by Matt Weik
What you do in the morning can ultimately make or break your day. You can think of it as “what side of the bed you rolled out of.” For many, they wake up and go through their usual morning routine. Others, well, wake up and have no clue what is going to happen. Personally, I have a morning routine, and for me, it’s a way to start my day with clarity and focus.
In this article, I want to break down my morning routine as well as how I make my morning protein shake to kickstart my day. I want this piece of content to help you focus on putting together a game plan so you can wake up with direction and structure. When you rush around in the morning and have no clue what’s going on, your whole day seems to be rushed. Start your day off on the right foot by creating a morning routine that you follow religiously and could do with your eyes closed.
*BEEP BEEP BEEP* (Alarm Sound)
When the alarm clock on my phone goes off in the morning, there is no second thought on whether or not I should stay in bed. It’s clockwork. When my alarm clock goes off, my butt is up and out of bed. Why? Because if I had no intention of getting up at that time, then I should have never set my alarm for that time.
For instance, I cannot understand the people who continually hit the snooze button as part of their morning routine. If this is you, what’s the reason? If you set an alarm, it’s for a reason, no? It’s not like hitting the snooze button is going to provide you with quality sleep before it goes off again. So, just get up and be productive. What’s the purpose of an alarm if you have no intention of getting up?
Getting back on track from my tangent, when my alarm goes off, I’m up and in the shower — sometimes I wake up before my alarm even goes off. From there, I do the obligatory brushing of my teeth and combing my hair before getting dressed.
One of the best tips I can give you is to have your clothing laid out the night before, so you don’t even need to think about what to wear for the day and waste time going through your wardrobe until you finally decide on something. Before you go to bed, pull your clothes out for the next morning. It’ll save you a ton of time and speed up and streamline your morning routine.
Fuel the Body – Fuel the Mind
Once I walk downstairs, it’s time to take the dog outside to do his business, and then it’s back in the house to feed him. After he eats, it’s my turn before my kids wake up and come downstairs. Here’s where the fun begins.
The first thing I do for myself as part of my morning routine is drink a glass of water. You figure you’ve gone around seven hours without drinking anything, and your body should be craving hydration. So, I fill up a glass with ice water, and down the hatch it goes.
Another part of my morning routine is making a killer protein shake. It’s honestly what gets me out of bed in the morning the quickest. Every morning (weekdays and weekends), I make a shake in the Ninja blender and sit down at my kitchen table or island. Do you want to know what’s in the protein shake? I’m going to tell you anyway (LOL).
I fill up my blender with anywhere from 6-8 ounces of water and follow these steps as if they were a science. I toss a frozen banana into the blender (if you’ve never done this, you’re truly missing out), add a spoonful of natural peanut butter, one scoop of vanilla protein powder (brands vary depending on what I have in my home), a little squeeze of Hershey’s chocolate syrup, about six ice cubes, and then screw the lid on the top and blend everything up.
I may be biased, but this is the best damn protein shake you’ll ever have. The ice cubes and frozen banana combination give it an amazing texture and thickness, so it’s not like you’re drinking a watery protein shake. You could also use milk instead of water if you were looking to add more calories or are on a bulk.
The last thing I do before getting to work is pour myself some coffee and add a little Splenda — after all, who can work without a little morning caffeine? Not me. I’m not a hot coffee fan, so I either make a cup of coffee and put it in the fridge the night before or have some premade cold brew already in the refrigerator ready to go.
Time to Get Down to Business
By now, my oldest son is walking downstairs, and my wife is getting the twins out of their crib and bringing them down. I make my oldest breakfast while sipping on my shake, and my wife gets the twins ready for the morning. Next on my morning routine is to sit down at the table or island and drink the rest of my protein shake while catching up on emails and social media, as well as planning out my day.
By the time I get up from the table, I make sure that I know how my day will be laid out so I can get right to work. Then it’s into the office I go for the day. This is a critical part of my morning routine as I run and operate multiple businesses, so I must know where I need to be and what projects are in the pipeline with what deadlines. From there, it’s time to get to work.
Why Is a Morning Routine So Important?
You’re probably wondering why I’m focusing on a morning routine so heavily. It’s very simple, it sets up the rest of your day. If you are scheduled and consistent with your morning routine, it’s going to help set you up for success. Do you know people who “don’t have time to exercise?” Ask them what their morning routine looks like. I’m willing to bet that most of them hit the snooze button several times, have no idea what they are wearing for the day when they get out of bed and are all over the place each morning without any structure at all.
Figure out what morning routine works for you. Maybe an early morning workout fits into your schedule? Regardless, set a morning routine and stick to it. It’ll make your life so much easier and set the tone for how productive you are during your day.
