more and more tasks throughout the day, leading to greater productivity. Honestly, it feels great to walk into a made bed at the end of a long day, and it will show you to pick up the clothes you left on the floor and keep the rest of your room tidy. Guaranteed to improve your mood and lower your stress!
2. Sweat
Going to the gym, working out at home, or going for a jog/walk are all great options to move your body first thing in the day. Working out in the morning just hits differently. You get your endorphins going and have more energy in the morning. We all know that feeling after a great workout where we feel amazing and are proud of ourselves for showing up. The best part of working out in the morning is that you feel like you conquered the day before the rest of the world even woke up. If you work out in the evenings, you have every chance to make an excuse or let other life responsibilities get in the way. If we sound crazy, tell that to the gym full of people working out at 5 am, it’s usually busy before we even get there at 5:30 am! Ha!
3. Have a good nutrient-rich breakfast
We know you’ve heard the “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” spiel, but in all seriousness it really is. Some people choose to do intermittent fasting, and while that’s totally respectable, it’s something we have found that doesn’t work for us. We personally love to eat a full nutrient-rich breakfast because we wake up super early and are already doing a fasted workout. After burning calories and strength training, our bodies need refueling. By refueling we don’t mean eating cereal or a store-bought pastry in the morning, we mean eating a high-protein breakfast such as a Banana Chocolate Chip protein shake or Eggs with avocado toast. Protein, carbs, and fats keep us fueled throughout the day, so eating a good breakfast is important!
- Our favorite go-to Banana Chocolate Chip Protein Shake Recipe: Blend with a Ninja Blender (or another blender) and enjoy!
- 1 cup of milk of your choice
- 1/5 cup of Ice
- 1 Scoop of Gold Standard Vanilla Ice Cream Whey
- 1 Banana
- 2 tbsps. of Dark Chocolate Chips
- 1 tbsp of Chia Seeds
4. Drink coffee, tea, or matcha
All these options have caffeine in common! Caffeine helps our minds wake up and focus on the task at hand. We personally feel like we can’t start our workday without a cup of coffee. We love using our Breville Espresso Machine when we need that extra boost of espresso and the Ninja Coffee Machine when we want a cup of coffee. We also really love making a Vanilla Matcha Latte in the afternoons when we’re looking to keep our productivity going. It doesn’t really matter which version of coffee, tea, or matcha you drink, the important part is that you pick one and we promise your day is about to get a whole lot better!
5. Read 5-10 pages of a book
After we’re done with breakfast and still sipping on our cup of coffee, we like to read a few pages of a self-development book to help us get inspired and learn from other successful entrepreneurs. One of our absolute favorite books of all time is Everything is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo. We love the advice and experience of Marie Forleo as a younger female entrepreneur and what it took mentally to get her to the success she has today. We recommend this as a starter book if you’re not currently into reading. Another great book we recommend is the NY Times Bestseller, Atomic Habits by James Clear. This is a great book on establishing routines and learning self-discipline to become the best version of yourself. There are so many great books out there where we can learn something new, even if it’s fiction, it’s the best way to get your morning started. Remember there are a ton of audiobooks or podcasts for the car rides during your commute you could also listen to as an alternative or supplemental option.
6. Set your goals and intentions for the day
There really is no order for this habit, so whether it’s thinking about your goals for the day during your morning shower while working out or while sipping on your morning cup of coffee, think about your goals and set positive intentions for your day. Some people like to physically write out their goals/intentions for the day and the week in a journal, but we personally like to write them on the acrylic board in our office!
One last thing we want to call out is that all these 6 habits should be done consistently. These
habits will enable you to make the most of your time and will help you start your day full of
motivation and fuel to conquer your day!
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out more of our lifestyle posts! Comment below with your favorite entrepreneurial habits or any questions you have for us!
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