PREPTOBER 2022 | Your Morning Routine

Morning routines. They’re seen everywhere across the web. Entire YouTube channels are dedicated to perfecting the art of the morning routine. As writers, it is important that we establish a morning routine that works for our creativity rather than against it.

The 90 Minute Rule

Before you even begin planning for your morning routine, it’s important to note that every writer should begin their day with writing first thing in the morning. This is especially important during NaNoWriMo where we will all be striving to hit that 50,000 word count by the end of November. By rolling out of bed and heading straight for your computer or your notebook, you’re immediately eliminating the potential for any kind of procrastination later in the day.

I’ve read that the first 90 minutes of your day should be committed to your most important task. Your most important task during NaNoWriMo is hitting that word count. If you do not have 90 minutes at the start of your day, I recommend that you consider waking up earlier.

I’m sure some of you reading this might be groaning at that. If you’re looking for quick and easy tips and tricks to getting through NaNoWriMo, I’m telling you now: there are none. The only way out of NaNoWriMo is to push through it. And pushing through NaNoWriMo means making sure that you are up earlier than you need to be to start off your day with getting your word count done.

I plan on waking up every day at five in the morning to get my writing done so I can get in at least 90 minutes of writing in before I even begin the rest of my morning routine. I’m going into November knowing that I am going to need to sacrifice sleeping in to get my word count in. You need to go into NaNoWriMo prepared to sacrifice a bit as well.

Now, I’m not saying you need to sacrifice sleep. That is not what I am saying at all. You might need to sacrifice late night outings with your friends, but I do not recommend sacrificing your sleep to get up early. Your number one priority, above getting that word count, is making sure you get enough sleep. I’ll talk more about getting to bed at a reasonable time in an upcoming post. Just know that sleep is important for you to keep your stamina up during NaNoWriMo.

If you do have the occasional late night and need to prioritize sleeping over waking up early, then just ensure that you have at least ten minutes in the morning to keep up that habit of writing first thing in the morning. The key here is to get your momentum going first thing in the morning.

What you start your day with is going to set the tone for the rest of the day. If you start your day off by achieving your word count or making an effort to achieve your word count, then you’re automatically starting out with a win.

Remember: write first thing in the morning.

Get Moving

If you have time for it in the morning, I strongly recommend you get moving after you have written. Not only will this allow you to take your mind off of your writing, but it will help with your overall health. We all know the health benefits of exercising: lowering your resting heart rate, strengthening your muscles, helping with your digestive system––the list goes on.

But as writers, did you know that exercising can help improve your creativity? I know that when I go out on a run or hit the gym, I am way more creative and productive overall.

When I was training for my half marathons, I’d have long stretches of running where I could just think. On those long runs, I’d picture key moments of my story or how my character would feel in a certain situation. It was almost meditative for me. Please know that you do not have to train for a half marathon to get a similar result. I’m just saying that when you’re exercising, it’s easy to let your mind wander. Especially as your calves burn and you’re desperate to think about anything other than the hardest part of your workout.

Moving is also extremely important because so many of us have sedentary jobs. I sit for at least eight hours a day, working my full-time job as a social media manager. That means that I’m not moving as much as I should be on a regular basis. So I know that I need to fit in a workout at least five times a week to keep myself in shape and to help with my mental health.

If you can only carve out 20 minutes of your morning routine to workout, do it. I strongly recommend doing it right after you’ve finished writing to help you transition into the rest of your day.

Feeding Your Body and Soul

Once you’ve written and worked out, I recommend taking a few minutes to work on your spirituality. Whether that’s a meditation or opening up a prayer book, you should be focused on getting in touch with your spiritual self. If you have time to do Tony Robbins’ priming exercise, definitely do that. It’s a fifteen minute visualization that can help you hone in on your goals and gets you in touch with what you want out of life.

In addition to feeding your soul, make sure you feed your body with a healthy breakfast. Grab some protein, a fat and a carb to get your day started. I like to make myself a protein smoothie or a bagel with spinach, egg and cheese in the morning. These types of meals are quick and easy and allow me to focus on other things in the morning.

Make Yourself Presentable

For the longest time, I did not wear makeup during the day. I would wake up, shower, not dry my hair and then go to work or school in a frumpy outfit. My nails would be short and bitten down to the nubs. I would feel tired, worn down and exhausted all of the time. And you know what? I looked and felt awful.

Eventually, I read Steve Harvey’s “Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man.” There’s a chapter in there that talks about making yourself presentable. Now, I’m not talking about dressing to the nines and wearing pinchy shoes just because they look cute. Although, if you want to do that, you’re more than welcome to. Go for it.

But just make sure that your nails are looking good. If your nail polish is chipped, take the time to either get your nails done or do them yourself. Put on clothes that make you look and feel good. Tidy up your hair and fix your makeup. Take pride in your appearance––not because you want to impress anyone, but because you love yourself enough to dress up.

Making yourself presentable is also a way to honor your writing. If you show up to write your novel in junkie sweatpants and a holed hoodie, what message are you saying to your writing? You’re telling your writing that you do not believe in it. That it is not worthy of your time to dress up for it. That it is going to be a side hustle and nothing more than a side hustle.

I’m sure we’ve all heard the saying, “Dress for the job that you want, not the job that you have.” If you dress dowdy when you write, are you really dressing for the job that you want?

Even if you’re like me and are planning on working out after you write, make sure that the sweatpants that you wear to write are nice looking. The hoodie that you wear? Not holed, that’s for sure. And your hair should be neat and tidy. And after you’re done writing and you’ve completed my workout, take a five minute shower and spend fifteen minutes putting on lotion, doing your hair, and applying makeup.

I’m worth it and so are you. So take pride in your appearance and make sure you have time in your morning routine to dress yourself up.

Plan Out Your Day

If you haven’t already planned out your day in full, I recommend planning out your day after you’ve gotten ready. It’s also a great time to check off your writing goals if you managed to write that morning. Write down your top ten goals, check of the ones that you accomplished in the morning and take a look at your day ahead.

I talked about planning out your day in an earlier post, so I won’t get too detailed here, but essentially: map out your day according to your needs and your current situation. Know where you are and where you need to be and make the appropriate changes.

Whatever your morning routine looks like, make sure that it suits your needs. Let me know in the comments section below if this was helpful and what you want your NaNoWriMo morning routine to look like.