My Miracle Morning Starts at Night
I check my watch: time to head to bed - I resist. We're in the middle of such a good Netflix show! I convince myself (without much work) to stay up and finish the episode. I can sleep in another 30 minutes tomorrow.
An hour later I'm cursing at myself for staying up so late. I'm in a bad mood and rushing to get to sleep. Blissful sleep avoids me. My brain replays the day, that conversation, and I can't get the annoying song out of my head. What time is it anyway? I should have gone to bed earlier. I have to change something.
If this sounds familiar, you are in good company. It is the battle I fought often in the evening. There are always so many other things I want to do! The kids are finally in bed, dishes done, and my wife and I get some time to relax. We can do whatever we want. Why would I want to go to bed?
The reason: my miracle morning starts at night.
As in all areas of life, our decisions identify what is important to us. It's no different with routines. Each decision with your routine impacts your ability to be your best self. Most people want to make good decisions for themselves but need the framework to get started.
Let me introduce you to the SAVERS framework created by Hal Elrod. He gives all the details in his book "The Miracle Morning". It's the framework I have adapted to my Morning & Evening routines:
S - Silence: meditation, prayer, learning to quiet the mind and be present.
A - Affirmations: encouraging words, verbalize values, speak purpose, read a quote.
V - Visualization: visualize success for today, review vision board.
E - Exercise: do the work to build physical health, be active.
R - Reading: gain knowledge, read for fun, explore new topics.
S - Scribe: journal, daily pages or essays, process the knowledge.
Customize SAVERS to best fit your needs. You can do them at different times of the day to create your Morning & Evening routines. For example, I do Silence in the morning, Exercise at lunch, and Reading before bed.
Remember, the goal of routines is to establish a framework for daily habits in life. Your routines are tools - not burdens.
Create Morning & Evening routines to build the intentional life you want. You can change them as the day, feeling, or season of life calls for. You can even add a Netflix show.
Be intentional in what you build.
In my next essay, we'll dig into each of the routines I follow to start and end my work day: Work Startup & Work Shutdown.
Which routine are you working to build?
