One thing that many highly successful people have in common is that they start the day off with a morning routine. Why is that? I believe it is because when you create the habit of investing in yourself, it has a ripple effect on all areas of your life.
It’s amazing how “lucky” I start to get when I’m consistent with my morning routine. When I haven’t been consistent, I’ve noticed I feel different and it affects my overall day. Makes sense though because consistency and time are key to being successful in anything.
Motivation Behind My Morning Routine
In 2017, things were not going well in business, and I knew I needed to improve myself…so I show up differently (meaning better). That’s when I got the idea to put a morning routine in place and it changed my life. Each thing I do during my routine hits 1 of 3 different areas of personal development that I focus on…health, learning, and mindset.
Think about it…when you spend even a few minutes a day doing something small, it can add up to something really big. Every day my brain is getting sharper, my cardio and strength are improving, I’m more grateful, etc.
My Morning Routine Schedule (BMP)
When I first started, I followed the specific routine that Miracle Morning teaches. It was a great starting point for me and I’ve since adjusted the routine to match up with my goals and interests.
The routine I put together takes about 45 minutes and I call it the BMP routine. It stands for body, mind, and progress. These are the 3 pillars I focus on…and everything in my routine falls into one of these categories.
Here is a look at my BMP Routine:
- Move (5 minutes)
- Meditation (10 minutes)
- Brain dump and journaling (5 minutes)
- Learn something new (10 minutes)
- Review goal sheet (5 minutes)
- Q&A – wins, gratitude practice, priorities & recognize someone (10 minutes)
What’s Involved in My Morning Routine
While I follow a lot of the principles I learned in the Miracle Morning, I’ve put together a specific routine that works best for me. I encourage you to adopt the BMP routine I created, because it has a lot of room to customize what you do in each section.
Note: some of the links below, and throughout my website, are affiliate links where I earn a commission on any sales I refer. That said, I only link to products/services that I use and recommend…and I link to the product/service even if they don’t have an affiliate program (meaning, it’s not just about the money 🙂). -Ryan
Move
The first thing I do is get my blood flowing by moving for 5 minutes. I like to use a combination of bodyweight and cardio exercises during this time. If you move for 5 minutes straight, you’ll get your heart rate up – and my WHOOP Strap keeps track of how I’m doing so I know if my fitness is improving. I have my go-to bodyweight exercises, but I like to mix them up so I don’t do the same thing every time. I’ll even add-in kettlebell swings for diversity!
Meditation
To help me with my morning meditation routine, I use InsightTimer. I created my 10-minute meditation routine to include 7 minutes of focused breathing where I bring my mind back to silence when it wanders. In the last 3 minutes of meditation, I add in my daily affirmation. P.S. If you start using this app, join my Circle so we can share personal development ideas!
Brain Dump And Journaling
The goal behind the brain dump is to get everything off your mind that could be a distraction to you during the day. This is your time to acknowledge your feelings instead of ignoring them. I only spend a few minutes writing down my thoughts, but it’s very therapeutic. I highly recommend that you use paper and pen for this exercise.
Learn Something New
For 10 minutes, I focus on learning something new from a variety of resources. I usually listen to DarrenDaily during the week. I’ll also use my Kindle app to read books that help me grow or listen to a book on Audible. Lastly, I use MasterClass to watch video lessons from experts in their field.
Review Goal Sheet
I spend 5 minutes of my morning routine, I spend reviewing my written goals (including what I’ve already achieved that I’m proud of) as well as my list of affirmations that are important to me. I also look over the dream board I created which is a visual reminder of what I want to accomplish.
Q&A – Wins, Gratitude Practice, Priorities & Recognition
This is the progress section of my morning routine. It’s designed for me to look outward and see how far my daily steps have taken me because I believe that small steps lead up to big results. It also helps me build up gratitude and plan out my top action items for the day. I spend 10 minutes and answer a few questions using the 3×5 Life Cards. On this card, I write down 3 things I’m grateful, my biggest win from yesterday, my top 3 priorities for the day, and someone that I want to recognize in my life. At some point during the day, I email or text the person I chose to recognize.
I Hope You’ll Join Me!
My goal with this site is to help others to see how powerful developing a consistent morning routine is. If you do, I promise it will change your life!
Please check out my story page to learn more about my morning routine journey and where my passion all began.
Ryan, one of your email blasts caught my eye and I found your blog. I, too, read Miracle Morning and since July have built my morning routine around it. Good for you to build healthy habits while so young and to be able to pass on to your children. Continued success at Ballantine and with the MorningUpgrade! – Genie Weisz – The Paper Store & more…
Hey Genie, great to hear from you! Would love to have you on my podcast to learn more about your morning routine. I will email you.