As a whole, those of us with ADHD have trouble with routines.

Sometimes we get bored and start to deviate from our planned routines. Other times we have issues putting together a routine to begin with. And then some of us just despise feeling like we are obligated or “supposed to” do anything.

I get more emails about morning routines than almost anything else. Which is why I decided to try Make Over Your Mornings myself.

In her 14 day course Make Over Your Mornings, Crystal Paine does a great job of explaining that life happens. Children get sick, spouses travel and even people without ADHD have trouble in the morning.

From the very first day of this course, students will know that this is about more than planning out your mornings – it’s about improving your life.

Product Review: Make Over Your Mornings

First, Crystal reminds you that you need set aside time to complete the course.

Many of us purchase a course and then have a “flexible” plan to watch the video/look at the workbook at some point. Unfortunately, many of us forget to complete online courses because we are not intentional about it.

You need to be intentional in order to change your habits.

A Great morning begins with a great evening

Like myself, Crystal Paine understands the importance of preparing the night before for a good morning. She offers good ideas for getting more sleep including eliminating electronics and shifting bedtimes.

She offers sound advice that basically falls right into my thinking about how to prepare each night for a better morning. Nobody likes to feel like the day started out on a stressful note.

Here is my post on creating a night time routine.

Another good piece of advice from the course is to hone in on what is causing you stress in the morning in order to determine if you could handle that activity the night before.

For example, if your child has a hard time getting through breakfast, making a food choice the night before might simplify the process.

Prioritize

One of my favorite aspects of this course is that Crystal Paine shows you how to actively prioritize your mornings. She explains the idea of important tasks vs urgent tasks, and how living reactively actually stresses us out.

When we live our lives hastily going from one urgent task to another – essentially putting out fires – we feel depleted and unable to handle our lives.

I always tell my community to choose 1 (at most 2) major tasks for the day that must be done. Crystal says something similar in Day 3 when she encourages her students to think, “if I did nothing else but —- today, my day would still be a success.”

Here is a screen shot from one of the videos!

Crystal likes to get up early in the morning so she can have some personal time. I am the same way. This is a practice that I wholeheartedly agree with, as you are prioritizing YOURSELF.  I always tell my group, you must have some kind of reward to get you moving in the morning.

Getting out of bed isn’t easy for most people, so if you have something to look forward to you are more likely to stick to your new routine. Crystal suggests making a short list of internal motivations, as well as external motivations to help you think through this process.

Goal Setting

One of the reasons so many of us have trouble in the morning is because we do not see mornings as a time of day to accomplish anything. We just want to make it out the door with our sanity intact and without our children screeching.

But this is the thing, the only way to make your mornings meaningful is to have a specific goal. And your goal cannot be too vague.

For example, my goal is to get to work on time. Crystal Paine talks about setting a goal such as saving money, or reading to your children each day for 10 minutes. The point is, you have to be specific so you can break down your goal into chunks.

Make Over Your Mornings walks you through how to turn your goals into action, and how to reassess if your goals are not realistic at this time.

Keep Your Expectations in Check

When you are forming a new routine you need to give yourself the space to make it work. Pair down your to-do list for the morning to just 3-4 items. If your list has 20 items on it there is no way you can complete it.

Making changes in your life, or your mornings, requires a shift in mindset. Crystal Paine candidly explains that she does not always have the perfect morning. Nor does she always feel like she has accomplished all that she wants.  This is coming from a successful writer and entrepreneur.

Forming a morning routine will always be a work in progress.

There will be days when your routine is totally off and you feel like quitting. There will be evenings when you are simply unable to get through your nighttime routine.

That next morning will be hard. But then you will decide that it is not worth it to give up, or to hit the snooze button.

Part of personal change is listening to the negative thoughts in our own heads, and learning to deal with them. See my most on emotional management for more information.

Overall, Crystal Paine does a fantastic job of making her students think of the Morning Routine as a starting point for larger personal growth. She walks you through the logical steps and thought process you need to form a new habit.

Finally, Make Over Your Mornings is easy to follow and the videos are high quality. My favorites are Day Three and Day Eight. This is not just a course about making mornings better, it is about making your life better.

For the price of this course ($17) you get 14 videos and a 70 page workbook. This is truly a no-brainer. I feel so strongly about Make Over Your Mornings that I signed up to be an affiliate.

I truly believe Crystal’s course can help women (with and without ADHD) with prioritizing and forming functional, successful morning routines.

For more information go to Make Over Your Mornings.

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