Placeholder Image

Subtitles section Play video

  • - Good morning, good life, everyone.

  • It is so nice to talk to you here in my office.

  • It's been a little while since we've done something

  • like this, so it feels great, especially during my

  • favorite time of year, which is the New Year.

  • Out with the old, in with the new.

  • Love an arbitrary date on the calendar

  • for a fresh start, are you with me?

  • I think so.

  • Since we talk a lot about productivity, efficiency,

  • and beautiful mornings, we are going to discuss,

  • today, some ideas for your

  • morning routine going into the New Year.

  • (gentle rhythmic music)

  • OK, I'm not gonna lie, this is a little bit weird for me.

  • I'm definitely in a great mood.

  • I'm so excited to be sitting down

  • with you, especially on a Sunday.

  • I know Sunday videos have been greatly missed,

  • especially by me, as well, and so, I just feel like this

  • is the perfect video for us to chat today.

  • I don't know the state of me at the moment.

  • This is not my normal setup, I know it kinda looks similar,

  • but I'm using a new camera, I'm using a new microphone.

  • I don't know that I fully completed my hairstyle,

  • but I just was so anxious to chat with you.

  • So, let's get into it.

  • First, I wanna do something a little bit different,

  • and I'm hoping to do this again in the future,

  • so let me know what you think.

  • But I love everyone who hangs out with me here

  • on the YouTube channel, but also those who hang out with me

  • on my other social networks, mainly Twitter and Instagram.

  • And so, I thought, today, I would start

  • something called the Twitter shout-out.

  • Very, very scientific name, Amy, very good job.

  • Shout-out to my friend, Laurie Burkett, for retweeting

  • my last video, I appreciate your support so much.

  • And if you would like a shout-out in the next video,

  • make sure you follow me on Twitter,

  • and be sure to retweet my video when it comes out.

  • Alright, on to your New Year morning routine.

  • First thing's first, let your phone sleep in.

  • I can now tell you with the greatest of life experience

  • that there is a chance that someone will need to reach you

  • while you are sleeping, by phone,

  • and if you have do not disturb on

  • and have it tucked away in another room,

  • so that you can sleep soundly, you may not get this call.

  • However, because of technology and emergency situations

  • breaking through do not disturb, it is very likely

  • that you will still be able to be contacted,

  • and/or even if you get that call,

  • you may not be able to do anything about it.

  • Because the worst of the worst of this has happened to me,

  • I can now say that every night, you need your sleep.

  • You're going to need to wake up the next day and proceed

  • with life at your highest productivity and capability.

  • So, for the most part, it is very wise and important

  • for you to leave your phone asleep in another room.

  • And then when the alarm goes off and you have to wake up

  • and turn it off and all that fun stuff,

  • let that phone stay tucked in,

  • in its special little home, for a little while.

  • Waking up in the morning and starting

  • the scroll process is a terrible idea.

  • It's a complete waste of any waking up early things

  • if you plan to do something like that,

  • or even when you wake up at all, it's your time.

  • So, don't spend it trying to figure out

  • is there something I should have checked,

  • especially if it's Twitter or Instagram.

  • That can absolutely wait.

  • So, how can you prepare for letting your phone sleep in?

  • Choose that special place that is not next to your bed

  • where your phone will get tucked in every night

  • when you go to sleep, so that is has a place to stay

  • while you're doing your morning routine.

  • Keep do not disturb on for a little bit,

  • until it's time to get back on your phone,

  • so that you can go about your routine without distractions.

  • Knowing that the phone is right over there

  • and will just ding you whenever it feels like

  • is not the same thing as letting it sleep in.

  • Do not disturb is sleep-in mode

  • for the phone, so leverage that.

  • The second idea is to get your water drinking on.

  • If you start your day with water,

  • then you're much more likely to continue

  • the theme of drinking water throughout the day.

  • I can tell you this because I do not like drinking water.

  • But when I start with it, I am much

  • more likely to have a lot more of it,

  • especially if I have some other things encouraging it.

  • There have been a lot of myths and misconceptions

  • about the benefits of water for us.

  • I would like to say that water will clear your skin

  • right up, but that's not always true.

  • Skin care does its job on that front.

