How to Have a Great Day: The Best Morning Routines for Introverts in Healthcare
Trust yourself to
Find your best morning routines
Do you feel left behind by the standard productivity advice? Your best morning routines should match your energy and needs, not bend to someone else's preferred habit stack. Drop the "tried and true," tune in to what works best for you, and get ready to have a great day.
Routines play a valuable role in supporting our productivity and well-being. Specifically, morning routines can set the tone for your day by influencing your mood and ability to focus.
A 2020 study suggested disruption of morning routines leads to higher levels of depletion and decreased calmness. Both influenced participants’ engagement and ability to progress in their goals at work.
Unfortunately, we've often been sold an "ideal' morning routine that's unrealistic for our energy levels or schedule.
While some people may thrive by waking up before dawn, meditating, reading, journaling, exercising, showering, and having a freshly prepared organic breakfast before heading off to a great day at work, that's not the reality for most introverts in healthcare.
Let's get real and devise morning routines that let you feel engaged, energized, AND calm.
Morning routines shouldn't feel like another to-do on your list. You don't need one more unchecked box that makes you feel like you failed - again.
Your morning routines should feel like a gift you give yourself every day.
Rethinking Morning Routines
Have you noticed I've been mentioning morning routines? As in plural?
As an introvert in healthcare, it's highly likely your days aren't routine.
One day, you might have to be in the clinic by 8 am, and the next, the OR by 6:30 am. Another day, you might be on-call and end up heading to see a patient in the wee hours of the morning. Or, maybe your shift schedule is always changing. And that's not even considering the adjustments you make for the schedules of and friends. So, how can you create a cozy morning habit when your day-to-day isn't routine?
Plan for the chaos and create flexibility! Give yourself variety in your morning routines.
Who proclaimed that the best morning routine has to be rigid and unchanging? Why must we execute the exact string of habits day after day? And is the success of our routine determined only by what we do in the morning? I say no.
I'm offering an alternative. Instead of worrying about the what, let's consider the why.
What's the goal of creating a morning habit?
The best morning routines give you a mental and physical boost, letting you start the day centered and prepared. They help you meet the day with confidence and a sense of readiness rather than feeling like you've already been plowed over by a Mac truck.
Let's chuck morning routines with rules and find a way to help you feel empowered and ready to seize the day EVERY day.
Recognize How Your Energy Impacts Your Morning Routines
As an introvert, I'm sure you sense how your energy level influences your ability to show up. You also likely recognize the importance of honoring your energy level as it fluctuates throughout the day.
Whether you're a "morning person," a "night owl," or something in between, the most effective morning routines must feel natural and sustainable.
We all have an innate internal clock influenced by genetic and environmental factors. Sure, we can modify some aspects of our environment, but much of our natural sleep-wake schedule is hard-wired.
Healthcare professionals are often bound by others’ schedules and struggle when they're forced to go against their natural rhythm. This was certainly the case for me. I don't spring out of bed, ready to face the world. I need a slower approach to my day, so early clinic and OR start times constantly challenged me.
The same may be true for you. Let's not add to the difficulty by designing a unrealistic morning routine that sets you up for failure. By aligning with your energy peaks, you increase the likelihood of having an enjoyable start to the day.
Spend the next few days noting how you feel when you wake up. Also, pay attention to the times of day you feel most energized. The two may not coincide.
If you're someone who wakes up without an alarm clock or jumps out of bed ready to go, you can design morning routines that take advantage of your nature by embracing activities that give you a high-energy start.
On the other hand, if you're inclined to hide under the covers and regularly hit the snooze button one, two, or ten times, you'll benefit from morning routines that help you ease into the day. Trying to start your day at a sprint means you'll likely flame out as the day goes on.
Step one to creating the best morning routine for you? Understand your energy levels.
Embrace Flexible Morning Routines
Next, consider your schedule over the last week. How many of those days was an exact replica of the day prior? I'm guessing not very many.
