Self-Discipline Archives

Posted on August 11, 2020August 11, 2020 by lacy-lain

5 Reasons Your Morning Routine Isn’t Working for You

Morning Routines are something we all need. Many of us don’t realize how much they impact our day. They can be used as a wonderful tool for setting the tone for the rest of our day. I know first hand the shift that can take place with a productive morning routine. Unfortunately, not everyone knows the importance of them, or how to create one that actually works for them.

This post will lay out a few reasons your morning routine might not be doing you any favors. It’s important to note that we all have rough days. That is a part of life. A morning routine isn’t a sure bet that you will have a good day, it’s a time of preparing yourself for the day, no matter what life throws at you.

5 Reasons Your Morning Routine Isn’t Working for You

Waking Up Without a Plan: When you wake up without a plan it is a surefire bet that the rest of your day will shift in the chaotic direction. Starting with a plan in place to get things done, prepare your heart and mind, and create a healthy habit is the best thing you can do. Having a cup of coffee on the run is not all it’s cracked up to be.
Having Too Many Things on Your To-Do List: This is almost on the entire other end of the spectrum from not having a plan. When you try to accomplish an entire day’s worth of to-do’s then you will almost certainly fail to finish your list and inevitably be in a sour mood and feel discouraged from the get-go.
You Hit Snooze. I know, you think just because you got up after the second snooze and you gave yourself the extra time you think it’s okay. You still got some things done this morning, not all, but you’re okay with that. That is fine. However, hitting snooze has been proven to negatively affect our mental health in study after study.
You Don’t Go To Bed at the Right Time: This is something I think about often. I love to research sleep studies and see how our REM cycles truly can make such an impact on us, both physically and mentally. #nerdalert I know! I like to use a sleep calculator to find my suggested bed time. If you need to find one, here is the one I use . I like this one because it gives you several times to go to bed to make sure you allow yourself time to get in all your REM sleep cycles. If I am working late and don’t go to bed at my normal bed time, I always look up when I should go to bed after I am done!
You Don’t Have Any Healthy Habits: Waking up early and getting things done like a load of laundry, breakfast ready before kids get up, and your coffee are all great! BUT they aren’t necessarily healthy habits. They are productive and definitely worthwhile, but I would like to challenge you to add just one quick healthy habit to your routine. Example: Drinking 8 oz. of water before your coffee, having a turmeric latte before your coffee, walking for 15 minutes, doing a quick workout circuit, etc. If you need a quick workout, my dear friend (and occasional business partner) Shaela of FSRGcompany.com created this 10 minute one just for us moms! It is 10 workouts that are 10 minutes or less and I can say I am a true believer! I have done her workouts only for 2 years now and I love them.

There are obviously many other reasons that you might not be feeling like your Morning Routine is working for you. These are just a few I thought might be helpful and they are most common in women I have worked with on setting up a productive morning routine.

If you are having a hard time trying to set up a productive morning routine that works for you. I created a free morning moms challenge. I walk you through my method of implementing one and how to create the perfect one that is designed just for you.

P.S. I attempt to use this blog to make a little extra income for our family. If you enjoyed this post or it was helpful in any way to you at all, please consider pinning one of the images in this post. I work very hard to make this a useful (&beautiful) resource for other women and I truly appreciate all of your help and support in making that happen. Thank you so much for being here!!!

Posted on August 1, 2020August 9, 2020 by lacy-lain

How to Create the Perfect Morning Routine

Let’s start with the WHY. Everyone talks about needing a morning routine but not everyone understands why it’s such a big deal. It has been studied by doctors, researchers, universities, and more. Having a routine of any sort is profitable for you.

I have read extensively about it for many reasons. The first was because I was in a hard place after having my first child and needed to know how I could fix the slump I was in. The second reason is that we have jumped headfirst into the foster care world. And if nothing else has convinced me that routines are good for us, adopting through the foster care system has.

I believe that God has created everything with order and purpose in this world for His glory. I also believe that He created in us a need for order, a desire, and craving for things and thoughts in order. There was a Christmas song several years ago that had a line about bringing our chaos to order and I remember in that season of my life God was working hard on this in me. I had been living in utter chaos and He was showing me the joy of the order He brings in our lives.

We could also refer to a routine as a form of structure in our lives. And if you don’t already know why it is important I encourage you to do your own research on structure and how good it is for us, for both our physical, spiritual, and mental health.

So, now that you know a little bit more about why it’s important, or why I think it’s important… Here is how you create one that works for you and helps you design a more productive day:

How to Create the

Perfect Morning Routine

Start with a list of all the things you would like to get done in the morning. This is a complete list of even things you know you might not get done, but on some level would like to.
Take time to prioritize the list
Get real with yourself and pick 5-7 things you can actually achieve in the mornings without adding stress to your day. These things should make your day run more smoothly and help your stress level throughout the day, not add another burdensome chore to your day.
Wake up 15-30 minutes earlier than normal. I know this one seems to get a raised eyebrow every once in a while and if you just raised yours, I can assure you, it is not as hard as you might think. Give yourself grace on this and set a timeline. For example, set a goal of waking up earlier for 2 weeks. Use a chart and have a plan for after you wake up. A simple checklist on a sheet of paper works too! Keep it simple
Speaking of a plan. The list of 5-7 things is your plan! Try it out, make changes if you need to, and give yourself enough time to perfect it. The goal of this is to turn your morning routine into a structured habit. We want our morning routines to be something that we eventually don’t have to put a lot of thought into. Let’s be honest we put a lot of thought into way too many things as moms, this needs to be something we just do and it works for us. If you have read any of my previous posts I preach a lot about working smarter not harder. This should be one of those things.

