Introduction

If you’re looking to supercharge your mornings and turn them into a powerhouse of productivity, you’ve come to the right place. This blog post outlines my tried-and-true morning routine as a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). It’s designed for anyone curious about replicating it – whether you’re a writer, developer, entrepreneur, or just someone aiming to get more done.

First things first: I highly recommend downloading and reading my free PDF book from 2018, which dives deeper into these concepts. You can grab it at https://www.regardingwork.com/book. This guide provides a higher-level overview with updates on tools and practices I’ve evolved over the last 7 years. (Side note: It might be time for an updated version of the book!)

The core philosophy here is simple: Mornings are for creation. By planning ahead, priming your mind and body, entering a flow state, and then distributing your work, you can achieve remarkable output. This routine has helped me write over 5 books, build software, and manage daily tasks efficiently. Let’s break it down step by step.

The Step-by-Step Process

Step 1: Preparation the Night Before

Your productive morning actually begins the evening prior. This step is crucial for offloading mental clutter and allowing your subconscious to process ideas overnight.

  1. Review your day and jot down the top 3 Most Important Tasks (MITs) for tomorrow. These should be high-impact items that move the needle.
  2. Compile a longer list of smaller tasks: questions from others, documents needed, SOPs to create, AI prompts, email replies, etc.
  3. Schedule a reminder in Google Calendar for 7:30 AM the next day to review and expand on this list.
  4. Reflect briefly on these items before bed to “sleep on it” – your brain will subconsciously refine ideas while you rest.

Tip: Use a simple notebook or digital app like Google Keep for quick notes. This prevents overnight rumination and ensures a fresh start.

Benefits: Reduces morning decision fatigue and builds momentum by having a ready-to-go plan.

Step 2: Morning Priming (Inspired by The Miracle Morning)

Start your day with self-care to energize your body and mind. I follow the SAVERS framework from Hal Elrod’s “The Miracle Morning” book.

  1. Silence/Meditation: Spend 5-10 minutes in quiet meditation or deep breathing to center yourself.
  2. Affirmations: Recite positive affirmations tailored to your goals (e.g., “I am focused and productive”).
  3. Visualization: Picture your day unfolding successfully, especially completing your MITs.
  4. Exercise: Do 20-30 minutes of physical activity – yoga, a walk, or a quick workout.
  5. Reading: Read 10-20 pages of an inspiring book (non-fiction preferred for mindset boost).
  6. Scribing/Journaling: Transition into light journaling, noting gratitude or quick thoughts.

Tip: Customize SAVERS to fit your schedule – start small if you’re new to this. Apps like Headspace can help with meditation.

Benefits: This primes you for peak performance, reducing stress and increasing clarity before diving into work.

Step 3: Writing Pomodoro Session

Expand on your journaling with focused writing. This is your first “RegardingWork Game” session of the day (check it out at https://game.regardingwork.com), categorized under “General Project” and “Doing.”

  1. Review your 7:30 AM Google Calendar reminder and list all items to write about.
  2. Use the Innovemind Project Mac app (https://mikesblogdesign.com/innovemindproject) – an upgrade from Scrivener.
  3. In the app’s root directory, create a bullet-point list of all planned writings (e.g., emails, specs, prompts).
  4. Write them out in alphabetical order. The app tracks completion status and word count.
  5. Aim for a daily goal of 1,000 words – this habit has helped me author over 5 books, though lately it’s shifted to practical outputs like prompts and specs.

Tip: Set a Pomodoro timer (25 minutes work, 5-minute break) to maintain focus. If using other tools, ensure they have similar tracking features.

Benefits: Turns vague ideas into tangible content, building a repository of work ready for distribution.

Step 4: Entering Flow State

Build on your writing session to achieve a deep flow state using RegardingWork’s “anti-cheat” focus sessions and Focus Loops (https://game.regardingwork.com/about/anti-cheat and https://game.regardingwork.com/about/focus-loop).

  1. Continue writing until your list is complete – typically 1 session, but extend to 2-3 if needed.
  2. Minimize distractions: Use anti-cheat features to block temptations and track focus.
  3. Recognize flow: When ideas pour out effortlessly, ride the wave.

Tip: Hydrate and take short breaks to sustain energy. Music or white noise can enhance immersion.

Benefits: Maximizes creative output in a short time, turning mornings into your most productive period.

Step 5: Distribution Phase

Shift from creation to sharing. This step is manual but ripe for automation (I’m developing an extension to Innovemind for this).

  1. Review your written content and categorize: SOPs to Google Docs, blog posts to your site, prompts to LLMs, replies to emails/Telegram.
  2. Format and publish/distribute each item promptly.
  3. Track completion to avoid backlog.

Tip: Batch similar tasks (e.g., all emails at once) to streamline. Tools like Zapier can automate some distributions.

Benefits: Ensures your ideas reach their audience, closing the loop on productivity.

Step 6: Development Time

Transition to hands-on building, like coding or prototyping.

  1. Prioritize based on your MITs – e.g., software development or API integrations.
  2. Allocate focused time post-distribution.

Tip: Use tools like GitHub for version control if developing software.

Benefits: Applies your morning creativity to tangible projects.

Step 7: Management and Admin Time

Handle reactive tasks in the afternoon to protect morning creativity.

  1. Schedule calls, finances, and admin work post-lunch.
  2. Batch these to minimize context-switching.

Tip: Use calendar blocks to enforce this shift.

Benefits: Keeps mornings sacred for high-value work.

Overall Philosophy

At its core, this routine separates the origin of thought (planning and creation) from its distribution. Evolved over 10+ years, it leverages tools like RegardingWork Game and Innovemind to foster flow states. Mornings are your creative sanctuary – guard them fiercely.

Try implementing this SOP for a week and tweak as needed. Share your experiences in the comments below!