Getting intentional about my mornings has quite frankly, transformed my life.
Over the last decade, there has been a huge movement towards the power of the morning routine. Some of the early AM experts like Hel Elrod, Jeff Saunders, and Robin Sharma all live and die behind their models and philosophies of becoming their best when they wake up at 5 AM.
As a natural early riser, I drank the 5 AM Kool-Aid for a couple of years. I reaped the benefits of being a happier person but came to a realization that when I wake up became trivial in comparison to what happens right after I wake up.
So I ditched my alarm clock and put intentionality on nailing my first hour of the day, the “power hour“.
Out of Bed like 007
Parenting has brought a newfound appreciation of kids but has also given me an appreciation of silence. The silence is in the power hour, my “me-time”! We all need it and it’s not selfish, it’s selfless!
To protect the silence of the first hour of the day, I turn into James Bond as soon as I open my eyes. I quietly navigate every move, footstep, and door opening to prevent waking my wife, kids, and pets. Outside of doing everything except taking a fire escape down from my bedroom, I carefully tip-toe down the stairs into the section of the house where my bliss silence awaits…the kitchen.
Then it’s on, my most important meeting of the day starts with God and on perfect days, this meeting is at least an hour-long, sometimes two.
Why go to all the effort? Why should you protect this time? It’s called PERSPECTIVE!
Not Every Hour is Created Equal
Like most things getting through the world of parenting young kids, we must put on our mask first.
That mask best fits in that first hour!
Our clarity on life, our moods, and objective perspectives are peaked when we first wake. The a.m. power hour maximizes this opportunity to help us grow spiritually and emotionally!
That first hour is where the meditation, prayer, and journaling pierces the soul, mind, and heart at the core to prepare for what the day has in store. If there is clutter like worry and anxiety from yesterday, this is the time to address it with a new attitude and dump your concerns into a journal.
As the early bird eats the worm, we parents need to eat our spiritual daily bread first thing to help sustain us for the unpredictability of the day ahead.
I am a Lion!
Lion is the label for being an early riser using the chronotype classification system. Chronotypes identify sleep patterns and energy levels in a 24-hour cycle. Categorially, most people fall into 4 camps: Lions (early risers), Bears, Wolves, and Dolphins.
Each one of these categories operates at different circadian rhythms which is the 24-hour internal clock that helps us coordinate the timing of a wide range of physical and mental functions, including sleep.
You may argue that “I am not a morning person” or “I have a newborn that prevents me from my me-time”. I get it! Only 15% of the population are technically “early risers”.
The majority of the world’s population needs to warm up in the morning (i.e. bears), but for lions, we are ready to go without the need for stimulants.
Though we can put effort into becoming morning people, we all have variables and seasons of life that impacts our rhythms: where we live, our professions, our natural chronotypes and circadian rhythms, and the seasonality of parenting.
Are You Morning Person?
There is power in knowledge. Any person over the age of 21 probably already knows if they are a morning person or a night owl. But it’s important to go deeper to learn more about your natural circadian rhythms so you can customize your mornings for you. Click here to determine if you are a lion, wolf, dolphin, or bear?
It’s also important to know your family members’ rhythms as well so there is some sort of unity and orchestration to how everyone is functioning within the family space.
I have to admit that the corporate 9 to 5 and educational school hours are not friendly to 85% of this world….it’s great for Lions, but it does not mean we should be “on the clock” or doing homework at 5 AM.
How to Become a Morning Person?
It is so easy in this current time in history to get sucked into what society wants you to do and numb out in the pre-dawn hours by scrolling, swiping, and liking. It’s normal to want to drink coffee, grab a bite to eat, pick up the phone, and turn on the news.
However, doing any of these things in the first hour of being awake is like deciding to play Russians Roulette with your day. It’s a recipe for burnout.
To add to the morning distractions, the evening choices can also wreck your morning power hour. Netflix, alcohol, and blue light are just a few factors that take away from optimal sleep.
To become a lion (‘early riser’) and to defend your power hour, you to take full control of your life and choices for how you spend your full 24-hour cycle.
So, starting in order here is a list of common mistakes that early risers should look to avoid. Every home and list of daily priorities are different, so the list below can be and should be customized for the rhythm of your home.
Avoid Late Nights
Quality sleep heals, detoxifies, and refuels our bodies and brains.
During sleep, our brains are cleansed like a Zamboni clearing the ice! Our lymphatic system is at its fullest as we sleep. If you want to wake up early, then optimize your sleep and go to bed early.
