THE SECRET TO A PRODUCTIVE MORNING ROUTINE

Mornings are not my natural strength. However, I see and believe the research that shows how powerful the morning hours can be. So, over the years, I've worked hard to develop a stronger morning routine.

Success really came when I learned one HUGE key. The secret that not enough people talk about is that the key to a great morning is not found in the morning. It starts with a great night routine. It must begin before your alarm goes off.

Here is what works for me, and maybe it'll help you as well.

• Just before or after dinner

  • I spend about 10 minutes going over my daily routine. Did I accomplish my "Big 3" for the day? If not, can I get them done in the next 15 minutes or so? If I can, I do them right then. If I can't, then I decide if I need to do it tomorrow, or if I need not to do it at all. I also quickly check email one more time, to make sure something isn't burning down. For me to respond at this time, something LITERALLY has to be burning down.

  • Spend time with the family, wind down.

• 8:45 pm

  • The kids begin their bedtime routine. Full transparency, Tiff does most of this.

  • Drink a glass of water. We lose tons of water at night time. I want to try to limit dehydration as much as possible.

• 9:00 pm

  • Pray with the kids and tuck them into bed.

• 9:30 pm

  • Make a cup of hot tea. My favorite right now is Thé Au Jasmin by Sunflower. I let it steep for about 5 minutes. (And if Boo had a good day then maybe I'll make us some popcorn.)

• 10 pm

  • I go to my bed and go over my plans for tomorrow. What are the Big 3 things I need to accomplish? Write down any notes that I need to make for myself, and take one final look at my schedule.

• 10:15 pm

  • Alexa comes on with "rain sounds." SOOOO NICE!

• 10:30 pm

  • The phone, computer and iPad are up at the charging station. I keep a note pad by my bed. This helps because if I think of something, I have to write it down or I'll be worried that I'll forget it by the morning.

• 11 pm

  • Tiffany and I don't watch a lot of TV, but if we are watching something, it goes off by 11:00.

Some other hacks that help me get some good ZZZzz's

I like heavy comforters, but I live in Texas where it is 102⁰ at 9pm during the summer. So around 9:00, I turn down the air to 69-70⁰ so that by bedtime, it's nice and cool.

I LOVE my pillow! This thing is amazing.

Buy awesome sheets. You don't have to spend hundreds of dollars, but find some that you really like.

We don't make our bed like the Hilton or if we are in the Army every day, but it's really relaxing to enter a bed that looks good. So pull the sheet up, fluff the pillows, and make it.

Alexa "rain sounds" LOVE LOVE LOVE! This automatically comes on at 10:15pm and stays on for 4 hours.

Keep the kids out. Our kids are 12 and 9. They are old enough to solve 99% of problems they face. Unless there is gushing blood, the house is on fire, or zombies are literally in the house, there is really no reason for them to come into our room. It can wait until the morning.

I know I'm a little different than most, but if I have alcohol in the evening, it keeps me up. So I try not to drink alcohol in the evenings. (FYI - don't be alarmed when you see me drinking at lunch.)

What would you add to the list? What’s one thing you do at night that makes for a productive morning? Comment below.

-Greg