Routine business

Because my days are less structured right now, I have to be especially vigilant so I don't slip into slothful ways, spending hours on the Internet looking at cute animal photos. This time off is a great opportunity to try new things and tackle projects I have never been able to get to. I am also starting a small business to generate some revenue. So structure is very important.

Last week I codified my morning routine. I have found that if the day starts in a structured way, it is more likely to remain so. I get up at a certain time (challenging now that it is getting chilly in the mornings and the cats like to pin down the covers around me), then follow a few steps. These create the track that keep my day aligned with what I need to accomplish.

The Morning Routine:

1. Write down my dreams. I have a pretty lively dream life and for the past year have been writing them down in hopes of learning from them.
2. Write in my diary. I always wake up with some topic I want to write about, so I take advantage of this to scribble for a few minutes.
3. Read improving literature. For 5-10 minutes I read something written to improve my life, whether physically, spiritually or psychologically.
4. Check on the garden. I take my coffee and stroll outside for a few minutes to see how the "green children" are doing. It is a good way to start the day, breathing in fresh morning air, listening to the birds chatter and sing. If possible, I do my morning routine outside to maximize the energizing effect of being outside.
5. Review my to do list. This way I know what's ahead and can determine the order of the day.
6. Visualization meditation. I spend 3-5 minutes simply visualizing my ideal life. I recently started doing this and was surprised how often I found things I could do immediately to move my life in the direction of my ideal.
7. Read the paper, eat breakfast. Simple enough
8. Tackle one item from my to do list. If everything else goes to Hell in the day, at least one item got checked off!

I'm not the only one who swears by a morning routine. Here are some links to other writers on their morning routines and how you can improve your own:
http://zenhabits.net/habit-4-my-morning-routine/
http://www.bonappetit.com/blogsandforums/blogs/badaily/my-morning-routine
http://alifeofperfectdays.blogspot.com/2012/02/create-amazing-morning-routine.html
http://lifehacker.com/5537478/top-10-ways-to-upgrade-your-morning-routine