#howtosucceed

Sometimes I see an announcement that a friend or former colleague from back in my working days has gotten a promotion or taken a new position and it makes me stop. These people certainly deserve every success and I wish them well, but then a pang of jealousy gives me a twinge and I feel a little sick and sad and bitter and small.

When I first found out I was pregnant, and throughout my pregnancy, I always thought I’d go back to work. It seemed like what I’d naturally do, as an ambitious, intelligent adult. In fact, a few people were even surprised that I was having a child at all, given my personality and professional drive. This observation struck me as odd since I’d always pictured myself as a parent (someday) and a working person and so I figured I’d just work it out as so many people do.

But then I didn’t go back. There were many reasons, too many to detail here, but the long and short of it was that the opportunity in the role that I left seemed less interesting and less important than the new role I’d taken on as Mother. So I resigned.

That was more than 6 years ago.

This is not the last agency I worked for, but it was pretty great. 

Last year everyone was talking about Hal Elrod’s popular book, The Miracle Morning. The Miracle Morning is essentially an hour-long routine that Elrod created for himself in order to foster productivity and achieve his goals. 

The Miracle Morning Elrod proposes lasts one hour and he calls it “SAVERS” or Silence, Affirmations, Visualization, Excercise, Reading, and Scribing. He proposes that people should do an average of 10 minutes in each of these categories, but explains that the miracle morning can be changed to accommodate one’s needs.

Since I began the Miracle Morning in August it has revolutionized my life, although I do not follow the SAVERS model. Here’s how I do it, and how you can too!

Step 1: Figure out how much time you need in the morning to get ready. For me, it takes me almost an hour to have breakfast, shower, brush my teeth, make my hair look semi-presentable, get dressed, pack my bag and get out the door. I need an extra 10 minutes if washing my hair, an extra 20 minutes if shaving my legs, and an extra 30 minutes if I am going to do a full face of makeup. So my morning routine usually takes 60 minutes but can take up to 2 hours.

Step 2: Add an extra hour to the time it takes you to get ready. This is how much time you should include between the time you wake up for your earliest class. My earliest class is at 10, so I wake at 8 at the latest.

My typical miracle morning begins with a yummy and nutritious breakfast and a video of some type. I usually opt for my favorite tv shows that had new episodes premiere the night before, Netflix, or Youtube videos. I prefer 20-something minute episodes over 45-minute episodes. As soon as I feel awake enough to begin my day I pause the video and get some homework, peer mentor work, or research done. I also answer e-mails. Sometimes, I even work on blog posts. This takes up the first 45 minutes to one hour of my miracle morning.

At 8:45 I get in the shower, brush my teeth, get dressed, and style my hair. I then check the time and see how close it is to 9:45. If I have more than 10 minutes remaining, I will do some more homework. If I have 10 minutes or less until 9:45 I will pack my bags, put on my shoes, and head out the door.

The Miracle Morning has truly improved my life because it has increased my morning productivity, and it has allowed me more time to truly wake up before I have to attend a boring lecture. I believe every college student is capable of adapting their own miracle morning, regardless of whether or not they are a morning person. I find that I am more awake and alert because I allowed more time for myself in the morning than if I had used that time for extra sleep.