Have you ever wondered how you can increase the amount of work you can comfortably get done in a day? Though many people cringe at the idea of waking up earlier than they have to in order to get a head start on their day, it is characteristic of many successful leaders.
Steve Reinemund, the former President and CEO of Pepsi would go on a four-mile jog at five in the morning. Michelle Gass the President of Starbucks also enjoys a morning run because it “clears her mind,” as she told Forbes Magazine. The old adage “the early bird gets the worm” really does seem to hold true.
So why should church leaders especially focus on developing and maintaining a strong morning routine?
Focus – People without direction or guidance generally stray from the course. They find themselves wondering what they were doing or what they need to do. A good morning routine provides church leaders with direction at a time when they might not yet be awake and attentive. Knowing ahead of time what you’re going to do when you wake up can be a key factor in how productive the first few hours of your day become. Without the focus provided to you by a morning routine you might loose grip of our most valuable resource, time.
Momentum – Imagine a runner who is about to start a race. If he stumbles or is too slow off of the blocks, then he might have just lost all chances he had of winning the race. Likewise, how church leaders start their days is critical to giving them momentum and setting the courses they will follow for the rest of the day. Starting your day on the right foot can be the difference between a bad day and a good day, or the difference with an okay day and a great day. Church leaders need to focus on building momentum in the morning so they can accomplish the best work they can for the Kingdom the rest of the day.
Prioritize – The things that you care about the most should come first in your life, and especially come first during your day. Church leaders especially should take advantage of an early morning start to set their priorities in their head, heart, and soul. Whether its thirty minutes studying the Bible, or a morning run to the latest worship album, the things that church leaders focus on in the morning will likely be the things they put the most stress on in the rest of their day. Early in the morning is the perfect time to prioritize since there tends to be fewer distractions present to pull you away from your task at hand.
Less Work – Let’s face it, church leaders are human too, which means they have limits. A structured morning routine will allow you to focus on the task at hand instead of wondering what you should work on or do next. When you’re disciplined in your morning routine, you eliminate the temptation to procrastinate or become distracted.
Starting well with a morning routine can have a significant impact on church leaders and the quantity and quality of the work that they do throughout the day. Your morning routine doesn’t have to be about the work you have to do that day. A successful morning routine should serve the purpose of getting you excited to go to work for the Kingdom.
Are you a morning person? What routines do you find helpful? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.