The Early Bird Catches the Worm
Did you know that setting a DAY FLOW Morning routine has underlying values of The Early Bird proverb mentioned above?
It’s pegged on the values of discipline, hard work, reward, and success. We believe in discipline with its core value of Order and Self-control. Hard work is also important to us as it teaches Perseverance and Resilience. We value reward and the feeling of success as it is a result of discipline and hard work.
We’ll give some FYFG Tips on setting a Day Flow morning routine but first, let’s look at some things that can jeopardize setting up a Day Flow.
3 Scenarios that can get tricky
We may not know it, but the very first thing we do as soon as we are awake and aware has about an 80% chance of making or breaking your day. How so? Let’s look at a few morning routine activities that could get awful.
Scenario #1:Setting an Alarm only to Hit Snooze.
When we set an alarm clock the night before to go off at a certain time, we consciously set a goal for ourselves. We set it on a time we think we need to get up to start the day, only because we know we have things to do. But rarely do we jump out of bed and get going. We end up hitting the snooze button. And then hitting it again.. and maybe a couple more times.
Hitting that snooze button already sets the tone of procrastination. Let’s be blunt: failure. We fail in getting to the goal we set ourselves for: to get up at the time we needed to.
Scenario #2. Reach for our smartphones.
image from Unsplash.com
Sure your alarm is set on your smartphone. Ok, granted. But we tend to check on our devices to see who’s sent a message (might be urgent!) or made a comment or Like on our social media accounts. We tend to browse through social media, maybe getting the morning’s news (or fake news) that’s happened around the world while we were asleep.
We’re guilty of this for sure, but surfing through our smartphone can really suck out our time. We think we’re just going thru some stories from a few friends and next thing you know it, it’s been 15-20minutes gone already! And we’re still in bed. Worse off, we may have started a text chat and gotten into arguments first thing in the morning. It happens!
Scenario #3. Not being PRESENT.
Our body has got its hygiene routine too. We take our first pee of the day. We inspect our face/hair, eyes in the mirror, wash up and brush teeth, shower, etc. But the matter is: Are we actually mindful of what we are doing? Are we present at the moment? Or are we 3-4 steps ahead of ourselves, running our To-Do list for the day through our mind, and most likely used bath gel on our hair, or squeezed out facial foam on our toothbrush? Gahh!
Practicing PRESENCE of Mind–being completely aware at the moment on what we are doing and accomplishing– is key to honing our skill of Mindfulness. We go thru routine activities as simple as taking vitamins after a meal, only to ask ourselves moments after: Did I take my vitamins? I can’t remember! Mindfulness is essential for our focus and of self-control, and getting things done correctly.
Why Do It?
We look to Dr. Mark Hyman, leading doctor, and advocate of Functional Medicine, for why he values setting a Day Flow (morning routine). The quote is taken from Mark Hyman, MD FB page
A morning routine can help set you up for success for the rest of the day.
In this modern, busy world, I have learned to become a master of my time. I have about ten jobs, two kids, a dog, a team, weeks of travel at a time… the list goes on and on.
With all of this, it can feel pretty easy to become overwhelmed, but what has kept me grounded in joy and my purpose is making time for the daily activities that make me feel good.
It’s easy for me to say cut down on sugar, eat a whole foods diet, make time for movement, connection, and relaxation, but I have to walk the talk too. Practicing what I preach has kept me happy, healthy, and strong. These daily practices have allowed me to stay steady through the ups and downs of life.
Our mindset and daily practices can be the strongest guiding force to carry us on the journey to better health. Having the intention to eat well or get regular exercise doesn’t make you successful, it’s taking action on those good intentions and making them part of your daily routine that will help you thrive.
Sets up for Success, master of our time, grounded in joy, making time for activities that feel good, staying steady, guiding force, good intention, taking action.
…words that can become Reasons for setting a DayFlow.
#DayFlow, we in FYFG endorsed this exactly last year
How To Do It? Top Tips for Setting a Day Flow Morning Routine
- Set achievable goals. Coach Bunny sets her morning the night before, by reviewing her alarm/ bedtime alarm, and her To-Do List for the next day. She makes sure she sets a time she is capable of waking up to–no unreasonable time too early nor too late. The bedtime app of her smartphone to track her sleep hours helps her.
- Include Gratefulness, Positive Intentions, and Affirmations. Adding in time for these during a short meditation or prayer first thing in the morning is a good way of being aware of the blessings we have in life. We honor our Creator, ourselves, and others we love. From here stems our natural desire for connection and connectedness thru prayer or meditation.
- Set time for Movement. Coach Mia and Coach Bunny always make Exercise (or stretching) as part of their Day Flow. It simply gets the blood flow going and fresh oxygen and happy hormones into our body. Movement creates mental strength as well as physical. It also builds confidence in achieving goals set through the day.
- Don’t be discouraged. Keeping your routine consistent will create that grounding feeling that Dr. Hyman mentioned. As a routine keeps a baby/toddler feeling secure, so is the same effect on us. Routine takes time to build and learn. There are bad days and good days. So don’t be discouraged with failing to accomplish everything you set to do. Success is where we know we fail yet we act to do better.
Coach Mia’s Personal Day Flow:
- Reach for my water bottle by my bedside table
- I go over my to-do list for work and personal stuff while I sip on my morning cognitive tea and sit with my daughter while she takes her breakfast before she leaves for school
Coach Mia’s Morning Must: Hot Cognitive Tea.
- I do a 30-40 Min workout, on some days I go for my tennis game for 2 hours
- In the middle of work, I squeeze in 30-40 min Me-Time (either Netflix or work on something creative or organize)
- Write down my schedule for the next day and set intentions
Coach Bunny’s Personal Day Flow:
- Total body stretch (while in bed!). This acts as my Me-time!
- Review To-Do List before breakfast.
Coach Bunny’s Morning Musts: Movement/Stretch
- 30-40 minutes of Exercise/ Stretching.
- Prepare breakfast for the kids, protein breakfast for me
- Set intentions for the next day’s tasks with bedtime prayers
Imagine if
Imagine setting a Day Flow morning routine, and be able to truly follow it consistently. What kind of day would you be having? You’ll find yourself less anxious about the day, be more prepared especially on things unplanned or when things don’t go as they should. Activities and goals you’ve set yourself for the day get done, with more efficiency may be because of a clear and focused mind. Stress gets managed better. Your health goals and health habits get achieved. You stay consistent and true to yourself, and in the end, you’ll be that Early Bird who gets the Worm. This is so worth having a FIERCE Day flow.
#DayFlow #MorningMusts
Join us on a campaign in celebrating daily wins! We believe this will have a positive impact on women. Share with us a comment on what your Day Flow is like and what are your Morning Musts. Join us in hashtag campaign your #DayFlow and #MorningMusts! Go and Like our FB Page: Find Your Fierce Global by miaymarch.com