If you would like to take part in my morning moms challenge it is always free, because I believe that sometimes a mom just needs a break and she needs some help from another momma who has walked before her. If we had to pay for every piece of mom advice or help we got…well, I know I would be broke as a joke!

I truly believe a morning routine can change your days and even help your stress levels. I am no doctor and I don’t pretend to be. But I know for me, it helped my stress level and I can even tell a difference in my blood pressure. It’s crucial for me.

Blessings Mom!

Posted on July 29, 2020August 8, 2020 by lacy-lain

5 Simple Things I Do Everyday to Help Me Stay Disciplined

Before you get into this post please note that it took me a long time to get to this point and there are seasons that I have to give myself a little extra grace. The past year has completely wrecked my world in ways I never thought possible (good and bad). Covid-19 hit our family hard without actually infecting anyone (praise the Lord). What do I mean by this?

Well, for those of you that don’t know my husband had a relapse of leukemia in Septemeber of last year, and after 2 more rounds of chemotherapy, he was given a stem cell transplant. It was brutal! I have seen him battle through chemo before, but I had never seen his body be so beaten as it was by this last round of chemo. On top of all of that, he has a very weak immune system still to this day. He actually has to take a medicine that keeps his immune system down somewhat because they don’t want the foreign cells to attack his body. It’s a crazy balance and it’s hard to know what is safe and what is not safe. Example: Covid-19.

When we finally got to come home after the 90 days living at or within 15 minutes of the hospital I thought I would get to see my friends and go back to church and get back to a somewhat normal life. WRONG! Covid-19 hit and the world as we knew it continued in a quarantine. Thankfully, this time we were in our home, with our kids, in their own beds and our environment. Unfortunately, that means I have been pretty quarantined since October of last year with the exception of a few trips up to the church and one family vacation that we just got home from and it was the most stressed I have been in a while worrying about my husband and any germs from family members he might catch.

All of that to say this: I do not have it all figured out and I need God’s grace on a daily basis. He has taught me over the past few years the importance of discipline and how much I need it in my life. Those of you that have been here a while know that I thought minimalism would solve all my problems after having our first child and him being diagnosed with leukemia the first time nearly 4 years ago. But those that don’t already know that, hear me when I say… Jesus is the only answer and while minimalism is a good tool, it is not the answer. Being disciplined and having yourself firmly rooted in the only answer (Jesus) is the only solution to your anxiety, stress, household mismanagement, etc.

So, now on to the 5 Simple Things I Do Everyday to Help Me Stay Disciplined:

1. READ THE BIBLE: It doesn’t matter if you have a fancy one, use your YouVersion app or you have one, like my favorite one that the spine is falling off, the pages have been crinkled and your kids have used highlighters to “help” you study. Just read. Click here to read more about how to study your Bible.

2. DRINK WATER: Okay, this might not seem like it has anything to do with discipline, but here is what I have learned. If you stay hydrated you are more likely to feel better and the better you feel, the more energy you have and the more energy you have the more productive you are, and the more productive you are the more time you have to spend on things you enjoy and love and so on and so on. I think you get the picture, right? Drinking the daily recommended ounces can truly benefit you in so many ways. Free Printable Water Tracker

3. EXERCISE: This one also seems simple and almost dumb to put on this list, but in the same way your water consumption helps you, exercise will do the same. Ever heard of endorphins? I have found that doing 3 days of harder workouts and 3 days of stretching or simple yoga helps me stay balanced and not burnt out. I also allow one rest day. For access to my very favorite workout coach ever (and occasional business partner, because I believe in her philosophy, method, and have seen results myself, click here. She is the best, y’all!)Click here for her FREE 4-week program

4. CLEAN SOMETHING: I have a simple-to-follow- and easy to customize cleaning schedule if you want access to it. It’s free because I know that #momlife all too well. It isn’t hard, but it does take discipline. The hardest part is actually doing the work. But I have found that if I have a sheet of paper (and it’s cute) hung up in my laundry room or kitchen I am much more likely to stick to something. It’s like the ultimate (easy to accomplish) To-Do List. Every time I talk about this I the phrase “Keep it Simple Stupid” comes to mind. It doesn’t have to be hard or elaborate. It has to be easy and functional.

5. HAVE A MORNING/NIGHT ROUTINE: Alright, I know this one sounds harder than the others. BUT I can assure you it is not. It just takes some, well, discipline. It doesn’t have to be complicated or a to-do list that takes you an hour to complete. It has to be simple and effective. If you would like access to my training on morning routines and my simple framework for how to create and keep up with one easily. You can access it free by clicking here. If you haven’t noticed by now, I think a common thread in just about everything I do is to take hard things and simplify them or the process. I remember a conversation I had with my father-in-law this winter and it was basically me telling him that I should’ve been an inventor because I am lazy and most things I use that have been “invented” by someone are just things that make life easier and simpler. Like we invent things to stay lazy. #me I try to always work smarter not harder.

Now, before you leave this post and think you can’t do it. Or before you think it is impossible for you to keep up with your house, your health, your quiet time, your to-do list, etc. PLEASE STOP RIGHT NOW! You are already doing battle in your head and telling yourself “I can’t” and that is what my dad would call stinkin’ thinkin’ and I don’t want any of that, do you?

So, what do you do? YOU make a resolution with yourself and YOU give yourself grace. You actually can’t do this all overnight, but you can do it slowly and with intention. You can try and then if you fail or fall behind, you can try again until all of these things become a natural rhythm for you and the habitual effect takes place in your disciplined efforts.

Go pick the ONE thing from the 5 things above (or something else you might feel you need to be doing but aren’t doing because you can’t get out of your head about it) and start doing it! One at a time, day after day. It will become a healthy habit and you will be so glad that you put forth the effort to try again.

Blessings to you momma! You can do it!