Are you stressed, pulled in every direction and going no where fast?

In my experience how you start your day is how you live your day.

The more structured and scripted my first 2 hours of the day are, the more efficient and less stressed I am throughout the day.

It might sound weird but structure builds freedom.

Now I’m pretty sure freedom and structure are not synonyms but they are very dependent upon each other.

My #1 goal each morning when I wake up is: NO DISTRACTIONS

I mindfully and fiercely protect my time. The TV is off, my phone is face down, no social media, etc…

The quicker I jump on Facebook or check emails, the quicker I deviate from my goals and morning routine.

So it’s not only about setting up goals and “to do’s” it’s also about setting up your “I will not” list.

My morning routine is set up not only to get more work done, but to start my mind in a positive, motivating and grateful mindset.

My morning is mine to dominate and I cannot do that if I let outside distractions dictate my actions.

Here is my typical morning schedule (lets say 28 out of 30 days a month)…

1.) Open my eyes, stretch my neck, shoulders, low back and hamstrings-

This is like priming my body for the day. Your pets do it, why shouldn’t you?

2.) While making coffee, post a motivation meme on FB and IG-

This ensures that the first thoughts in my head each morning are positive and motivational. It also means I start EVERY day with giving first, before asking anything in return from the universe.

I have been doing this for years and it helps block out any unwanted thoughts or feelings to start your day.

TIP: post directly from your photo gallery so you do not have to open up Facebook!

3.) Write an educational, supportive or motivational email-

After filling my brain with positive memes, quotes and thoughts I sit down with my coffee and I write to you. My brain is fresh, creative and my thoughts are organized.

Some days I know what I’m going to write you about in advance, other days I write about a question or struggle another client experienced the day before.

It’s like cleansing my brain from any struggles or adversities still lingering on my hard drive (my brain) and starts my mind in a “problem solving” mode.

4.) Spend a minimum of 15 minutes towards my BIG GOAL-

Once I’ve stretched, taken time for gratitude and then emailed you I start to work on whatever will move me closer to my #1 goal.

I don’t just do something to keep me busy or fill time, I have the rest of the day for that. Instead I focus on doing one thing, one step or one action that gets me closer to what I want most in life.

You see, most people use a lack of time as an excuse to why they do not get more done each day. When in reality you are NEVER going to finish anything worth doing in one day anyway.

So instead I chip away at the big goal by breaking them down into simple, manageable steps that I can get done each day.

I most likely won’t get 60 straight minutes to work on anything throughout the week, but I can gain an hour and forty-five minutes each week but simply committing just 15 minutes each day towards what I want most.

5.) Re-write my “To do” list-

In order to maintain structure during the rest of day, I make sure I write down EVERY thought, action or task needed for the day.

The thing that always stresses me out the most is forgetting something. When you write it down, you won’t forget.

In fact, all of your tasks should be written down each day.

It helps to keep you focused as well as something to look back at the end of the day to realize and appreciate how productive your were for the day.

I use the same notebook for EVERY single thought and task, then re-write them 1, 2 and sometimes 3 times each day…always on a clean sheet of paper.

This helps keep your goals top of mind, removes clutter/chaos and also helps your mind build a stronger relationship of your goals the more often you see them and write them.

I hope sharing my morning routine with you will help you to establish more structure in your mornings.

The first 2 hours of your day are yours to dominate. Don’t waste it.

Get organized, wake up earlier, gain clarity and get shit done!

Committed to your fitness success,

Derek Kuryliw, your fitness Yoda 🙂

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