The reality of working in healthcare means that, on some days, you may only have five minutes to give to your morning habit. Even then, you might find yourself multitasking. Let's go with it.
Again, why feel bad that you don't have 90 minutes to devote to the "perfect" morning routine? Let's drop the guilt, toss the idea that you're "failing" with a set-in-stone morning routine, and get creative.
Consider the "why" of having a morning routine in the first place.
Most likely, you want to:
Set the tone for your day
Boost your productivity
Support your mental health
Bolster your physical health
Contemplating these ideals (and any others you want to add), brainstorm activities to help you achieve your goals. Any morning habit that lets you satisfy multiple goals gets bonus points. So, too, does a "scalable" habit that gives you a benefit whether you do it for a couple of minutes or a couple of hours.
Now is one time it's OK to let go of "best practices" and focus on what works for YOU.
You can design the perfect morning routine on paper, but it doesn't do you any good if it's misaligned with your reality and fails to become a daily habit in your life.
Prepping For Your Morning Routines
As with most behaviors, your odds of staying consistent with your morning routines increase when you create a foundation for success.
Your ability to benefit from your morning routines increases when you prepare the night before. This is especially true for those of us who dread getting started in the morning.
To start, morning routines won't save you if you're just plain sleep-deprived. Your routine for winding down and getting a good night's sleep is the best foundation for a good morning -and could be the topic for another blog! So, set yourself up for a great day by getting adequate rest the night before.
Another great habit is prepping yourself for the day ahead. Consider laying out your clothes or making a ready-to-eat breakfast the night before. Doing so saves precious time in the morning.
While prepping for the next day, consider how much time you'll have for your morning routines. Decide how you'll approach your morning ahead of time to reduce decision fatigue and preserve your valuable energy as the day gets started.
Crafting Your Best Morning Routines
Now that you've given some thought to your best morning routines, it's time to craft your plan.
Start out focusing on 1-2 of your favorite feel-good activities.
Choose simple actions that aren't time intensive so you'll almost always have time for them, regardless of how busy your morning is. These will be the flagship parts of your morning routine that anchor your habit of creating a great day. I can do my favorites before I ever get out of bed!
If incorporating morning routines is new for you, stick to these 1-2 activities for a while. Once they become an effortless, integral part of your morning, you can add more activities to make your morning routines even more supportive of having a great day.
Next, create a "menu" of morning activities that help you set the desired tone for your day.
Even if you plan your morning ahead of time, there will be days when you have more or less energy than you anticipated. Having multiple options for your morning routines lets you take advantage of those days when you wake up ready to go and gives you a break on the days when getting out of bed feels nearly impossible.
Take some time to explore how you can mix and match your morning routines for maximum benefit. Most days, I start my morning with mindful breathing and a quick gratitude practice. On other days, I add journaling, walking in nature, or playing with my dog. It all depends on my energy level and how much time I have available.
Remember, let go of rigid expectations and the need for perfection.
There will be mornings when you don't have the energy or time to do anything but shower and run out the door. That's OK. Give yourself a break and try again the next day. Just as importantly, celebrate when you stick to your new morning habit.
Have a Great Day!
You deserve to have a great day.
Designing and implementing morning routines that respect your energy and allow flexibility for your unpredictable schedule is one of the best ways to increase the odds of having a positive and productive day.
Stop feeling bad about not meeting someone else's expectations and start living up to your own.
Want to learn more about creating balance between work and all of your life’s priorities?
Create calm in the middle of your busy day with my free Mindful Minutes Toolkit.
You can access it for free here.
Ready for 1:1 support from someone who understands your introverted nature?
Learn more about working with me here.
Charity is a physician and burnout coach helping introverts in healthcare escape feelings of apathy, irritability, and resentment brought on by the increasing demands and decreasing rewards of medicine.
She uses her 20 years of experience in clinical medicine combined with coaching to help introverts discover ways to be diligent, thoughtful clinicians while prioritizing their needs and protecting their energy. She wants you to know you don’t have to feel guilty for wanting a thriving life inside and outside of medicine.