Latest / Grounded Growth / Morning Routines for Busy Women Who Don’t Have Time
Transcript
- Steph Mic: Hey everyone, welcome back to Grounded Growth Podcast. I'm Stephanie Petrie. I'm Nicole Girardi. And today we are going to be discussing morning routines for busy women who don't have time. It happens to all of us. And Nicole and I were just talking about how sometimes it feels like your life falls apart when you don't do your morning routine. Nicole Mic: I'm Nicole Girardi. ⁓ Steph Mic: ⁓ And so we're gonna be talking about how sometimes it's just realistic Sometimes it is choice and sometimes it's out of your control ⁓ we're gonna kind of go into the morning ⁓ myth and is just that there is no perfect morning routine ⁓ So many women assume that if you can't do it perfectly then you shouldn't do it at all and I fall in that camp I don't know about you Nicole Nicole Mic: just that there is no perfect morning routine. So many women assume that if you can't do it perfectly, then you shouldn't do it at all. And I fall in that camp. I'm perfectionist. 100%. I mean, I struggle with perfectionism in everything. So of course my morning routine has to. It's the first thing I do in the morning. Steph Mic: I I truly feel that way if I can't do it the right way then I'm not gonna do it at all ⁓ and then also ⁓ waking up ⁓ intention that ⁓ Automatically makes us default into reacting instead of leading our day ⁓ and so anytime I am ⁓ you know, choosing to sleep in, it's not a bad thing to have that, but I need to reorder my morning routine and not have the same expectation that I normally would have on my normal routine. ⁓ And then other things just to think about with a myth is just morning routine is not about controlling your morning. It's about reclaiming your mindset before the world starts pulling at you. Nicole Mic: you know, choosing to sleep in, it's not a bad thing to have that, but I need to reorder my morning routine and not have the same expectation that I normally would have on my normal routine. And then other things just to think about with the myth is just morning routine is not about controlling your morning, it's about reclaiming your mindset before the world's. Steph Mic: And so we'll have some tips and tricks about that as well. But those are just some opening thoughts as we talk about the myths of morning routines. Yeah. And talking about myths of morning routines, brings me back to my days of Beachbody. Do know Beachbody? I do. lovely little app that you got to do. Well, my big thing was Nicole Mic: And so we'll have some tips and tricks about that as well. But those are just some opening thoughts as we talk about the myths of morning routines. Yeah in talking about myths of morning routines it brings me back to my days of Beachbody. Do you know Beachbody? know that lovely little ⁓ app that you got to do? Well my big thing was is that there was a group of core girls and we would like log in at 430 and we would do our whole morning routine on Zoom for two hours. It was the like now I'm looking back. It was the most ridiculous thing in the world. Like I don't know why I ever did it. But I thought that was what we were supposed to do. You know, it was waking up. And at that time, I was really diving into savers from the morning miracle. And I would spend 30 minutes on every single one. So it actually was ended up being longer than two hours. And it was just crazy. And I had that super high expectation. Nicole Ghirardi: Hi, welcome to Grounded Growth Podcast. I'm Nicole Girardi. And I'm Stephanie Petry. We believe that grounded growth comes from being intentional about compassionate connections that are beautifully balanced while flourishing in faithfulness. Each week we will share real conversations, encouragement, and simple systems to help build a life that feels steady, aligned, and grounded. So sit back, maybe grab a coffee, and join us where clarity meets calm and growth feels intentional. Stephanie Petry: And I'm Stephanie Petry. We believe that grounded growth comes from being intentional about compassionate connections that are beautifully balanced while flourishing in faithfulness. Each week we will share real conversations, encouragement, and simple systems to help build a life that feels steady, aligned, and grounded. So sit back, maybe grab a coffee, and join us where clarity meets calm and growth feels intentional. Before we dive in, if you want to make sure you never miss a conversation, hit that subscribe or follow button. Nicole Mic: and that I felt like that was the perfect thing to do for me in the morning. And it did make me a morning person, but it definitely completely destroyed the rest of my day because I wasn't leaning into the right things. And I think that's what really made it chaotic for me. And that the myth is, is that there's one way of having a morning routine and that's lie. You know, we all work differently. Our minds are all different. Some people work Nicole Ghirardi: Before we dive in, if you want to make sure you never miss a conversation, hit that subscribe or follow button right now on whatever app you're listening on. Stephanie Petry: right now on whatever app you're listening on. Nicole Mic: nights and so their mornings are going to be completely different than ours. ⁓ And that the goal of a morning routine is just to stay grounded for yourself, for your day, versus being perfect and checking every box that all the women think that we need to do. So instead of chasing a picture perfect routine, we want to build something that actually supports the season of life that you are in. Steph Mic: So instead of chasing a picture perfect routine, we want to build something that actually supports the season of life that you are in. And so that means that you need to reflect on where you're at. You need to reflect on what is life giving to you right now and what needs to be in that morning routine. And it might need to take some trial and error. 