Morning Routine T.I.M.E.
Supercharge Your Day Whether at the Firehouse or at Home
We’ve all heard the saying “Take Time to Make Time” and it rings true especially as you are attempting to find a morning routine that actually works. Morning routines are tricky because when we’re on shift we oftentimes don’t get to dictate when we actually have a dedicated block of precious time that won’t be possibly interrupted by emergency responses, phone calls, or crew members needing assistance. Because of this, we need to have a morning routine that is simple, easy to follow both at work and at home, and you can come back to it if interruptions occur.
Recently I listened to a great podcast featuring Jay Shetty on the Ed Mylett show. Where Jay spoke about his morning routine based around the acronym T.I.M.E. I figured I’d give it a shot as I had no morning routine and have noticed a tremendous difference in my overall attitude, mental toughness, happiness both at work and at home and overall mental health as a firefighter. Skip to 22:00 in the podcast if you’re short on time.
Here’s how it works and some tips and strategies that will help you crush the day:
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T.I.M.E.
T: Thankfulness
There’s been a lot of press and airtime surrounding a “gratefulness practice”. Science supports it, mental health professionals advocate it, it’s been shown to help decrease the effects of PTS and PTSD, and simply it friggin works! Start your day by sitting down for 30 seconds to a minute and writing down 3 things you are thankful for. Actually put pen to paper and not digitally as it is more effective for your brain. Just three things is all you need but make sure you are truly thankful/grateful for them. Thankful for the opportunity to serve? Cool. Thankful for your children’s laughs and giggles? Awesome! Thankful that you woke up in a super comfortable bed that you didn’t even want to get out of? We hear ya! Whatever they are, write them down! We use a reusable notebook called the RocketBook Panda because it travels well, is tough as crap, you can easily save relevant entries using their app and it’ll sync to whatever cloud storage location you use. Once it’s full just wipe the entries away with a wet paper towel and start over once the week is over. Use whatever you like but write them down!
I: Insight
We are true believers of what sort of information you put into your brain is equal to the quality of mind and mental resiliency you get out. Are you obsessed with the latest Netflix series? That’s ok! But make sure you also are putting quality and positive messages into your brain on a regular basis. AKA shut the news off (maybe forever) and read something that actually will benefit your life and leave you feeling positive and energized. Don’t mindlessly scroll and watch something half assed. Actually dedicate a small chunk of time and read something that will benefit you and your brain. Need some ideas? Here you go: Firefighter Mental Toughness Reading List
M: Mindfulness
Mindfulness training will separate you and enable you to be more resilient and mentally tough than you have ever felt in your entire life. There is no better way for us to train our mindset for the fireground than meditation/mindfulness training. There just isn’t. If you have a tough mind as a firefighter or first responder it will make your basic skills better, will help you learn quicker, and will make you more resilient to stress. Mindfulness works because it teaches you to live in the present moment. This is imperative for success on the fireground and will actually train and develop your “situational awareness”. Headspace or Calm are two great apps that have free versions and you can train mindfulness in as little as 3 minutes a day.
E: Exercise
If you’ve followed Firefighter Craftsmanship for more than zero minutes you’ll know we are big fans of relevant tactical fitness training that doesn’t require a ton of equipment to accomplish. Dedicate time in the morning to accomplish some sort of fitness. Make it relevant but sometimes that means focusing heavily on recovery and mobility work. Whether you have 10 minutes or two hours move your body and complete the TIME acronym. Here are 9 workouts you and your crew can do that’ll set you up for fireground domination!
Give this routine a shot and see how you feel. We’re willing to bet you’re going to have a more positive mindset, be more resilient for the hard days at work and at home, and those around you will notice a difference. Let us know how it goes and what you learn along the way!