Consecutive days of sleep debt can wreck productivity, moods, reaction times, alertness, and relationships. Getting enough sleep is only part of the equation and what oftentimes gets overlooked in the power of the morning routine.
Avoid Bright Lights
If you’re up before the sun, don’t turn on your overhead lights. When the sun sets, dim your lights.
Like the sunrise, create an atmosphere in your home where you can power up slowly or power down slowly using low blue light LED bulbs or natural light.
Blue light from lighting and screens often disrupts the brain’s melatonin production (your sleepiness hormone), which in turn disrupts your sleep.
Instead of looking at a screen or having extreme light first thing in the morning, spend 15 minutes looking at the sunrise which is the natural way of recalibrating your circadian rhythm.
Avoid Early and Late Eating
The best way to an afternoon crash is by loading up on carbs and sugars first thing in the morning. Your gut needs a break, to heal, to reseal itself to better help prevent disease.
If you have never tried Intermittent Fasting*, it’s a game-changer for regaining sustainable energy, fixing gut issues, reversing autoimmune diseases, losing weight, and lowering blood sugar levels.
To learn more about Intermittent Fasting and if it’s for you, I recommend checking out 3 experts: Dr. Jason Fung, Dr. Amy Shah, and Cynthia Thurlow.
Avoid Early Coffee
The first thing your body needs in the morning is water! Not only a sip but go for at least 24 ounces to fully hydrate! For optimal hydration make sure your water is filtered and contains essential minerals such as magnesium, sodium, and chloride.
Coffee increases cortisol levels, the stress hormone, in the body. Cortisol is naturally produced without the assistance of coffee and peaks between 6-8. Having too much cortisol/coffee sets you up for a premature afternoon crash.
Compensating with more caffeine later in the day then can likely impact your length and quality of sleep. The ideal time for that cup of Joe is actually between 9:30-11:30.
Avoid email
“Rise and grind” leads to burnout. It can wait! The power hour is your time with your upper management, AKA God. As soon as you think about that email, it will suck your thoughts, attention, and joy.
Email can create an anxiety that sets the pace for hurry and chaos for the rest of the day.
If you have a project or a job that does require early morning attention, try turning off Netflix for a night, go to bed early so that you can be up early to get your “power hour” first followed by your necessary projects.
You may even want to try reading a chapter of a non-work-related book that can help stimulate your creativity.
Avoid your social media
Social Media uses algorithms to show content that you are prone to like. Social hits on your hormone called dopamine, your pleasure chemical, that makes your preferred platform super addictive.
Going into any social platform for only 15 seconds is like saying that I am only going to take one bite of that potato chip.
So instead of scrolling when you wake up, make time in your schedule to reward yourself for 15 minutes later in the day. Even if you are on social for business purposes, schedule it.
Click here to read more on losing the addiction to social media.
Avoid the News
Like Social media, the news is meant to grab your attention with trigger phrases like, “breaking night”, “exclusive interview”, and “numbers are spiking”. You name it, the stories of the morning are meant to be alarming, new twists on old stories, and are meant to draw you in with fear tactics.
Getting the news now requires new habits and having the JOMO (Joy of Missing Out) mentality. This means cutting the cable, only relying on streaming content, or reliance on your community.
Trust me, your friends will let you know of incoming hurricanes! Avoid inserting bad news into your peaceful power hour!
Avoid the kids!
Young children need more sleep than adults ranging from 11 to 13 hours up to the point that they turn teenagers. Understanding this sleep range allows you to look at your family rhythms, bedtimes, and wake times differently. Our household has a 7:30 bedtime every single night with some exceptions outside of the normal routines. This natural rhythm and consistency for the kids allow the adults to experience a retreat on the front end and the back end of the day.
Disclaimers
If you struggle on the morning train, I encourage you to keep trying but be forgiving. Every day has unpredictable adventures or hurdles.
If your youngest child wakes up early and the quiet hour evaporates before it starts. It’s ok! Adapt!
Teach your child to come along beside you in quiet prayer or reading. Give them an activity or an early breakfast while you finish your quiet time. If they want your attention, give it and embrace any learnings that you can get out of this special moment.
Don’t let your power go sour.
*While intermittent fasting has many proven benefits, it’s still controversial. A potential danger regards medications, especially for diabetes, where doses often need to be adapted. Discuss any changes in medication and relevant lifestyle changes with your doctor.