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Enlightened Leadership Blog | From Sunrise to Success: Optimize Your Morning Routine to Fuel You and Your Business| March 2025

Sometimes it’s the simplest actions that have the greatest impact.

We’ll explore five essential practices and two actionable changes to optimize your morning routine, helping you make the most of your day. While we may already know these strategies, the key lies in when and how we apply them to positively impact our peace of mind, mental resilience, and overall well-being.

1. Start at Night

How we wake up in the morning starts with how we go to bed the night prior. Think about it: What time was dinner consumed? What kind of food did we give our body? What time did we go to bed? Did we fall asleep easily? Did we wake up during the night? Was the overthinking mind machine playing on repeat? Did the dogs nudge us awake? You get the idea. All these factors matter since they have a carryover effect the next day.

Actionable Steps:

  • Acknowledge we have different sleep clocks and schedules. There’s no pressure for night owls to go to sleep at 9 PM. For folks who work at night, that’s not realistic. Regardless, each night isn’t the same since schedules and lives vary.
  • Recognize what’s most important. How we feel.

When we wake up feeling sluggish, note what transpired the night prior. Also, think about what happened/didn’t happen the night before a morning when we jump out of bed feeling energized before the alarm clock makes a sound. Strive to get the sleep your body craves.

2. Calm the Mind

A calm and centered mind is the foundation of effective leadership and decision-making.

If we are scattered, our day will be scattered; those around us can sense it. Without getting our heads on straight, one scattered day leads to another and another.

Actionable Steps:

  • Begin with a regular wake-up time. This also varies from person to person for a variety of reasons. For example, I’m an early-morning person. While writing my book, I was writing at 4 AM most days. Now I’m up and going by 5:30 AM. If I sleep past 6:30 (weekends included), I feel like I slept the day away. Everyone is different and there’s no “right” way.
  • Practice mindfulness. This helps to reduce stress, improve focus, and approach the day with clarity and confidence. At least 10 minutes per day does wonders. My black coffee in complete silence, without lights on, with my two dogs, is also a key part of my mindfulness must-haves. Only we can embrace what we need to keep us grounded.

How? There is no one-size-fits-all approach. Some prefer meditation, deep breathing exercises, journaling, or all the above. If adding to your to-do list is overwhelming, try different approaches to see what makes you feel better. I’ve tested various tools. Currently, I use the Peloton app meditations.

3. Set Daily Intention

Setting a clear intention for the day is vital. Mindset drives the way we approach challenges and opportunities, so taking a few minutes to align our thoughts can significantly impact our performance. This can start the previous day. For example, when I go to bed, I’m in tune with the big stuff to get done the next day (mentally prepared to flex when the unexpected happens).

Actionable Steps:

  • Set clear priorities: Know your priorities for the day. This will help you stay focused on what’s important and reduce distractions. Integrate gratitude in a way that means something to you. Gratitude is a shift that gives us perspective to approach the day with a positive mindset.
  • Visualize success: This is a continuation of the morning mindfulness practice while the mind space is calm, Spend a few minutes visualizing the success you want to achieve in your business. Picture yourself achieving your goals, whether it’s onboarding a new client, launching a product, or hitting a key performance target. If we can visualize it, we can achieve it.

4. Move the Body

Morning exercise is more than a health benefit. It boosts energy, creativity, and mental horsepower.

Whether it’s a brisk walk, a few minutes of movement, or a full workout, moving our body gets blood flowing and enhances cognitive function. Some of my best writing material came to me while exercising and walking the dogs outdoors. Even if movement is part of the routine already, there are many ways to switch it up to increase strength, mobility, flexibility, or balance.

Actionable Steps:

  • Incorporate movement: Make time for physical activity. Choose something that suits you. Experiment with different elements and tailor your routine to your needs.
  • Get outside: If possible, get outside. Fresh air and natural light are mood boosters (any time of day).

5. Tackle the Work

Now that the body and mind are engaged, it’s time to get going. Without a plan, even driven entrepreneurs can get distracted and lose momentum.

Actionable Steps:

  • Strategize your day: Check your schedule for upcoming meetings, calls, or deadlines to mentally prepare, organize, and stay on track.
  • Tackle the hardest task first: Identify the most challenging or important task of the day and do it first. This will give you a sense of accomplishment early on and build momentum for the rest of your day.

    To do this, set aside dedicated time blocks for focused work. Take breaks as needed. Some folks use tools like the Pomodoro Technique (25 minutes of work, 5-minute breaks) to maximize efficiency. I keep it simple by setting timers for myself to take a break with durations based on the work. For example, while writing, I don’t set an alarm. When my creative mind flows, I keep going; when it slows, I take a break. It really is that simple. But, the hard part is to tackle the hardest stuff first.

You can use your morning routine to fuel momentum and give you a competitive advantage in growing your business and yourself. By starting at night, calming the mind, setting intentions, moving the body, and tackling hard tasks, you can preserve your mornings for some of your best personal and professional work, while fostering your inner peace to boost your strength and resilience.

What will you do to help yourself tomorrow morning, starting tonight?

By Jennifer Musser 

See more and Pre-orderAlign Your Business with the Real You Here The Book – JLM & Associates Consulting and Align Your Business with the Real You: Connect with Yourself, Create What Matters Most, and Define Your Success by Jennifer Musser | Barnes & Noble®

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