My Morning Routine

Successful folks have a morning routine. The habit of staying up late, partying, furiously get words onto a manuscript, or whatever you imagine the mad writer to be doing is not the norm. Writing takes discipline and fortitude.

While I'm still a work in progress as a writer, I do subscribe to the philosophy that a healthy and productive morning makes me a better and more prolific writer.

My morning begins at 5:45. I didn't just randomly choose that time, my two Labs, Reno and Isabel (especially Isabel) decided that time for me. They are better than alarm clocks about waking me to be let outside and fed. I've not set an alarm clock in ten years.

After the morning dog ritual, both dogs settle down for their morning nap, and I pour myself a cup of coffee, sit in the comfy chair in the living room and fire up the laptop.

I have two programs that I find irreplaceable for my morning productivity time: MindMeister and Evernote.

MindMeister is a brainstorming/mind-mapping online program that allows the writer to get her ideas down on paper (or the screen). Now, I'm a firm believer in mind mapping. It is my go-to tool multiple times. I use it for everything: my to-do list, my business goals, my lesson planning, my blogging schedule. MindMeister is non-linear.

Evernote is an online note-clipping/journaling/productivity tool. My favorite feature in Evernote is that it is searchable. It is a linear tool that allows me to free write/organize/brainstorm in a more traditional manner and later go back and search specific words and phrases. I can also tag entries with specific keywords to use for a next search.

I'm a firm believer in the Getting Things Done philosophy. The writer must reflect daily to be productive. I brainstorm, list, plan in both MindMeister and Evernote, but I also take the time to review what I've already collected. This review is a critical part of my morning routine. It is a way for me to remind myself of what needs to be done and keep me on track.

I love to research, so I spend some of my morning routine time research and collecting ideas and information. Some of the ideas will go no further than becoming notes, but many of the ideas will eventually become a project and, hopefully, product or resource or blog.

I cannot extol the virtues of a morning routine. I take at least an hour and a half each morning to brainstorm, journal, collect ideas, and review ideas. This time is invaluable to me and allows me the opportunity to be more productive during the day.