  • But your body does need to be hydrated,

  • if for nothing else, flushing out the toxins that you know

  • you welcomed into your body over the holidays, OK?

  • So, how do you prepare yourself to drink

  • more water throughout the day?

  • I recommend buying a dope water bottle

  • that you know you're going to like.

  • For me, it has to have a straw attached

  • or I will not drink it.

  • If it's one of those big water bottles

  • and you have to guzzle it, I'm not into that.

  • Whether I have makeup on or not, I'm not into guzzling

  • water, it just doesn't sound like fun to me.

  • I need a straw when I'm at the gym,

  • I need a straw in the morning,

  • I need a straw throughout the day.

  • It causes me do drink a lot more.

  • So, my water bottle is equipped with that,

  • and it's also very big, it's at least 32 ounces,

  • so I know I've got a solid amount of water

  • intake just from one water bottle.

  • And my next tip to prepare would be to start

  • with something else other than just basic water.

  • Now, I'm typically thirsty for just straight-up water,

  • but I like to start my day with lemon water,

  • so I have a really great little lemon squeezer.

  • I was using a different one, and then my mom gave me

  • this little gadget, and it's my favorite

  • lemon squeezer I have ever used.

  • It really gets a lot of the juice outta there.

  • And that adds so much flavor to your first water

  • in the morning that it makes it a little bit

  • more interesting than just your basic H2O.

  • My next idea for your morning routine is to read 10 pages.

  • If you're the type of person that wants to read more,

  • and we will definitely be reading more on this channel

  • as we talk about book club throughout the year,

  • I know that I'm even trying to read on a more regular basis.

  • I tend to wait 'til before bed,

  • which, I think, is so bad, because when I'm in bed,

  • I am ready for bed, and that book just puts me to sleep.

  • So, I ultimately end up reading for only

  • about 15 minutes, and that is not enough,

  • 'cause I can't read as fast as I would like.

  • So, I'm not reading as much as I would

  • if I was doing it when I was wide awake.

  • So, reading 10 pages a day and trying to lead off

  • with that in the morning will give you that intention

  • of getting in your reading time every day

  • and knocking it out before the rest

  • of the world comes in and takes over.

  • How do you prepare for this?

  • I would choose your reading spot.

  • So, I have one specific place on the couch

  • that I love to just curl up, make sure I've got

  • my lemon water or my coffee, and start to read.

  • If I don't have that spot, I'll just be like,

  • oh, I'll just read in bed, and then I fall asleep;

  • or I'll just sit in my office and read or something.

  • No, I'm not gonna sit here and read.

  • That's not what I do here, that's not my mode.

  • So, find your place where it is reading mode.

  • Another thing I recommend, and I do both,

  • I like to read out of a book, but I also like audio books.

  • And if you're an audio book person

  • because you're like, uh, I hate to read,

  • but everybody tells me I should, do the audiobook thing.

  • It's fantastic, especially if the author

  • read the audiobook theirself,

  • (laughs) like someone I know.

  • Hint, hint, get yourself a copy.

  • My advice for the audiobook thing

  • is it's easy to just invest in an Audible membership,

  • and I will link to that in the description,

  • because I highly recommend Audible,

  • it's a fantastic service for audiobooks.

  • But then you'll sometimes forget about it entirely

  • if it's just an app on your phone, so pair the act

  • of listening to a book with one specific activity.

  • So, if you like to do cardio at the gym,

  • then just say, OK, every time I do cardio at the gym,

  • which is at least five days a week,

  • then I'm going to pair my audio listening

  • to the treadmill moving around.

  • And that way, you're more likely to do the thing

  • because you've decided what tasks are gonna get paired

  • together instead of, again, just an arbitrary,

  • oh, I'll just get my audiobook time in at some point.

  • I don't know about you, but I actually don't find

  • there are many opportunities while I'm working

  • on the computer that it makes sense

  • for me to listen to something else

  • because I will find that my brain is having

  • a hard time processing one or the other.

  • So, when I really wanna read a book,

  • I need to be doing something totally mindless,

  • like being on the treadmill, bored,

  • in order to absorb an audio book.

  • And my last tip for preparation is choose

  • something you're excited to read.

  • We might choose something here for book club

  • that you're that into, or if somebody recommends

  • something to you, and you're like,

  • mm, I'm not really into nonfiction,

  • then just don't do it, don't waste your time.