100%. And I think that. Nicole Mic: so that means that you need to reflect on where you're at. You need to reflect on what is life giving to you right now and what needs to be in that morning routine. And it might need to take some trial and error. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, 100%. And I think that I find myself doing a lot now is at night when I'm journaling. I'm planning what I'm doing in the morning, like today. I slept in today. I did not wake up in my normal time, and I was okay. Nicole Ghirardi: you for joining us for another episode of Grounded Growth. We hope today brought you clarity, encouragement, and a gentle reminder that you're not walking this journey alone. If this episode spoke to you, we'd love for you to share it, subscribe, and leave a review. We'll see you next week. Until then, Stephanie Petry: Thank you joining us for another episode of Grounded Growth. ⁓ We hope brought you clarity, encouragement, and a gentle reminder that you're not walking this journey alone. If this episode spoke to you, we'd love for you to share it, subscribe, and leave a review. We'll see you next week. Until then, Nicole Mic: with that because I have my normal routine and then my sleep-in routine where it's gonna be different. You're gonna shorten the things and you have to make a priority of knowing what's the most important thing for you to do first thing in the morning and what's the thing that you're like, okay well instead of a 30-minute workout I'm gonna do an eight-minute abs and still feel good about what I did to help give me the stability that I needed for the day. Nicole Ghirardi: stay grounded and keep growing. Stephanie Petry: stay grounded keep growing. Steph Mic: And I will say like the most important thing to start your day with is obviously God's word. ⁓ And most people start your day consuming information. So I am guilty of this as well of grabbing my phone and checking texts or emails or socials. that is not the very first thing that I want to be consuming in my day. ⁓ so I started putting blocks on my phone. ⁓ all of my apps. Turn off at a certain time at night to force me to go to bed ⁓ And then I also have them go through until my morning routine should be done And so that really prevents me from opening up those things that will get me distracted ⁓ and you can also on your phone like Prioritize which apps can be unlocked so I leave like the ones like I have a prayer app prayer mate app is what I use It's really great ⁓ as well as like my Bible app and stuff that I will need to use in the mornings. And then also... Just remembering that a grounded morning means that you are taking that moment to reorient your heart, your mind, and your priorities for that day, especially before you allow outside voices start influencing you or start dictating what your day should look like. ⁓ There are obviously ways or times that are going to have to become flexible because things are going to pop up, ⁓ you need to start with what you find as a priority first before those other things start slipping in. And last, just the goal is to have internal alignment with a morning routine and not external productivity. So you want to make sure that you are just kind of honing in on what your priorities are, what matters most to you, so that you're starting on a grounded morning. Absolutely. And I think that either deciding the night Nicole Mic: Absolutely, and I think that either deciding the night before what your day looks like or Waking up and having like the first 10 minutes that you wake up be intentional minutes to figure out what you're going to do That way then I mean I'm big with getting up brushing my teeth drinking 16 ounces of water Then you know we each have our little room that we go to You know I go upstairs, and then that way then I really can get comfy what I'm trying to do and just staying intentional in it. Because I think that that's really our biggest thing. And you know, when your internal world is steady, your external day becomes much easier to navigate. And I think that's the biggest thing to remember with this is that it is supposed to steady you. It is not supposed to be just a checklist of, ⁓ I did this and I checked it off my planner. Steph Mic: Something that I also had to learn through trial and error was transition times. And so I did backwards design. So this is the time I have to leave the house and I had an alarm set. This is the time I have to quit working out. I have an alarm set. This is the time I have to quit doing my roots routine with God's word. And so I have these check-in points for me to hold me accountable to the time needed. What I did not account for was transition time. letting the dogs outside and feeding them breakfast and getting my coffee. so those things added up. And I never understood why. I was trying to be organized and intentional. Why was it not working? And ⁓ so I added 15 minutes of just kind of wiggle room in there. And it changed everything. And ⁓ it's been really awesome. And I've been getting to work on time while getting all the things on that priority list done. And actually, I have been playing. Nicole Mic: And actually I have been playing with this new AI tool. It's called Claude and Claude just recreated my morning and evening routine for me and It's kind of neat because I told I told Claude everything I wanted to do like here's my skincare routine This is the steps that I do like this is like I get water before making my coffee and doing all of the things and he like really like made me like a time blocked like perfect day and you know a perfect day kind of thing and it's awesome because it literally dings at me and it's like ⁓ you should be working out right now and then I'm like I'm not working out right now I better go upstairs and go work out you know so it's like I have my little accountability partner ⁓ actually having to have you know somebody actually check in on me he is kind of you know I mean I do have to pay for him ⁓ pretty cool. highly recommend you guys looking into AI to see about how it can reorganize ⁓ your day and your routines. Steph Mic: But it's pretty cool. So I highly recommend you guys looking into AI to see about how it can reorganize your day and your routines. love that. That's awesome. I love that we are calling this the three grounded framework. Oh my goodness. You know I love the word framework. I I put it in there just for you. I appreciate it. the number three in there just to bother me. So we have faith, focus, and body is going to be those Nicole Mic: I know I put it in there just for you and I put the number three in there just to bother me ⁓ Steph Mic: three and these three areas reflect the whole person of in line alignment. So faith grounding your heart and truth and focus directing your mind toward what matters today and body acknowledging your physical energy and presence. So this framework exists because women often try to fix everything at once and I am very guilty of that. I am an all in or nothing girl and so I love you were talking about like putting together this morning routine even using AI ⁓ it really allows you to kind of look at it as a whole and when you are an all-in or nothing like I am I like to have it written out so that I can really see it because I'm a visual learner as well but the other thing I need to realize is if that's my focus for the week if that's my priority is just my morning routine like that's a lot and that's every Nicole Mic: the other thing I need to realize is if that's my focus for the week, if that's my priority, is just my morning routine, that's a lot. And that's every day. Or at least for me, I do it Monday through Friday. My Saturdays and Sundays are a different ball game. so whenever you have your framework, it is just to help guide those main targeted areas. Steph Mic: day or at least for me I do it Monday through Friday. My Saturdays and Sundays are a different ballgame ⁓ and so whenever you have your framework it is just to help kind of guide those main targeted areas. Nicole Mic: I absolutely agree with you. I think that These are the three priorities in ⁓ all of our lives that we feel we need to focus on it They're simple categories and they can really be taken so many different directions depending on what season you're in ⁓ You know like being able to first I foremost I 100 % agree faith is top priority for me with a lot of other women like yourself Steph is Going into God's Word immediately. I mean I go into God's Word first before I even make my coffee and So it's just something that I feel that I need ⁓ To be able to help direct me to where he wants me to go versus where I want to go and that was the hardest time throughout my season of realizing that because I am the planner Steph Mic: to be able to help direct me to where he wants me to go versus where I want to go. And that was the hardest time throughout my season of realizing that because I am the planner and I want to do things my way and I don't care about anyone else's way. And now I'm finding that and fine tuning it as we go. know, and the, you know, like I said earlier is, is that it may, maybe you have a two hour morning routine. You go, girl, if you can find two hours of Nicole Mic: And I want to do things my way, and I don't care about anyone else's way and now I'm finding that and fine-tuning it as we go ⁓ You know and the you know like I said earlier is is that it may be maybe you have a two-hour morning routine you go girl if you can find two hours of your time to be able to do everything you need to do or it could be 15 minutes I mean taking the faith and being able to say okay well my main priority is I'm spending 10 minutes in God's Word and five minutes to focus on my my day for the plan and then I'm skipping body because I know I'm going to be walking a lot through work or you know maybe I'll do squats in between you know doing you know all of the other things throughout the day and that's okay and I think that's the biggest thing we need to realize as women is is there is no right there is no wrong we can be flexible and that you know and the flexibility part was my huge struggle in the beginning. because unfortunately I felt like there was a right way to do it and that I was doing it the wrong way. So I took what everyone else was doing