It’s definitely not difficult to remember where I was on this day (January 18th) last year.  Just about a half hour ago our baby daughter, Madeline, was born.  My, what a difference a year makes.  I’ll have to say that I’m much more comfortable as I sit and write this entry than I was at this hour last year.  What a whirlwind of energy and emotion.

I’ve recently written about my thoughts from the past year and some of my plans for 2012.  The domino effect triggered by last year’s festivities on this date took a little getting used to.  I’d become accustomed to a certain ritual of routines that were comfortable and productive for me.

For instance, I have found in the past that I’m most at peace and on point when I start the day on my own terms.  When I get myself out of bed early and take an hour or more to stretch, read, reflect, journal, and eat something healthy I get the day started on the most productive footing.  I’m proactive rather than reactive.  I’ve maintained that ritual for various long stretches of time over the past couple of years.  However, I largely got away from it last year.

It obviously started when my sleep cycles changed drastically having to stay up late to feed and attend to Madeline.  As a result, my default morning ritual became stealing as much sleep as possible before the human alarm clock in the other room woke us up.  Madeline has since progressed to sleeping through the night and I could have easily gotten back into my more productive morning habits.  But, then again it had become so easy to “sleep in.”

Alas, I’m committed to making some changes this year in an effort to regain my productive balance.  I’ve learned over time that resolutions and intentions are worthless if a corresponding habit is not formed around the ultimate objective.  Therefore my plan this year is to find one or two habits or rituals to focus on each month (30 day challenges, so to speak) that both support and help build upon the larger objectives and my three word focus (prudence, execution and edges).

The biggest focus for the first 30-45 days of the year is on planning and preparation.  There are multiple facets to that equation.  It starts with setting aside some time each Sunday night to look at the coming week and jot down notes and plans.  The other main component of the equation is how I start my day.  Knowing myself as I do, I figured it was in my best interest to revisit my personal time in the morning.

About 10 days ago I started getting up at 6am to create a new morning ritual.  Within the first couple of days I realized quickly how much I enjoyed it.  Over the past week I have gradually pushed it to 5:30am which seems to give me the optimal amount of time before having to go ‘pick up Madeline’ around 7ish so that Kristin and I can get ready to start the business day.

That routine includes:

• 5-10 minute stretch as the coffee is brewing
• 10 minutes of prayer and reflection
• writing down 5 things I am grateful for each morning
• 10 minutes of journaling the events of the day before (using this tool)
• 20-30 minutes of reading a good book
• 5-10 minutes to sketch a plan for my work day

This has been a really great way to start my day.  I look forward to maintaining this ritual through the remainder of the month so that it becomes a solid habit throughout the year.  After all, gaining an extra hour a day for year can have a major impact.

Photo credit, Flickr – rockinfree

Related posts:

1. Want to Enjoy an Extra 2 Months a Year?
2. Back to School – Investing in My Future
3. 30 Days to Becoming an Early Riser