  • I'm one of those people that feels like they

  • have to finish everything, like I have to get the last drop

  • of shampoo out of the bottle, give it to me now,

  • I will not, I am, it's so weird.

  • So, I always feel like I have to finish a book,

  • but one of the biggest things that I learned

  • is that I don't, I absolutely do not.

  • If I don't like how it's going, I can stop.

  • And there was a book I really, really wanted to love

  • in the last couple of months,

  • and I was like, I am not into this.

  • And it could've been what I was going through,

  • and it just wasn't a good time.

  • Regardless, don't waste your time.

  • Stop, move on to the next one.

  • Pick something you're excited about,

  • and then quit if it's not the right fit for you.

  • My fourth idea is to just write something.

  • I know this might sound crazy if you're not a writer.

  • I'm not a writer, I just think it's great

  • to get ideas out of your brain.

  • So, this could be a number of things.

  • You could do something like morning pages,

  • which we talk a lot about around here,

  • which is basically just brain dumping for three pages.

  • You could write a list of ideas,

  • you could just write down what your dream was

  • from the night before, you could have a gratitude journal.

  • Just write something first thing in the morning.

  • Get things out of your brain and onto paper,

  • so that they are not just sitting

  • there and bogging you down.

  • How do you prepare for this?

  • Well, one thing that you can do is get

  • a specific journal for your everyday life,

  • your tasks, your ideas, your brain dump, whatever it is.

  • I highly recommend the Bullet Journal.

  • I have stuck with the Bullet Journal

  • for two years now, it's been 2017, 2018.

  • My 2018 journal was a little shaky, I'm not gonna lie.

  • But I am so excited about really

  • knocking it out of the park in 2019.

  • And something very special, Bullet Journal

  • actually sent me, and I don't know if you can see this,

  • but they sent me a box, which I was so excited about,

  • and then I didn't open it because

  • things were going on, and I got distracted.

  • And I just thought, oh, that's so nice,

  • they sent me a Bullet Journal.

  • And then I was like, I feel like that's

  • a very big box for one Bullet Journal.

  • Well, it is.

  • So, what they did was that they included

  • The Bullet Journal Method, the book,

  • and this is basically a guide on how to use Bullet Journal,

  • as well as, I think, some other stories

  • and things like that from the creator

  • of the the Bullet Journal, Ryder Carroll;

  • and the Leuchtturm 1917,

  • which is the notebook for bullet journaling,

  • but it has been fully customized

  • for the Bullet Journal brand.

  • But there's more, they gave me another one,

  • one for me and one to give away.

  • So I have another copy of The Bullet Journal Method

  • and the Leuchtturm 1917 to give away.

  • And so, I am going to do just that

  • because you've gotta have this in your life, I love it.

  • You can go watch my previous videos on bullet journaling.

  • Actually, if you wanna see what my updated

  • Bullet Journal's gonna be like, comment about that below,

  • because I think that would be a really great

  • future video for us to discuss if you're interested.

  • But if you would like to win these two

  • items here, I'm gonna ship it to ya.

  • Head over to my Instagram and look for my latest photo,

  • where you can leave a comment about what you're excited

  • about getting more productive with in the New Year.

  • And I will choose a winner, US only,

  • sorry, I shoulda said that, US only,

  • and I will ship these to you myself

  • as soon as possible, so that you can kick off

  • your New Year with your new Bullet Journal.

  • Thanks to Bullet Journal for sending this to me.

  • This is not sponsored, they just sent me the box,

  • and I am absolutely going to share the love on this

  • because I know I have a lot of Bullet Journal

  • enthusiasts in this lovely community.

  • My next idea is for you to wash your face.

  • I'm personally the type of person that cannot even

  • function if I have not washed my face.

  • I can't go make coffee, I can't go drink my lemon water,

  • I can't go write in my journal, I can't do anything

  • until I get the crud outta my eyes

  • and make my face feel really moist.

  • I want to be able to lead with my skin.

  • So, how would you prepare for this if you're not the type

  • of person to wash your face first thing in the morning?

  • Maybe you do the bare minimum at night,

  • which is the bare minimum, by the way.

  • Don't make me cram skin care tips down your throat.