and like, ⁓ this is what I need to do when clearly I found myself I needed to be able to add the things that were important to me and get rid of the things that weren't necessarily important that I thought were at the time. Steph Mic: And I have noticed that I do not write down as much as I thought I would in my morning routine. ⁓ And I really try to eliminate recopying things down. I am a more digital girl than paper. And so everything is on my Google Calendar. So I don't need to rewrite all the things all the time. I do a little bit with my time blocking, but I kind of quit doing it for my meals and such because it's already on my Nicole Mic: ⁓ And I really try to eliminate recopying things down. I am a more digital girl than paper, and so everything is on my Google Calendar. So I don't need to rewrite all the things all the time. I do a little bit with my time blocking, but I kind of quit doing Steph Mic: Google Calendar so I don't need to have it in multiple places. And so the framework just gives you structure but it also gives you freedom and the freedom is really in your mind. I mean it just kind of gives you that peace of mind that you know that you are starting intentionally for your day and that you have those priorities checked off as well. Nicole Mic: Yeah. And so the free work just gives you structure, but it also gives you freedom. And the freedom is really in your mind. It just kind of gives you that peace of mind that you know that you're starting intentionally for your day and that you have those priorities checked off as well. Steph Mic: And so we often will also quit these morning routines because life gets hard or inconsistent. We often treat habits like a pass fail test of a rhythm. ⁓ when I started realizing that your routines are a rhythm. It's because it's the rhythm that is going with your life at that time. So we also call that a season. And when I do this all the time in August, so when we are getting back into the school routine and that fall rush, it is a completely different rhythm for the entire family. And we have to kind of prep for it. So I don't just start everything all at once anymore. I start slowly. And so two weeks Nicole Mic: do this all the time in August. So when we are getting back into the school routine and the rush, it is a completely different rhythm for the entire. Steph Mic: before school starts and we have to start getting up consistently, which I'm a teacher, so I'm going to do that two weeks prior to me going back and then two weeks prior to Travis going back. We start going to bed at a more consistent time and we start having to prep lunches like we would for school and we start getting up at a certain time and just slowly move it closer and closer to the time we'd need to wake up for school. So that's just an example of trying to get into those rhythms. Don't start everything at once. Nicole Mic: into those rhythms. Don't start everything at once. Instead, of ease your way into it slowly. I'm proud of you for saying that because that's not a normal Steph comment there. You're normally diving in, all in. Steph Mic: and instead kind of, you know, your way into it slowly. Yeah, well it does involve a child, so you know. Nicole Mic: there and I think a lot of why we quit is because of that all or nothing kind of aspects that you know the high Expectations here. We are up here again expecting us to be on this pedestal of doing everything perfectly and That it is being able to slowly add on to your day to make your morning routine work for you ⁓ And you have to stop comparing I feel like you know That's the hardest thing is is that like what Stephanie does and what I do are completely different And that the time we take on certain things are totally different than others ⁓ And you know there's there's no waiting for the perfect season to start a morning routine Because our lives are chaotic no matter what and if you have children like there is no perfect season That is ever coming out of this you know even after you know empty nesters I still feel like there's just so much chaos and you know ⁓ It's the fact that we miss it one day, then we say, ⁓ okay, I'm gonna quit, because it's just not working for me. Or you have to feel like it takes 21 days to build a habit. so doing it consistently, and even if it's just five minutes, wake up five minutes earlier and just dive into God's word for five minutes. And then do that for a week. And then add another five, 10 minutes. Don't go drastic and say, okay, well, I normally wake up at six o'clock, I'm gonna wake up at four o'clock, in the morning and I'm gonna do all of these things that Nicole and Stephanie do. Aren't wrong, don't do that. ⁓ Been there, done that, it is silly. Don't do that at all because we are so different. so just taking it slow ⁓ and being able to not feel guilty. Don't feel guilty that you're taking this time. Especially don't feel guilty waking up for 30 minutes and diving into God's Word. Like that is not what we want you to feel like. Steph Mic: And we also want to prioritize you time. There are so many times where we are pouring out for others and we are so concerned about others that we tend to put ourselves on back burner. What a morning routine does is it lets you reclaim that time for yourself. And that is extremely important. So even if it's not in a morning routine, finding that at least 10 minutes a day somewhere to just kind of decompress