There is no better time than right now to start new habits and set goals. The power of doing these two things will have an enormous impact on your life.
- Related: How to set goals for beginners
I would be nowhere without goals! I became a lawyer, quit practicing law, became a financial planner, and started running a blog all because of goals.
You can set goals and implement habits in all areas of your life, and the two hidden gems during the day that I know where to do this best are the mornings and evenings. Your morning and evening routines are the perfect places to identify and create new habits.
What is a Morning Routine?
Your morning routine is what you do from the moment you wake up until the moment you start your work for the day (whether that’s inside or outside the home).
Examples of things you may do in your morning routine are: make your bed, drink coffee, work out, shower, pray, get your kids ready, or check your email or social media accounts.
Right now, you may or may not intentionally plan your morning routine, but one way or another you have one.
What is an Evening Routine?
Your evening routine is what you do in between your work and when you go to sleep. Your evening routine may include anything from cooking and eating dinner to reading a book or watching T.V.
It’s easy to let your evening routine just happen. But the more you plan your evening routine, the more you will be in control of your time (which is something you probably wish you had more of).
How to Create a Better Morning and Evening Routine
To get more time back and live intentionally (with meaning and purpose), you need to plan your morning and evening routines.
Here’s how you can plan your morning and evening routines:
1. Write down what your ideal morning and ideal evening look like on a normal, working day.
Ask yourself important questions, like whether you want to use this time for 1) personal growth and development, 2) rest and relaxation, or 3) health and wellness (or something else). Think hard about what you want out of this time. Decide what habits you would like in place that would make you happy to have done them. It’s up to you what you want to use this time for in the morning and evening. The point is to be very intentional about it so the days don’t pass you by without you noticing. Also, make sure you actually write down these visions – it’s not enough to think about it alone. Learn how to create goals and visions here.
2. Evaluate what your mornings and evenings look like now.
Write down what you do during your morning and evening routines right now. List your activities hour by hour (or in even small increments). Be brutally honest. If you are eating ice cream and skipping your working at 8pm, then jot it down. This is for your benefit so you have to be honest for it to work!
Write down what you do during your morning and evening routines right now. List your activities hour by hour (or in even small increments). Be brutally honest. If you are eating ice cream and skipping your working at 8pm, then jot it down. This is for your benefit so you have to be honest for it to work!
3. Create an outline of what you want your mornings and evenings to be like in the future.
Write out an ideal schedule for yourself. Humans work really well on a scheduled routine, so make it easy for yourself and plan it out ahead of time. This won’t be realistic for you to do every day, but it will keep you on track most days. It will also keep you away from easy temptations and time sucks like TV and social media! 
Write out an ideal schedule for yourself. Humans work really well on a scheduled routine, so make it easy for yourself and plan it out ahead of time. This won’t be realistic for you to do every day, but it will keep you on track most days. It will also keep you away from easy temptations and time sucks like TV and social media!
For example, it might look something like this:
- 5:30am: Wake Up
- 6:00am: Run
- 6:30am: Shower and get ready
- 7:30am: Coffee and breakfast
- 8:00am: Read
- 8:45am: Leave for work
- 6:00pm: Get home, change, pack lunch for next day
- 7:00pm: Eat dinner
- 8:00pm: Work on blog / writing project
- 9:00pm: Journal
- 10:00pm: Bed
4. Implement your plan and monitor how it’s going.
Once you know where you are now and where you want to be in the future, the key to successful habits is implementation. You planned, you prepared, now it’s time to implement. I like starting cold turkey and just going for it. Otherwise, you will fall into the “trying trap” of saying you’ll “try to do this tomorrow”. There is no try, there is only do and do not. So, don’t try it. Just do it! Also, it’s really important that you evaluate how it’s going for you after some time. Is it meeting the expectations that you set for yourself? Are you happier, more fulfilled, and better off? If not, then adjust your plan.
Once you know where you are now and where you want to be in the future, the key to successful habits is implementation. You planned, you prepared, now it’s time to implement. I like starting cold turkey and just going for it. Otherwise, you will fall into the “trying trap” of saying you’ll “try to do this tomorrow”. There is no try, there is only do and do not. So, don’t try it. Just do it! Also, it’s really important that you evaluate how it’s going for you after some time. Is it meeting the expectations that you set for yourself? Are you happier, more fulfilled, and better off? If not, then adjust your plan.
When you create a plan for your morning and evening routines, you will accomplish more of your goals and live a life in line with what you want.
Why Planning Morning and Evening Routines is a Game Changer
If you want to change your life, start by changing your day. It’s the little habits repeated over time that will be the difference between failure and success.
Your morning and evening routines are perfect times for you to implement habits to promote your success.
For example, if you plan to read for 2 hours tomorrow night, you will be much more likely to do it if you plan it ahead of time. If you don’t plan it, you could easily get side tracked and end up watching two hours of T.V. instead.
- Related: Read my recommended books
No matter what stage in life you’re in, improving a small thing like your morning and evening routines can be enough to reenergize you and help you accomplish your goals. I know you can do it!!
What do you currently do in your routines that you like? What do you want to change?