  • What I would suggest is that you set your face wash

  • and your moisturizer out, so that it is not like,

  • oh, where did I put that again?

  • Or oh yeah, I forgot I had a routine,

  • and I stuck it in the cabinet, no.

  • Sit it on the counter, this is what countertops are for.

  • If you don't have a countertop,

  • then maybe you can get a nice stand for these items.

  • If you forget they exist, you will not use them,

  • so I tend to leave things out on the counter

  • that, first of all, I use frequently;

  • or secondly, I don't wanna forget that I bought

  • 'cause it's not in my usual routine.

  • My next tip for this is don't go overboard.

  • A lot of times, people will sign up for a six-step skin care

  • routine 'cause they're like, woo-hoo, ready to go in, no.

  • You do not need to do that, and sometimes your skin

  • will actually freak out if you add too many things,

  • not just get a couple of zits,

  • because that happens when you start new face wash,

  • and it's sorta like, what is this?

  • It's actually cleaning out the toxins in a different way.

  • But if you start adding too many serums or oils or whatever,

  • and you haven't really given things time

  • to work themselves out and you do too much at once,

  • it cannot be good for your skin.

  • I've been dealing with a lot of perioral dermatitis

  • in the last couple of years, actually, basically,

  • since my wedding, which is awful.

  • What I've learned from that is you need

  • to be able to test things and figure out

  • where the source of the issue is.

  • So, don't sign up for too much.

  • If you wanna prepare, just do,

  • add one thing that you haven't been doing.

  • The base, I would say, is face wash and moisturizer.

  • But if that's your first step, that's a good first step.

  • My sixth idea is for you to make the bed,

  • that annoying thing that your parents always wanted you

  • to do growing up that you hated doing.

  • But, darn it, they were right.

  • The nice thing about this is that if you do nothing else

  • the rest of the day, you get to get in bed

  • that night and look at this masterpiece

  • of the one thing you were able to accomplish.

  • So, kick off your day with one great thing,

  • and that is making the bed that you're gonna

  • wanna get into later in a bad way.

  • How do you prepare for this?

  • Well, you just gotta do it.

  • When it comes down to it, we're talking about just

  • making the bed, just make the bed.

  • Another thing you can do is maybe

  • make it more worth your while.

  • I added a couple of the big euro

  • square pillows to make the bed look

  • a lot more impressive when it's made,

  • and that gets me more excited to make the bed

  • even though I've just added steps to the process.

  • But it does look a lot prettier.

  • And another weekly routine tip here that will

  • help you with the whole bed-making habit is I have always,

  • probably for the last 10 years, almost my entire adulthood,

  • I have always washed my sheets on Sunday.

  • Today's Sunday, I'll wash my sheets,

  • so that I have fresh sheets going into every new workweek.

  • To me, it just makes it feel like it's just like icing

  • on the cake that I have prepared fully

  • for what I have to do in the coming days.

  • And my last idea for your New Year morning

  • routine is to limit decision-making.

  • The fewer things that you have to make

  • your brain work on every single morning the better,

  • because then you're more likely to continue to do the things

  • as habits that don't cause a lot of decision-making.

  • So, I'm gonna make my bed, there is no decision there, done.

  • I am going to drink lemon water, no decision there, done.

  • I am going to write in my morning pages

  • while I drink my lemon water and then my coffee, done.

  • It's not a decision, it's just you're gonna do it.

  • I'm gonna go to the gym, I am going

  • to get dressed, these are all things.

  • But the little things like what am I gonna wear to the gym?

  • What am I gonna wear for the day?

  • When am I going to go to the gym?

  • When am I going to make time for it?

  • These, the little decisions that can start

  • to make you question lots of parts of your day,

  • and then it just, everything gets messy.

  • So, do things like picking out your uniform.

  • If you know it's a day you have to go into the office,

  • then there's probably a specific

  • outfit that you would typically wear.

  • What are the basics of that?

  • Lay them out the night before

  • or stick with that plan every time.

  • When I used to work at a law firm,

  • I wore black slacks every day, and it was just a matter

  • of what button-down shirt I was gonna wear or what sweater.

  • And then from there, it's like,

  • what shoes go with those black pants?

  • Are they long black pants?

  • I'm gonna wear a heel.

