Let me be the first to tell you that your morning habits don’t have to look like what everyone else thinks they should.  Search on social media, browse the internet, and you’ll find all sorts of information about your morning routine.  And it’s largely garbage.  Sure there are a few little nuggets of truth here and there, but what’s really going on there is projection.  As a writer (sort of a freelance writer, but really I operate through a business – which I’m the only employee, so there’s that), I can tell you that morning habits, or routines, are important… to an extent.

Morning Habits Others Think You Need

When you read about how to get ahead in business, or how to grow, or how to be successful, you find the same drivel over and over.  Something like this:

• 4:30AM – Wake Up! Only the elite know that getting up before the sun means success!
• 5:00AM – Protein/Mushroom/Meth Coffee! Gotta fuel that body for peak performance!
• 5:15AM – Massive Dump! That coffee went right through you.
• 5:30AM – Pump Iron! Get the body moving, flex, grind, hustle, sweat, blood flow, oxygen!
• 6:30AM – Shower! Cold showers only, no comfort for you!
• 7:00AM – WORK! Grind and hustle, pump out 100 tasks before the world is out of bed!

Some of these have merit (that massive morning poo, especially), but most of this is garbage.  Because if you set your morning up with habits and routines you hate, you’re not going to want to get up in the morning.

My Morning Habits

So, what’s a ghostwriter do in the morning?  Here’s what most of my mornings look like.

• 6:30AM – Snooze
• 6:45AM – Groan and roll out of bed. Go pee.  Check my weight.  Wonder why I’m still the same weight despite not changing my diet or exercising.
• 6:47AM – Pour coffee and sit in chair, drink coffee, check emails and social media for far longer than I really should
• 7:00AM – Feed the cat because he won’t stop yelling at me. Feed the dogs because they need food too.
• 7:05AM – Keep scrolling and hate myself for it.
• 7:15AM – Read some of my bible, pray about what I read, meditate on it, read a little bit of another book if I’m feeling ambitious.
• 7:30AM – Get dressed (maybe), make the bed, drink more coffee (perhaps a big old morning dump).
• 7:55AM – Drive the boy to school, go home, sit at computer, WORK!

Is it ideal?  Nope.  Are they my morning habits? Yep!  If I miss something, the morning feels a bit off and it takes a while to get the mind back in the right place so I can get some writing done.

My Morning Habit Goals – Where I’m Headed

That said, it’s not entirely what I want out of my mornings.  Especially now, as we’re heading into summer, I’m planning to change things up a little.  Here’s where I’d like to head with this.

6AM – Wake up right away

Go for a walk, enjoy the early sunrise, listen to a podcast as I stroll the neighborhood – maybe take the dogs with me.

Get home and have my coffee.  Read the bible, pray, meditate.  Neglect the emails and social media.

Get started on the day by 7AM.  Not so I can grind out 100 projects before the world wakes up, but so I can get done with my workday around noon.  Taking the afternoon off, every single day, but still getting everything accomplished that needs done, is a great feeling.

How You Should Structure Your Morning Routine

Morning habits and morning routines aren’t just for freelance writers.  Everyone should have something that sets the mood so they can tackle the day and feel successful.

So, this is how your morning routine should look:

Wake Up – it doesn’t matter when.  If you’re too early, you’ll hate the morning.  If you’re too late, you’ll feel remorse about being lazy.  Find your sweet spot.

Exercise – You don’t have to go nuts here.  A simple walk is usually good enough to get the blood flowing.  Better blood flow means more blood to the brain and better thoughts and creativity.

Coffee/Food – Get something in you.  I have read that extra fat in the morning helps the brain function better, I’m currently experimenting (a pad of butter in the coffee is an easy way to get those good fats).

Read – It doesn’t have to be much, a couple pages at least.  Words are brain food, consume them and help the creative juices get going.

Skip the Social – Social media is largely a big old time sucker.  You don’t need it (except to find links to blogs like this).  Dedicate 15 minutes at noon to get caught up.

When you structure your morning right, you set the stage to accomplish great things throughout the day.  Are you ready to get your book written?  I’m a ghostwriter and I can help you take the idea in your head, and turn it into a book in your hand.  Find some time on my calendar below, and let’s see what needs done to finish that work of art!