Does your New Year’s Resolution list include things like working out more or beginning a workout routine? Going back to school to get that degree you’ve been wanting to get that will finally allow you to make a change in your career?

Maybe you’re a mom who desperately needs just an hour of time for herself, and you are past the point of being picky about what time of day that moment of peace and quiet manifests itself. Or maybe your goal is making more time for your writing, or your art, or whatever your unique passion is that gets pushed to the bottom of the list most days. Even worse, your goal might not have made it on the list yet; it’s just been circulating in your mind and begging to be prioritized.

If this is you, that’s a good thing.

You’ve identified a goal that is not going away, which means that it’s important enough to adjust your routine and habits to accomplish it.

Before you can make a change, though, you need to be realistic.

Just because you’re passionate doesn’t mean you have an action plan.

Everyone has the same number of hours in the day. It may seem like others have an easier time reaching their goals, but they’ve just prioritized their time differently. Maybe they have given other things up in order to achieve their goal, and maybe they’re struggling with lack of sleep most days because they’re burning the candle at both ends to get where they want to be. For the most part, we all have jobs, responsibilities, and demands that take up the majority of our day.

This means that you have to get creative.

Many of us cringe at the term “morning person,” and you may have argued that you are the exact opposite and will never be a morning person. In any capacity.

Becoming a “morning person” doesn’t mean that you’re going to love waking up earlier and getting up when it’s still dark and everyone else in the house is still warm and comfy in their bed. No. It simply means that you’re willing to create a “morning routine” that will allow you to achieve the goals and dreams you might put off forever if you waited for more time.

Here’s a secret: You don’t have to be a morning person to adopt a morning routine, and you don’t have to enjoy waking up early.

Even morning people don’t love getting up when they’re still tired. Morning people aren’t THAT crazy. They just know that once they are up, their mind is at its best, and they are able to gain time they wouldn’t otherwise have. Their goal is bigger than the initial discomfort of getting started.

Here are some benefits to creating a morning routine that will help you to be intentional about achieving your goal this year:

1. The Mindset of Productivity

Starting your day with “confidence, peace, and a positive attitude” is said by productivity coaches to set you up for a successful rest of your day.

When we are deliberate about how we’re spending our time, we’re able to accomplish more of what we want out of our day, not just the productivity our boss wants out of us.

When you have limited hours of personal time to work with, you can gain this mindset of productivity by setting yourself up to be more in control of your day. Rather than running behind after hitting the snooze button five too many times, you will be motivated by the sense of accomplishment you receive by prioritizing yourself first. Not after you’ve put in your 8 hours in the office, but first.

The simple switch that occurs in our perspective, from being productive in the ways that mean something to us, puts us in a better mental state to go about our day after already making progress towards our own ambitions. We’re also more likely to stick with the morning routine when we start to see even a little bit of the results.

2. A Better Emotional State

“Our emotional health can be impacted by how we feel we are managing our day” (Jodi Clarke, MA, LPC/MHSP).

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed, stressed, and frustrated when we constantly feel behind on what we need to be doing to meet our goals. When your goals are tied to other stressors, like the career change you are desperate to make or the health changes that are weighing on you mentally or physically day in and day out, the emotional state created by not making progress on these changes can be especially harmful.

Starting your day earlier gives you power over your time before the daily demands of life begin. This is one way to regulate your emotional well-being in times of stress. Creating a morning routine that helps you work toward goals benefits you by also helping to build the resilience needed to maintain mental stamina for targets that won’t be reached overnight.

3. Improved Quality of your Efforts

Being deliberate with our time leads to more productivity naturally due to the level of quality and intention we devote to it. Even if it’s only 30 minutes or an hour or two, we will feel much more accomplished with these efforts than if we tried to squeeze something important into a time of day when we are distracted.

Multitasking is not always a win. If we’re working towards an important goal, we want our best efforts put forth, not a watered-down version of our best.

Not surprisingly, you might find that it’s refreshing to single-task. Focusing on one thing at a time is so against our society’s mantra. We are so used to running around with a mental to-do list that never ends, constantly trying to pack as much into our time as possible. Do yourself a favor and slow down. Give yourself permission to focus on one task and give it your best effort.

4. Confidence Comes from Small Successes

Through simple changes like starting and maintaining a morning routine, we build confidence in our own abilities. We prove to ourselves, day by day, that we have what it takes to make our dreams happen.