  • Are they short black pants?

  • I'm gonna wear a flat, it was that simple.

  • So the limiting of the decision-making

  • is going to make your life so much easier

  • when you're trying to get out the door,

  • when you're trying to move on to something

  • that actually deserves meaningful thought.

  • Another tip would be go to the gym

  • at the same time every day.

  • If you have the ability to do that, or if it makes

  • the most sense for you because your schedule

  • is fairly set, then it's not a decision.

  • It's not am I gonna go to the gym,

  • it's always go to the gym.

  • To me, I just go every single day, so I'm not saying,

  • oh, I only work out three to four times a week.

  • If I do that, then I'm like, oh, I only went

  • twice this week, so I'll just do five next week.

  • No, no, no, no, no.

  • If you go every day, even if it's not a serious workout,

  • if it's sort of like a, you're on your sixth

  • day of the week of working out,

  • just walk on the treadmill for a mile at a high incline,

  • and it's like, great, you went to the gym today,

  • and you didn't have to, but you did.

  • And that routine helped you get to the ones

  • that were a little bit harder.

  • Saying that as somebody that's getting some

  • really challenging trainings from her trainer,

  • and so, there are days that are easier at the gym,

  • and there are days that I wish I wasn't there.

  • But I don't get to decide, it's just every day.

  • Just a couple of bonus tips on this whole

  • morning routine thing, one being do not be afraid

  • of habits, and do not let habits rule you.

  • I'm the type of person, I nerd out about habits.

  • There are people that do not.

  • There are a lot of people who do not,

  • but definitely want to try to at least have a few.

  • If you are one of those people,

  • do not let habits become the ruler of your life.

  • You don't wanna sign up for bureaucracy,

  • and you also don't wanna give yourself

  • a super-hard time if you miss something.

  • If you're traveling, if your schedule changes,

  • if suddenly, your dog's gotta go to the vet

  • because they're sick, things happen.

  • And you'll find that the most successful people

  • with their habits do not give themselves a hard time

  • if they miss one or two or three 'cause they know

  • they're gonna get right back to them.

  • They're gonna get back to their normal routine.

  • They're gonna get back to it at some point.

  • And they're not gonna give themselves a hard time

  • on the other days because it's just a fact of life.

  • If you let the habits rule you,

  • you will not stick with them.

  • But if you respect them for what they are

  • and you keep them in your life as consistently

  • as is normal and as is human, then you're gonna be fine.

  • And another one is to start keeping track

  • of a few differences by having routines

  • in your life for these different habits.

  • If you start drinking lemon water in the morning

  • and you feel more awake more naturally without coffee,

  • then maybe start to learn from that

  • and drink a little bit of less coffee.

  • If you're starting to notice a difference

  • in your body because you are at least moving at the gym

  • almost every day, then notice that, write it down,

  • put it in your journal, start to track things.

  • The more you monitor, the more likely

  • you're gonna keep up with something.

  • Alright, those are just a few ideas

  • for your New Year morning routine.

  • I'd love to hear some suggestions

  • from you in the comments below.

  • What are you planning on instituting

  • in your mornings going into the New Year?

  • Leave a comment.

  • And if you're interested in hearing a little bit

  • about resolutions that I had this year and sort of a recap

  • on that and how I'm going into next year about resolutions,

  • the latest episode of Detail Therapy,

  • yes, the podcast is finally coming back

  • from a break also (laughs),

  • it'll be out tomorrow, December 31st,

  • which is New Year's Eve, and so, you can

  • tune in and get a listen to that.

  • The link is in the description.

  • I know the last couple of months have been

  • a little bit weird around here, but I'm super happy

  • to finally be back back, like really back this time,

  • Sundays and Wednesdays in full effect.

  • So, thank you for your patience with me,

  • and I'm so excited for what is to come.

  • We are gonna have some fun around here in 2019.

  • That's all for today, thank you so much for tuning in.

  • I appreciate it, as always.

  • Make sure you subscribe for good vibes,

  • kiss the ones you love (smacks lips),

  • and remember to go after the life that you want.

  • Cheers.

  • (gentle rhythmic music)

- Good morning, good life, everyone.

Subtitles and vocabulary

Click the word to look it up Click the word to find further inforamtion about it