Do you struggle to make time for…

• Regular Exercise?
• Time with God?
• Personal Growth?
• Sleep?

We all know these things are important. But it’s so easy to keep putting them off.

There’s work, sports, clubs, ministries, friends, dating and more to worry about. How could anyone possibly cram one more thing in?

I was really struggling to make time for what matters too. I would either lose sleep or miss out on something important.

Then, I read a post about getting up early by Michael Hyatt. He explained that you CAN do what matters every day if you adopt an early morning schedule.

I followed his advice. And the benefits have been incredible.

All it took was a commitment to move a few hours from the end of my day to the beginning of it. Getting up a couple hours earlier doesn’t have to be a struggle.

I’m finally doing what matters on a regular basis. I know you can too.

Check out three ways a morning routine can help you win every day.

1. Prioritize What’s Important

C.S. Lewis said that when we wake up in the morning our wishes and hopes for the day rush at us like wild animals.

If we wake up late, anyone can interrupt us. Everyone else is up too. And, if you’re like me, you’ve probably punched the snooze button a few times and are scrambling to get to work.

You start your day in a whirlwind. So you have to put off your quiet time, exercise, and reading until later.

But when you get up early, no one else can interrupt you. You give yourself time for important things. Your first thoughts are calm and sensible.

Having a quiet time, exercising, reading, or working on an important project is far easier under these circumstances. You don’t have to fight so hard to fit them in.

2. Invest in What Matters

A morning routine also frees you up to invest consistently in what matters.

Andy Stanley says that time is cumulative. And some things can only be gained through consistent, regular deposits.

Take working out for example. Exercising 3 to 4 days per week, every week, for years trumps random workouts every time.

There’s no way you’ll ever be strong and healthy if you exercise only when you feel like it.

And this is true of your spiritual and personal development too. Small, consistent investments are the best way to grow.

(Read or listen to The Slight Edge by Jim Olsen for more on this topic. It’s a GREAT book.)

A morning routine frees you up to make progress on things that matter.

3. Build Life Momentum

When you start spending time with the Lord, exercising, and learning every day, you’re going to get excited. You’ll finally be doing what you’d only wished to do. And the excitement is going to impact the rest of your life.

Some habits are keystone habits, says Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit. When you complete a keystone habit, you’re far more likely to complete other important habits.

Exercise is a keystone habit. When you exercise, you’re more likely to eat right. You’re also more likely to see yourself as a person who gets sleep and gets to bed on time.

Regular exercise will change the way you work. You’ll have more energy and you’ll put more effort into your job.

When you get up early and commit to spending time with God, exercising, and learning, you’ll be more likely to take care of the tasks that you keep putting off. Your mindset will change.

And doing what matters is deeply satisfying.

So what are you waiting for?

(To learn more about why you should become a morning person, check out The Miracle Morning  by Hal Elrod.)