Your Morning Routine Should Be Where Your Day Starts
Being out of control is one of the most helpless feelings we can have. I shared a little bit about my struggle with this last week and how reading and learning changed things for me.
It was the realization that I had control over my decisions and how this control affected my life.
Routines are a big part of that control.

A couple of weeks ago I shared how my daily routine helps me get more done. This routine gives me clarity for the day.
Clarity starts with knowing our “why”. Too often people drift through life without giving any thought to their why. For me, it is more possible to accomplish my “why” each day when I start with my morning routine.
To prevent me from forgetting my routine, I use some different tools. One of my tools is my Outlook calendar. This tool has alarms that remind me to do the next thing. It also allots a certain amount of time to do each thing. These time limits are initially set by me and can be adjusted as needed.
As shared in the previous post, my morning routine starts by waking up with a shower and some coffee. Then, I do my daily Bible reading. My first calendar reminder is reading my Bible and praying.
Reading the Bible and praying may not be for everyone, but for me it’s my blueprint for life. As a builder I know that I can’t look at a blueprint for a building and remember everything by only looking at it once. I need to constantly go back and review it. The Bible is the same thing for me and my life.
Next, I spend some time in prayer. This is my conversation with God–who is like the architect of my life. This time is me asking the architect about things that I need more direction and clarity about.

The next reminder is for my journaling.
My daily journal is a word document that starts as a template. It is broken down into several different reminders or questions to be answered. There are three sections, one for morning, one for midday, and one for evening. By setting reminders for these three times each day, it helps me to stay focused. I fill out one of these pages each day.
Here is an example of the morning section of my daily journal template with explanations for each item:
Day of the week: ______________ Date: _____________
Life Mission: This is my “why”. Once this is figured out it remains the same and doesn’t change much. There is the possibility that early on it may not be crystal clear and need some modifications. But after a few years have gone by, it won’t change much.
Word for the Year: Having a word of the year is a fairly common practice. It’s one we do at our church. We randomly draw a word from a basket at the beginning of the year. I research the definition of the word and write it here. Then, I read it each morning.
Scripture for the Year: This is a Scripture that supports the word of the year.
Theme for the Year: This is a quote or saying that supports the word of the year.
Seven Decisions: This is connected to The Traveler’s Gift–the book that had the most impact on the change in my life. In this book, the main character is lost and ready to give up when he goes on an amazing adventure that changes his life. On this adventure, he is given seven different documents. He is instructed to read one of them each morning and evening for twenty-one days. Then, repeat this process again until he has gone through all seven decisions. I do this as a part of my daily routine.
Morning Revelation: This is where I write down my conversation with God and get things out of my head and on paper.
Looking forward today I will: This is where I write down how I will live my day and the things I will work to accomplish.
Things I get to enjoy today: This is where I remind myself to enjoy this life I’ve been given and the opportunities the day offers.
That is the end of the morning section of the journal. We’ll look at the rest of it in a later post.
The next part of my routine is more about planning ahead for the day.
This is scheduled in my Outlook calendar and is more action specific. Next week, we’ll look at the things included in this and how it works.
Being intentional with my life and business starts in the morning each day.

If you would like a copy of my daily journal template, just let us know in the comments. If you would like more details about my daily routine or have questions about how to run a successful construction company you can schedule a free 30-minute consultation.