Morning Obstacles
What is the biggest obstacle to having your priority time?
The biggest obstacle isn’t learning and applying the four principles of a priority time (focused thinking, personal application, interactive prayer and life journaling). The biggest obstacle isn’t an academic issue at all; it’s a practical issue. The biggest obstacle is adjusting your morning routine to prioritize a priority time.
Depending on personalities and circumstances, this is a bigger issue for some than others. But don’t underestimate how difficult it is to change your routine. People are incredible creatures of habit and your morning routine is something that has been ingrained in you for years. Whether you are a morning person or not, everyone has a morning routine. I’m not talking about what time you get up, I’m talking about your routine from the time you wake up till you walk out the door.
Are you the organized person that systematically prepares for the morning the night before or are you the spontaneous person that wakes up every morning with a different routine for the same departure time? I’m not a morning person but I’ve had to choose to organize my morning. In the same way I have to plan time to shower and brush my teeth, I have to plan time to have a priority time. It isn’t easy but you do it for your other priorities. Let me introduce you to the insanity of my morning routine.
My routine is doable if I don’t hit the snooze button twice. The snooze button is an intentional part of my routine. I know my wife hates it and will never understand my morning routine, but I’ve never been able to get up as soon as the alarm goes off.
I intentionally play mental games with my clock and alarm. I intentionally set the clock fifteen minutes ahead. I intentionally hit the snooze button once for an additional fifteen minutes. That gives me thirty minutes to battle the blankets. If I don’t hit the snooze button the first time, I’m fifteen minutes ahead of schedule. If I hit it one time, I’m on schedule. If I hit it a second time, I’m late but might be able to make it up if I rush through my routine and speed on my way to work.
Now that we’ve talked about my difficulties of getting out of bed, what are the practical steps to designing a new morning routine?
Decide how long your priority time is going to be.
- I recommend starting with twenty minutes.
- If you normally get up at 6:30 am, get up at 6:10.
- Do you shower, get dressed and then have it?
- Example:
- Shower/Dressed—6:00–6:40
- Priority Time—6:40–7:00
- Drive to Work—7:00–7:30
- Do you have it first and then go through your morning routine?
- Example:
- Priority Time—6:00–6:20
- Shower/Dressed—6:20–7:00
- Drive to Work—7:00–7:30
- Do you go through your morning routine, drive to work (school, etc) early and have it there?
- Example:
- Shower/Dressed—6:00–6:40
- Drive to Work—6:40–7:10
- Priority Time—7:10–7:30
- Decide to start your morning routine twenty minutes earlier.
- Decide the best time in your morning routine to have your priority time.
I know my examples are elementary but it is this type of stuff that generates the most questions. I’ve heard every excuse possible detailing why people can’t prioritize a priority time. The bottom line is this: if you can’t do it then it isn’t a priority. The reality is this: regardless of your priorities, every one of us can choose to get up twenty minutes earlier to have a priority time. It’s easy to give yourself a pass, but what would you say to God if He directly asked you to get up twenty minutes earlier to have a meeting with him? “Yes Sir” sounds appropriate to me. No questions asked, no excuses given. This is the one priority that determines all priorities.
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