1. Q: How many years young are you and what is your living situation?
1. 46. I am happily married for 12 years, and we have two bulldogs.
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. I have never enjoyed the morning and if it wasn't for a job or school, would have been a night owl. And I think that was my biggest challenge was simply re-wiring my brain to be happy with the morning. I had convinced myself that I was not a morning person, but to be honest had never let myself experience the morning. Just got up, got ready and out the door. By adding things I wanted to do and enjoyed, slowing down, I changed my story and now love mornings. In fact, if I am unable to do my full morning routine due to a schedule change (like an early flight for business) I do feel a little off for the day!
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. Prior, I would was getting up during the week around 7:30 a.m., going to bed around 10 p.m., but weekends would be more around the 11:00 a.m. wake up and in bed around midnight. It made for the worst Mondays! Now, I'm up between 5-5:30 a.m. and in bed around 8:00-8:30 p.m. during the week, and weekends, 6-6:30 a.m. and 9-9:30 p.m.
4. Q: What did your mornings look like before you started using the Morning Sidekick Journal? What do your mornings look like now?
4. My mornings during the week was to get up, take care of the dogs (in a rush), jump in the shower, get dressed and head out the door, and make it to work just on time. Now, I meditate, take care of the dogs, exercise around 30-45 minutes, enjoy a bowl of matcha tea while I listen to my affirmations, repeat a mantra, journal and plan my day. From there, I get ready and off to work.
5. Q: In one sentence, what's your favorite thing about the Morning Sidekick Journal?
5. There was so much about the journal I enjoyed, but I think the biggest thing was it repeated that my morning didn't have to be radically different and perfect from the start. That really helped me. I didn't start with a wake up time 2-2 1/2 hours before my usual time, I took the time to build it, to add to the morning routine and find the right mix of sleep (9 hours for me). It was not perfect, but as the journal encouraged me, one step was a step in the right direction.
6. Q: How long have you been using the Morning Sidekick Journal?
6. I'm on month 6 of the journal.
7. Q: How has using the Morning Sidekick Journal and doing your morning routine impacted your life overall?
7. I was stuck in a huge rut in my life. Depressed, overworked, stressed, overweight and just generally unhappy. I decided I needed to make very radical changes in my life. I had been working with a goal planner earlier in the year and found that writing things down was really helping me and was excited when searching for a new journal found Habit Nest. I was about to tackle a lot, diet change, workout regiment, and just changing my daily habits, I needed something to keep me on track. It was amazing! That first week was hard, but being able to check off all the things I planned and accomplished, circle the positive feelings I was having and helping my night routine was great. I started this journey in August, 2018, and I'm still using the journal everyday. I have lost 45 lbs, and I feel amazing! My relationship with my husband has never been better. Work is not perfect, but I am better equipped to deal with it and making positive changes. I feel like a whole different person. In fact, people at work have been calling me "Zen Jen" which is something I never thought anyone would say about me. My head is clearer, I'm taking better care of myself and therefore not trying to draw from a dry well when a difficult situation comes up.