Hello Queen,
My name is Kate, I am a Nurse, Mom, Wife, and Entrepreneur.
I have been a nurse since 2015. My experience ranges anywhere from ICU to IR.
I understand where you’re coming from, and I’ve been there before. I was that burned-out, overworked, stressed-out, overstimulated woman who knew she wanted something different. But what the hell do ya do?
At first, I thought the answer was to go back to school. And I did.
However, after almost completing my DFNP, I realized I needed to do some inner work. After pouring myself into everything self-development, I finally figured it out.
This podcast and site are the fruits of all my labors. I must share what I have found with other women who are feeling the same way I was.
My promise is to always inspire and motivate you to reach for more. Listen to “you” and what “you” is saying.
You did not waste your time. You are right where you should be. Right now is perfect.
Habits Habits Everywhere
In this episode, we are going to talk about morning routines and how maintaining a morning routine is a must-do for me. Make sure you stick around to find out how I made this happen.
So let’s imagine getting up early and making a shake…easy right? How about getting up early and working out… okay a little harder to imagine. Now how about getting up early and forming a well-oiled morning routine full of meditation, preparation, and journal time…. Impossible you may say. Well let me pop that bubble, This takes time. Research (1) shows that an easy habit like making a shake in the morning takes about 66 days to form a habit but adding in exercise takes 1.5x times longer. So give yourself grace if you want to create a morning routine and it has not stuck yet. It takes valuable time and effort to create these habits.
My morning routine has changed my life. And I am not being dramatic about that. I wake up every morning at 4:30 prior to going to work. I have been doing this for at least 3 years now. The routine has changed over the years but when all is said and done, I am up and making myself the priority.
If you missed my last episode please jump back and listen to why prioritizing yourself is so important. This is my way of prioritizing myself. It is my alone time (and doesn’t that just sound so amazing).
So why is this routine so important to me? Well, The National Alliance on Mental Illness (2) has stated that morning routines lead to more energy, productivity, and an overall positive view of the day. Over the last few years, I have had days where I slept in and ya know what makes me come back to this routine? The fact that those days are so much more chaotic and stressful. I am missing that personal time, where I get to focus on what needs to be done during that day, where I center myself, where I journal and brain dump or burn off some steam. I need this morning routine. And like I said it has changed over the years but the time I set for myself has not.
Now you know why you should give a morning routine a try but where the heck do ya start? So it really all depends on your goals. I have literally been trying to get this baby weight off since my son was born. So I have been working out in the morning for at least 3 years now. That’s where I started. But over the years and with more self-development books I read I decided to give journaling a shot.
So pick one action that aligns with your goals. Do not overwhelm yourself. The more you try to change at one time the longer it will take to form a habit. Remember that 1.5X stat. just take it easy and take baby steps.
Okay, you have the one action that you’re going to start doing in the morning. What is the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning? Mine is to come downstairs. The best way to build a habit is to cue it up. Make it follow something that you do every day. So, Drink a full glass of water while you are waiting for your coffee to brew. Little actions like this will allow these new habits to be concreted into your everyday life.
Now you have your habit picked out and you have planned when you’re going to cue this habit. Now comes the sticky part, sticking to it. You have made it easy and a no-brainer by building your new habit on the back of an old habit, now you need to remember to stay consistent.
Consistency is my downfall. If you have ADHD you know. It is all exciting and you are so ready to make the change so for the first few days it’s a no-brainer, but Remembering that consistency helps build that habit. Keep at it and within a month or so you will have a new habit, that you don’t even think about anymore.
Here’s My Morning Routine
So I know you are dying to know what my routine is and I will share what I currently do every morning.
My alarm goes off at 4:15 am, and I will snooze the alarm a few times. I should just get up but we can’t all be perfect. Once I get up and do my natural duty… I head downstairs, I take my supplements which include my new favorite Yu beauty probiotic, collagen, and trimfit tea. This supplement makes me so regular and has helped with my stomach issues for the last few months. If you have problems with bloat I would highly recommend you try it out. Use code KATEAVERY one work for 15% off one order or 25% off a subscription. Mine is on subscribe because I have found that I have so much more energy, I am finally regular and My bloat is gone. I also take fish oil, vitamin D ( I live in Michigan) and Claritin again I live in Michigan.
Now that this action is done, I grab a ZOA and head to the basement.
I start by planning my day, I use the Daily Grind planner to map out my day. I will include a link to my Instagram where I show you how I plan out my day.
So to review, I have taken my daily supplements, and planned out my day. Now for two new habits, I working into my routine. Meditation and journaling. I have found that I like to journal first and then meditate. So I will pull a tarot card and focus on how this message connects to me or I will simply brain dump. Once I feel free and clear in my mind, I meditate.
Now with meditation, I don’t know do any special, so please if you have been wanting to add this habit in just do it. It doesn’t have to be special just a quiet time for you, yourself, and me. I like to use the YouTube channel 5-minute meditation. I put a few links in my show notes.
You may be thinking OMG this is a lot, again let me remind you that I have been working on this morning routine for 3 years now. It takes a long time, and we all start somewhere. Start with one thing.
You may also be thinking this is taking forever. This whole portion of my morning routine has probably taken 20 minutes so far.
Finally, my new routine and the portion I struggle with the most is the exercise portion. I can often get so carried away journaling and brain-dumping that I can run out of time.
I plan for 20 minutes of movement daily, mainly pilates. But I am working on keeping that consistent.
So now that you know my routine, how will you start yours? If you need help with planning actionable goals check out my freebie at inspirern.com/goalsettingfreebie. This will help you make goals that you will achieve.
If you want more I have two amazing books that I recommend you read. They will help you learn different ways to develop habits and give you the motivation to keep going. 1) Atomic Habits by James Clear it’s very popular and also The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy. I will link both of these books in the show notes.
Make sure you’re following me on Instagram I have been doing Lives every Saturday at noon. So tune in and ask me a question.
Subscribe to the tribe if you have not yet and stick around, next episode we are going to be talking about the feelings of unfulfillment and how we can change that story. See you all next week. Love you and thank you for all your support.