Summer Morning Rituals: a simple habit with great rewards
What would you do if you only had the time? How do you keep yourself grounded? Summer Morning Rituals can give you time to do things that are in your heart to do as well as keep you grounded, and they are easier to establish than might think. If you don’t have a practice yet, or perhaps your Morning Rituals have flagged a bit, summer is a perfect time to start.
Why Morning Rituals?
Start your summer morning by doing activities you love and you’ll set yourself up for a better day. Once it really gets going, the day places demands on us, and our needs and desires can get shoved aside. Getting up a bit earlier to make time for yourself improves your day and can change your life.
I’ve had a Morning Rituals practice for years. It’s helped me to keep my writing muscles stretched, expanded my mind, and grounded me. Definitely worth the grumbles when the alarm goes off.
Summer Morning Rituals help us, even if we’re not morning people
I’m sure that I’ve mentioned on here before that I’m not a morning person. I do not spring out of bed, cheerful and sweet. I’m usually a bit confused, very quiet, and sometimes a bit cranky. It takes me time, coffee, and snuggles with my Ollie to help me face the day.
However, morning is also a time of day when I’m not distracted (probably because I can’t keep more than one thought in my head at a time that time of day). And so, I set the alarm earlier than I need to get up, and I spend the first part of my day making sure that I write, read, express gratitude, and plan for my day.
A perfect time to start Summer Morning Rituals
Why is summer perfect for starting Morning Rituals? Simple—it’s light out when you get up. Trying to start this kind of practice in the dark days of winter, well, it’s not as easy. So set your alarm a little earlier now, and it will be a little easier for you as you create a new habit. By the time autumn rolls around, you’ll see the benefits of your Morning Rituals and will have the momentum to keep going.
Resources for your Summer Morning Rituals practice
If you’re not sure about what it is you’d really like to focus on, here are some books that I’ve found helpful. I’ve incorporated bits and pieces of these as journal prompts or daily planning exercises.
Getting started
If you’re interested and have some ideas for what to include in your Summer Morning Rituals, check out this post from the archives for ideas on how to start your Morning Rituals practice. The key is to start small and manageable, be gentle with yourself (it can take a few tries to turn this into a habit), and make sure that you’re free of distractions.
Seven Steps for Creating Morning Rituals that Stick
What do you want?
What would you love to do if only you had the time? Most recently, I’ve incorporated Mel Robbins’s prompts in the High Five Habit: Take Control of Your Life with One Simple Habit into my Morning Rituals. Each day, she asks you to just write down what you want, and then visualize how you might get it. I’ve only done this for the last couple of weeks, but I am finding the exercise incredibly powerful. I recommend trying it. Plus, you get to high five yourself each morning, and it’s as silly as it is incredibly helpful.
For giving things a little bit more of a long-term view, along with a daily exercise to test that view, try Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life.
Add a little planning to your Summer Morning Rituals to get even more out of your days
As part of your Morning Rituals, I encourage you to give some thought to your entire day. Setting daily, attainable goals helps us to focus on what matters to us. It only takes a few minutes, and here are some resources to help get you started.
I’ve written about Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Every Day before, but I can’t recommend this book enough. Creating a daily highlight and then developing a strategy for how you will achieve it—including how you’ll have energy to get it done—works. Jake Knapp and John Zeratasky have written an engaging, fun, and really practical guide.
FREE Summer Morning Rituals tracker for some motivation!
If you’re looking for some motivation to keep you going, here’s a FREE Morning Rituals Tracker to get you started! Subscribe today for access and get started with your Summer Morning Rituals.
What’s your experience?
Are you starting a Summer Morning Rituals practice? Have tips for us on things to try or how to strengthen a practice? Let us know in the comments!
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