How's Your Morning Routine?

So what's your morning routine look like?  Do you have one?  Would you like to have a flow that each day starts with?

Seems like everyone is talking about their morning routine.  Mike Hyatt's recent podcast does an excellent job of outlining successful components of his morning jig.  Pat Flynn of Smart Passive Income also wrote about his to-do list and how he keeps it simple.

I'm a morning guy but not because I'm very disciplined- I'm not.  What I do enjoy is getting a lot of work done and it seems like the morning is a better time to do that.  That's just me and you could be different.  My wife, Cary is more of a night owl.  That could explain how we are so complimentary.  

The key is this: the better your routine, the less stress you'll have as the day goes on.  Anyhow, here's my current morning routine:

5:10 press snooze

5:15 wake up for real

5:15-5:20 brew coffee and do stretches

5:20-6:00 check Twitter, go through the daily Mass readings from the Bible, write in Day One journal

6:00-6:35 shave, shower and get ready for work

6:35-7:15 commute

7:20 arrive at work and attend Daily Mass

7:45 work!

Can you write down a similar schedule that almost every day follows?  What's working for you in terms of getting the most out of your day?

Photo courtesy of HM

Stop it Already

My brother worked for a start-up and would work a full day's work, then come home for dinner and then head back to work.  It was tough.  Thankfully it was only temporary.

This makes sense for a season of life but you can't do it for the long haul.  Parents know what this is like as small children drain you one moment and then make you laugh the next.  College students also can relate as their bodies become accustomed to staying up late in order to get all of their work done.  Push and pull.

But what if you weren't in one of those seasons of life?  What if you just wanted to cut the crap and stop all of the busyness?

As posted recently by LifeHack, there are times when you just need to quit being so busy.  Quoting Jared Latigo from the post:

We have to be intentional about the time we set aside to read. To watch TV. To check email. And everything else. We can very quickly fill our time with stuff if we’re not intentional about what we do.

 How intentional are you with your schedule?  Do you find that social media adds or detracts from your busyness?

Photo courtesy of FDP

Podcast 24: Experiments in Faith

In this cast we discuss the role of a "faith experiment" in order to produce lasting results.  While my experiment was not intentional, I outline three ways that you can design your own process of being stretched by God.  Like the monks of ages past who would push their minds and bodies to the outer limits, a faith experiment is a practical way to grow in your own walk with God.

Shownotes include:

TimeManagementNinja.com ("What Everyone Should Know About Productivity Leverage Points")

DistinctDisciples.com

Three Spiritual Lessons from House Selling

The Messy Quest for Meaning: Five Catholic Practices for Finding Your Vocation 

The Daily Saint FaithWorker Study Guide (free!)

Enjoy the cast!

*Photo courtesy of TB

Listen to Podcast 24

7 Signs That Your Faith May be Veering off the Road

I ran into a friend at church who proudly shared photos of her new granddaughter. Little Cindy, now resting peacefully at home, had a tough couple of weeks. It turns out that after a difficult delivery, the baby was facing dehydration. She had to then be hospitalized in order to receive the fluids that her body craved.

My friend looked me in the eye and said without hesitation, “it was serious, very serious.” Thankfully, Cindy is now doing much better.

Just like a health situation that can be serious, our spiritual lives can face circumstances of dire consequence as well. When faith takes a wrong turn, it's as dangerous as a car that strikes the guardrail. Take situations of mortal sin. There’s no question that adultery can destroy a marriage. There are few who doubt that murder scars a soul.

While Cindy was being watched hour by hour to measure her health, our adult lives are more subtle and the signs of sin can be invisible. Fortunately if you can spot them, pride in particular, you can head sin off at the pass. The result: spiritual hydration for the long haul.

So what are the signs of pride in an adult’s life? I suggest the following seven signs:

1. You are easily offended.

2. You are overly critical of others.

3. You cop a victim mindset.

4. You blame others.

5. You aren’t praying for others.

6. You expect that others will accommodate you.

7. You think you have all of the answers.

We could say a whole lot more about each of these. I think the key is to pray for the grace of deep humility. Fr. Thomas Augustine Judge once said that “humility is truth”, meaning that if we are honest with ourselves, we’ll be slower to judge them and quicker to demonstrate compassion. More humility leads to better honesty and as they say, honesty is the only policy for a faith that stays on the right path.

When was the last time that you caught yourself in one of the seven traps listed above?

Photo courtesy of MD

Three Spiritual Lessons from House Selling

The day the sign went up I could feel the stares.

Neighbors, previously friendly to us, suddenly raised an eye brow as the realtor put the stakes into the ground. "Home for Sale" became a symbol of traitorship in our quiet suburban development. Why would they want to move? What's wrong with this neighborhood? You could almost hear the dinner conversation about the family in the white house that just put their house up for sale.

I avoided Herbie, my closest friend on the block, for days on end. I felt guilty, as if my desire to move was a statement of dissatisfaction with him or his backyard. It wasn't of course but the emotional pull of moving does weird things to your head.

Now a few months later and with a boat load of showings under our belt, I can say that we have gleaned (at least) three spiritual lessons from the house selling process.

1. House selling increases your faith. It's not a great market in which to sell. The economy isn't exactly "shovel ready" and everyone wants a deal. So much of the house selling process is out of your control that you literally have to throw it up to God and trust that He will work out the details. That's great for your faith.


2. House selling increases communication within your own family. Cary and I have had more conversations with our kids about our home, our town and what we really need (i.e. space, bedrooms, etc.) as a result of putting our house up for sale. More communication = better relationships.


3. House selling expands your vision for the future. When you leverage something that you own, it helps you to measure what's really important. That, in turn, leads to big thoughts about your future. For us, the house selling process has brought a lot of clarity to where we want to be in the short and the long term.

As of today our house hasn't sold. I wish it had but I'm grateful for the three lessons that we've learned along the way. Finally, Herbie and I are back on speaking terms.

What did you learn from the last time you had to purchase or sell a home?

Photo courtesy of SR