10-5-10 Morning Wake Up Routine for Clearing Your Mind

I realized a while ago that my morning routine needed time for reflection and meditation prior to my day beginning. Before that, I would wake up, gulp down half a cup of coffee while getting ready for my workout session, and head out the door within ten or fifteen minutes.

What would happen, though, is I'd be so intent on getting out and getting it done that I'd not leave time to set a goal for the day. I found myself running or lifting or swimming with a mind filled with thoughts that were all over the place.

When I began doing some thinking on how to better enter the day with more joy and positivity, I realized I wanted to add meditation to the mix. This turned into also adding a reading and then journaling time, complete with lit candle and highlighter and pen for note taking.

The routine I have now allows me to waken with thoughts of how to make the day the best I can make it. I start by reflecting on whatever reading I'm currently doing. Then I journal about that, and then, finally, meditate on that. I call it my 10-5-10 method, and it has had a dramatic change on how I waken and start my days.

This is how it works:

10 - For the first ten minutes, I read. Currently, I'm reading The Art of Happiness by the Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler. As I read, I take in the content and try to understand how that idea can help me lead a happier, healthier, kinder life. I will highlight information I may want to remember or journal about.

5- For the next 5 minutes, I journal. I write about what I've just read and list ideas on how I may incorporate this into my day. Today's reading was about the difference between pleasure and happiness. Pleasure is fleeting. You may feel pleasure when you do something (have a few glasses of wine, drink several large cups of coffee) but then feel pain after (hangover, overly caffeinated). Just because something is pleasant does not mean it will make you happy.

Today, my goal is to identify and do those things that bring happiness and skip those things that might only bring pleasure but then possibly regret later. I journal about this. List things that make me happy. List ways I can find happiness in what I have planned for the day. I usually go on and list things that I did the previous day or things I may do on that day so I can go back later and remember those special times.

10 - For the last ten minutes, I meditate. I typically meditate on the idea I read and journaled about. I may think of a certain word or phrase. I may do meditation with 'light' or breath. I set a timer and don't open my eyes until it goes off.

Now, some days my time frame is not 10-5-10. Some days I find I need more time to read or journal, less time to meditate. I might read for 15, journal for 3 and meditate for 7.

I do try to keep my total time around 25 minutes. That's enough time for me to wake up and focus on ways to remain calmer and happier throughout the day but not so much time that I need to set my alarm earlier or change my morning routine.

Do you have a morning routine that works for you?

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