This week’s episode was inspired by something a little different and quite exciting. I was contacted by BBC Radio and asked to contribute to a short segment on morning routines. It made me realise this is a topic I’ve touched on before, but what I shared in that segment is an important angle I haven’t really spoken about yet.
Rather than focusing on having the “perfect” routine, I talked about what I believe is one of the most important reasons morning routines can be so powerful, and that’s what I want to share with you today.
Back Foot vs Front Foot
At the core of this is something quite simple: Whether you start your day on the back foot or on the front foot. In other words, whether you start your day in a reactive state or a more proactive, intentional one.
That difference has a huge impact on how your day feels, how it unfolds, your stress levels, your focus, and your energy.
For many people, a reactive start to the day looks like waking up and immediately:
- Checking emails
- Going on social media
- Reading or listening to the news
- Jumping straight into work or calls
Before you’ve even had a chance to think for yourself, you’re already responding to external input.
- Other people’s demands.
- External pressure.
- Often negative or stressful information.
And that’s what creates that feeling of starting the day on the back foot, like you’re chasing your tail before the day has even begun. This often happens unconsciously.
It’s also much more likely if you wake up with very little time and you’re rushing. That alone creates a more stressful state, and from there, you’re simply reacting to the pressure of not wanting to be late, whether that’s getting to the office or logging on.
Creating a More Intentional Start
What we want instead is a more intentional start to the day, and this doesn’t need to be complicated. It’s simply about doing something for yourself first, before opening yourself up to everything else. Even one small action can shift your state and help you do that.
It could be as simple as:
- Making your bed
- Having a glass of water
- A few minutes of stretching
- Stepping outside for fresh air
These are simple things, but they mean you’re starting your day intentionally, not reactively. Of course, you can do more if you want to, such as walking, exercising, meditating, but the key is that you’re choosing how you start your day, rather than immediately reacting to it.
Locus of Control
This also links to something called locus of control – a concept from psychology that describes where your sense of control comes from.
Put simply:
- An external locus of control means your state is driven by what’s happening around you.
- An internal locus of control means you feel more in control of how you respond.
When you start your day reactively, you’re operating from an external locus of control. Whereas when you start intentionally, even in a small way, you shift to a more internal one. And that has a noticeable impact on how grounded, calm, and in control you feel, not just in the moment but also often for the rest of the day.
Your Morning Starts the Night Before
Another important point is this: Your morning doesn’t start when you wake up, it starts the night before. How you feel in the morning is heavily influenced by:
- Your sleep
- When you went to bed
- And your state the evening before
This is especially relevant on Sundays because many people experience the “Sunday blues” or feel anxious about the week ahead. And what often follows is some level of avoidance, which can look like staying up later, scrolling, or distracting yourself. But that reduces sleep, increases stress, and makes Monday feel even harder, so you wake up already on the back foot.
The best approach is to prepare for the week ahead, go to bed at a reasonable time, and set yourself up properly. But don’t underestimate how much that kind of ‘avoidance’ can affect how you feel and how you start your week.
If you’re more intentional the night before, you’ll wake up feeling more rested, more capable, and already more in control.
Being Realistic
There are plenty of structured morning routines out there that include things like exercise, journaling, meditation, and mindset work, and they can be very effective. But for most people, it’s not realistic to spend lots of time on a morning routine.
So focus on simple, practical things instead:
- Listen to something uplifting while getting ready or commuting.
- Get a few minutes of movement.
- Get outside for natural light (especially if you work from home).
- Take a short walk.
These actions may sound small, but they can make a significant difference. Furthermore, one of the most powerful habits is simply taking a few minutes before you start work to:
- Review your schedule
- Get clear on your priorities
- Think about what you want to achieve
In other words, setting your intention for the day, I’ve seen this make a huge difference with clients.
A Note for Parents: If your mornings are naturally more reactive, for example, if you have young children, the same principle still applies, it just might happen slightly later. Even taking a few minutes before you start work, or during your commute, to reset and think intentionally can make a big difference.
Final Thought
This isn’t really about having a perfect morning routine. It’s about not starting your day in reaction, and the way to do that is by creating even a small moment of intention, so you feel more in control from the start.
Because that’s what shifts you from feeling behind to feeling ahead. And, actually, it’s not just a feeling, you genuinely put yourself in a better position for the rest of the day.
If You Want to Take This Further
If you’d like to explore this for yourself, take a moment to reflect:
- Are you starting your days reactively?
- What small change could you make?
And if you’d like support in making those changes and building more structure and consistency into your routine, feel free to get in touch: email info@katehorwood.com.
Kate x
