After reading the book Atomic Habits, which I highly recommend it inspired me to start habit stacking. Meaning you do one habit followed directly by another. The idea is that stacking them makes them more doable because they in turn then become a part of routine. For example, in the mornings I always workout, followed by hot lemon water when I return from the gym. Those are two habits I do basically everyday. So I decided to habit stack my devotional/motivational readings after my workouts first thing in the morning. Prior to this I was doing these readings at night right before bed. I found by then I was exhausted and skipped many nights or didn’t really focus on what I was reading.

Since January of this year I have been doing my morning readings and love it. I actually schedule it on my calendar. After I workout I am alert and awake and find I focus better on what I am reading. I also find these books are a great start to my day. They motivate me and inspire to do better and be better.

Time-wise I usually workout at 5:30, come home at 6:15 wake Frances Moon up. I then make my hot lemon water and sip it while pack her lunch and get her off to school around 7. I am home by 7:10 and then I sit and do my reading while Sterling gets ready for school. The readings take no more than 10 minutes. A short daily passage in 4 of the books and then I will read a few pages whatever motivational book I am focusing on- currently that book is The Almanac of Naval, soon to followed by Effortless. I highly recommend habit stacking and morning readings!

My Morning Reads

T H E D A I L Y S T O I C

This is my second year reading this one. It has musings, philosophies and teachings from great minds in history. It has 366 daily meditations. I first started reading this probably 3 years ago after hearing about it on The Skinny Confidential. It is broken down into 3 different sections : The Discipline of Perception, The Discipline of Action and The Discipline of Will. Some of these can be really deep but they always make me really think often from a different perspective.

T H E A L M A N A C K O F N A V A L R A V I K A N T

This book is not broken down daily, so when I am done with it I will switch it out with another motivational book. I read a few pages in this each morning. My friend Helen Hall who started Blender Bombs recommended this to me and it is basically about health, business and generating wealth. ” Getting rich is not just about luck; happiness is not just a trait we are born with. These aspirations may seem out of reach, but building wealth and being happy are skills we can learn.” This book is really easy to read it is short pieces of advice from Naval a very successful investor and entrepreneur.

T H E B O O K O F H A P P Y

I bought this on a whim when I saw it at Barnes and Noble and really love it. It is not broken down daily but it has 250 pages on happiness. It is short musing on simple acts and things to bring more happiness to your life. As simple as writing a gratitude journal, laughing, helping someone out.

H O P E F O R E A C H D A Y

My parents gave me this devotional in my stocking this year. My mom had recently finished it and really liked it. It has a morning and nighttime bible scripture verse and lesson. I read both pages in the morning and don’t split them up. This is purely Christian based around the Bible and its verses. A nice way for me to connect with God in the morning.

D A I L Y M A N T R A S T O I G N I T E Y O U R P U R P O S E

I frequently post pages from this book and get asked all the time what it is. This is my second year reading it and I just love it. Each page is a short quote and usually always resonates with me somehow!