1. Q: How many years young are you and what is your living situation?
1. 33. I live with my husband, 2 children (ages 6 & 2) & our pet bunny.
2. Q: What's the biggest challenge you faced in changing your morning routine? How have you dealt with it/got over it/are still dealing with it?
2. My biggest challenge when it came to changing my morning routine was actually waking up earlier. My morning routine is so much more effective when I am able to take my time with it, not have to rush before work, and have that quiet time alone before the rest of my family wakes up. I started to overcome this by going to bed earlier and setting my alarm for 6 hours after I went to bed. I also struggled with not hitting the "snooze" button a million times. I am much more consistent with getting out of bed right when my alarm goes off. I also make sure to drink some water first thing in the morning and I go straight to brush my teeth. I find that this helps me become alert and ready to conquer my morning routine.
3. Q: What time did you wake up and go to sleep before you started using the Morning Sidekick Journal, and what time do you wake up and sleep now?
3. Before I started using the journal, I was going to sleep around midnight or later and waking up at 5:30AM on days that I worked and sleeping way too late on days I did not work. Now, I typically go to sleep at 10 or 11PM and wake up at 5AM most mornings.
4. Q: What did your mornings look like before you started using the Morning Sidekick Journal? What do your mornings look like now?
4. Before I started using the journal, my mornings were rushed. I would rush to get myself ready for the day and then rush to get my kids ready. I took no time for any mindfulness and literally was in "go go go" mode from the moment my feet hit the floor in the morning. My mornings now are much more calm and peaceful. I take time to do each part of my morning routine with intention and patience.
5. Q: In one sentence, what's your favorite thing about the Morning Sidekick Journal?
5. My favorite thing about the journal is that it is the perfect accountability tool that ensures I am consistent with my morning routine.
6. Q: How long have you been using the Morning Sidekick Journal?
6. I started using the journal in August 2018.
7. Q: How has using the Morning Sidekick Journal and doing your morning routine impacted your life overall?
7. The Morning Sidekick Journal has been a game changer for my morning routine. Before using the journal, I had attempted to commit to a morning routine for several months. My morning routine lacked structure and consistency. Most days I would not even get my morning routine in before I left for work and would attempt to complete my morning routine mid-morning during a 15-minute break that I honestly could not always take. My morning routine would feel rushed and ingenuine because I was not able to fully commit to the process. Other days, I would feel distracted. So even though I was going through the motion of doing a morning routine, I was missing out on the immense value that was possible.
Now that I have been consistently been using the journal, my morning routine is structured and quite frankly it is non-negotiable in my eyes. I plan to NEVER miss another morning routine again. I feel progressively more productive every day thanks to my commitment to my morning routine and the accountability and resources in my journal. I have even noticed that I am less irritable. Things that would have really bothered me in the past or caused me stress and anxiety are no longer having that effect. I am definitely able to better manage any curveballs that come my way each day. On a couple of occasions recently, I even woke up WITHOUT my alarm! I am confident that sometime in the near future this will actually become my "norm."