As taught by highly influential social cognitive psychologist Albert Bandura, self-efficacy is another term for a person’s belief in their ability to succeed.

Seeing our progress, even if it’s slow, reinforces our belief and confidence in ourselves. For many of us, simply fighting the urge to hit the snooze button and rolling out of bed is a part of this confidence boost. Making this first step every morning reinforces the belief in yourself and the goal you’re striving for.

5. You Will Feel Empowered

Just knowing that you are awake and working on your own goals when you don’t have to be, is empowering. You might be losing sleep, but you’re gaining so much more.

Once you’re up and functioning, there’s nothing to regret about being up. You have taken control of your morning, and this sense of power goes with you throughout your day. You might still hate your job and the mundane errands, but you’ve already “won” on one level before even leaving your house.

There’s nothing wrong with feeling a little smug here, too, if it helps. Call yourself a “badass” or whatever affirmation works to give yourself that mental pat on the back for being awesome and doing what a lot of others can’t or won’t.

How to Put These into Practice:

· Be realistic about the time you can commit to waking up.

Truth: Not everyone needs to wake up at 4am to be productive.

You may only need 30 minutes to put toward your goal every morning. Maybe you need 90 minutes or more. Decide what amount of time makes sense for you and make it realistic with your current work obligations. If you don’t start work until 10am, maybe you don’t need to get up at 5am. Perhaps 7 or 8am would work just fine.

If your free time is dictated by other obligations besides a traditional 9–5 work schedule, like being a stay-at-home mom who needs some peace and quiet to do your own thing, decide what time you need to be up to beat the little ones.

Regardless of your specific objective for developing a morning routine, pick a time that allows you to feel successful and to also be able to sustain it.

· Be consistent once you start.

It takes time to develop new habits and routines, and it’ll be easier for your body to adjust to a new sleep schedule if you are consistent about the time frame you’re going to bed and waking up. This goes for weekends too. Try not to let your routine get so out of whack that you’re starting all over when Monday morning comes around.

· Prep the night before

You will thank yourself for anything you do the night before that makes your morning easier. Even if it seems trivial, having your outfit picked out gives you one less thing to think about, so you can devote more mental energy towards the important things- working on your goals.

Breakfast isn’t always practical to make the night before, but if you pack lunch for yourself or your family, getting the assembly of sandwiches out of the way in the evening frees up a surprising amount of prep time in the morning. You will be pleased if all you have to do is throw some snacks and pre-filled sandwich bags into a lunch box once you’ve reached the end of your personal work time in the morning.

· Practice the “Principle of no thinking.”

Elias Scully describes the “Principle of No Thinking” in his Believe & Empower Blog. The key is to direct your focus and energy on doing rather than thinking about what you need to do. Don’t give yourself time to work into it or reconsider how important your plan of action is. Just act.

Renowned motivational speaker, Mel Robbins, has termed this concept “The 5 Second Rule.”

“The 5 Second Rule closes the gap between thinking about what needs to be done and actually doing it.”

This concept is perfect for those of us who have serious goals but need to restructure our routines and comfort zones to achieve them. Scientifically, the 5 Second Rule helps our cause:

“The 5 Second Rule helps you activate your prefrontal cortex, which is the part of the brain in charge of decision making, strategic thinking, acting with courage, learning new behavior, and working towards goals.”

I’m now a fan of the prefrontal cortex; all of these sound great to me! But in case you’re not convinced, here are a couple of stats/facts that might prompt you to at least try out a morning routine for a week; to prove or disprove the theory of morning productivity for yourself.

According to Christopher Randler, a biology professor at the University of Education in Heidelberg, Germany, morning people have these traits:

“They’re proactive. Many studies have linked this trait, proactivity, with better job performance, greater career success, and higher wages.”

Additionally, he says, “Morning people also anticipate problems and try to minimize them.”

If you want to anticipate and minimize the number of problems in your life, as well as become more successful in your career, this might be the trick you’ve been looking for.

If you’re not someone who already defines themselves as a “morning person,” try it out and see what it does for you. What you’re losing by not trying might be more valuable than sleep.

Make sure to come back afterward and leave your input and experience!

Here’s to new routines and killing it in life,

~Dani