Mornings can be quite busy and chaotic.

If you have a young family and plenty of people to get ready and out the door, you know this first hand.

If you’re looking to create your own family, you might know it too. There are many practices on your health journey that start in the morning already.

The good news is that it doesn’t have to be that way, no matter how busy you think you are first thing in the day.

Earlier I shared with you how the first few hours in the morning set the tone for the entire rest of the day.

Do you want that to be rushed, frantic, and feeling like you’re always running and trying to catch up?

Or do you want it to be calm, collected, productive, and with a feeling that you’re in control?

It’s up to you, and it’s all about embracing two simple concepts.

Practice #1: Get Up Early Enough

Perhaps you worked late. You watched TV until the late hours. Or you read a book until late.

And of course, you went to bed late.

It can feel tempting to hit the snooze button when the alarm rings in the morning so that you can catch a few more minutes of sleep. Perhaps it’s hard to set the alarm early enough that you have plenty of time for everything you want and need to get done. You might have on your list: eating breakfast, meditating, journaling, taking your supplements, getting ready or spending time with your partner.

I get it. I’ve been here. I’m still there sometimes. And it’s okay.

If you’re not a morning person, moving up the alarm by 30 minutes to carve out a little extra time can be tough.

But you’ve got to remember why you’re doing it.

Remember your life and health goals, why you’re creating space and time into your life for these activities that are best fitted for the morning.

It will help you rise earlier and, after a few days, you will get used to it. I did. Many of my clients did. So can you.

Getting up early enough and avoiding the snooze button is the key to an un-rushed morning.

Here’s the problem with cutting time too short, or worse hitting the snooze button a few times: it gets you behind from the very start. You have to rush to make it out the door in time, and any little problem or speed bump along the way turns into a huge problem. Not being able to find the car keys is suddenly a major crisis because it could cause you to be late for work.

Remember, your morning sets the tone for the rest of your day. If you start it chasing downtime and things, that’s likely how you’ll spend the rest of your time.

Getting up early enough, on the other hand, puts you ahead of the game. You’re in control. You can take care of everything that needs doing calmly and still have time for the essential things you want to work on. In short, getting up early enough sets you up for a memorable, productive day.

When you’re finding it difficult to get up early in the morning, there are a couple of things you can do. You can invest in a useful application or in a smartwatch. These can help you get up when you’re in light sleep. It will make it easier for you to get up feeling refreshed, and to get the appropriate amount of sleep. If optimising your sleep is one thing you want to look into, I invite you to check out our sleep masterclass.

Practice #2: Restructure Your Routine

Before we wrap this up, I would like to invite you to spend a little time thinking about your current morning routine and where you’re spending time.

Look for things you can change and tweak to find more time for the things you really want to do.

Let’s take an example. Do you want an extra 20 minutes in the morning to meditate? Then look at what you could take care of ahead of time, what you could eliminate, or what you could delegate to make that time.

If you spend a lot of time getting breakfast for everyone, get in the habit of setting the breakfast table the night before. Get your spouse to get the coffee ready, so all you have to do in the morning is push a button. Teach the kids to make their breakfast and take the dirty dishes to the sink, rinse them, and put them in the dishwasher. Make sure you set clothes out the night before (including yours). Make sure that book bags, purses, briefcases, and car keys have a designated spot. Make sure everything is where it needs to be before you turn in for the night.

Small changes like this to your morning routine can make a big difference. I challenge you to come up with a few small tweaks that will save you at least 30 minutes in the morning.