and remind yourself why you do all the things that you do is extremely important. what creates transformation is not maintaining perfection, it's returning to it over and over again, coming back. That what's going to create the transformation that you're looking for. So consistency is not perfection, ⁓ it the willingness to come back. ⁓ So now for our faith layer, we are going to talk about Luke 16 10. Whoever is faithful in very little is faithful also in much. So God often works through small acts of faithfulness. It is not the big dramatic spiritual moments. It is the coming back to Him and seeking Him in all things. It is the quiet moments with God in the morning that can seem small, but it reorients our hearts for the entire day. One thing I've really loved is I have been putting my roots morning routine, so my time in God's word within my plan. And it allows me to go back to what I studied ⁓ And also like I've been eating lunch with my friend and I've been able to have conversation with her over what I've been studying because I know she's struggling to get in God's Word daily So it's another way that I can help her and being in God's Word And just five minutes of sincere connection is meaningful You do not have to make it into this big elaborate one-hour thing that one hour is bad. There's no actual time limit of worshipping God. And so we also need to realize that it doesn't have to be sitting. It doesn't have to be quiet. It doesn't have to be a journal. It can literally be your headphones are in and you are listening to the Bible app and it is reading it to you. It could be a video that you found on YouTube. It could be worship music. I mean, it can literally be anything that you want it to be as long as it is focusing on God and who he is. And and that's just faithful obedience. Nicole Mic: I absolutely agree with you and I think that there's so many of us that are struggling to figure out what to do in God's Word and This is where we're gonna direct you to what we created is the roots journal the roots journal literally walks it throughout the R O O T s Being able to give you each step to be able to dive into God's Word work on your stewardship work on praying for others and Really being able to find what God is trying to have you And it's a very easy way to be able to take one scripture and really open up to to journal ⁓ So I do highly recommend that if you don't have something and you are Lost and just going through the Bible app and not sure what to do the roots We've created a 90-day journal to be able to do that for you our podcast on episode 10 was the roots Journal so then that way then you can guys dive into that a little bit more. ⁓ One of the amazing things that Steph decided to do with the journal is that she does weekly devotions that we have the access to, which is so phenomenal and that being able to listen to a scripture verse and listening to her dive into it deeper just gives you a whole new light of what you thought the scripture was saying and being able to listen to somebody else interpret it to their season versus your season. Steph Mic: Steph decided to do with the journal is that she does weekly devotions that we have the access to, which is so phenomenal. that being able to listen to a scripture verse and listening to her dive into it deeper just gives you a whole new light of what you thought the scripture was saying and being able to listen to somebody else interpret to their season versus your season. Thanks, friend. You're welcome. Nicole Mic: You're welcome. Steph Mic: So just in closing, keep it simple. Don't make it rocket science. Just keep it simple. Keep it life-giving. If morning routines have felt very overwhelming to you in the past, release that pressure to do it perfectly and to do it big. Just start small, simple, and keep coming back and trying it again. Nicole Mic: Keep it simple. Don't make it rocket science. Just keep it simple. Keep it life giving. If morning routines have felt very overwhelming to you in the past, release that pressure to do it perfectly and to do it big. Just start small, simple, and keep coming back and trying it again. Steph Mic: Start with ⁓ asking what would help me feel grounded before my day begins. Sometimes you just don't know. And so take some time in thinking about that. And start with even just one thing to add to your routine. ⁓ And growth happens when we slowly and sustainably. ⁓ And so when you are something and you want to build it with intention, ⁓ you have to remember that is key. I mean, what is something that you would continue doing? What is something that would bring you joy? And what is something that is reasonable and realistic? 100%. She stole everything I wanted to say. ⁓ sorry. And that's OK, because. Nicole Mic: 100 % she stole everything I wanted to say and that's okay because like like-minded women here So don't worry about it But I do just just one thing take one small shift in your morning and you will see a significant difference in your life and It's gonna be able to help you stay grounded your morning routine doesn't have to look impressive. It doesn't need to be Claude creating it for you and putting it into a fancy little planner. It just needs to help you stay grounded for your day. Steph Mic: It just needs to help you stay grounded for your day. And with that, stay grounded and keep growing. Bye. Nicole Mic: stay grounded and keep growing. Bye. Bye.