September has always felt like a second new year to me. The kids go back to school, summer starts to fade, and there’s this collective energy of starting fresh. But here’s the mistake so many high achievers make: we rush into new routines without asking if they actually serve our vision.
If you’re not careful, your routines become just another form of hustle. You’re busy, you’re structured, but you’re not aligned. And there’s a big difference between a schedule that keeps you spinning and a rhythm that keeps you focused.
Why Your Morning Time Matters
That’s why September is the perfect time to revisit your routines — especially your morning routine. And if you don’t already have one, this is the time to create it.
Your morning is the one part of the day you can truly claim for yourself before everyone else needs you. For some women, that might be a full hour or more. For others, it may be 30 minutes or less. Even if you only have 15 minutes, that little pocket of “me time” can reset your mindset, sharpen your clarity, and give you more energy to show up for everyone else.
What I don’t recommend is waking up and instantly jumping into emails, chores, or TV. That’s the opposite of high performance — it hands your energy and attention over to the world before you’ve even grounded yourself.
Instead, this is the time to slow down and choose practices that fuel you.
My Routine Reset Story
That’s why on Sunday, I sat down and re-looked at my own rhythm for the fall. With my daughter now in high school, our mornings and evenings look completely different than they did in the summer. And because seasons shift, routines have to shift with them.
Years ago, I read The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod, and it made a big impact on me, becoming a guide I leaned on for years. In fact, when I was writing my own book, The North Star Method, I told my editor I wanted it to have that same feel — not just a book to read, but a workbook to use. A place to take notes, create a process, and build a methodology that could truly change your life.
Ever since then, I’ve valued having what I call my “Miracle Morning.” But here’s the important part: it has changed and evolved with me.
- When I had small children at home, my routine looked one way.
- When I was working full-time, managing clients and growing my businesses, it looked another way.
- And now, with a teenager in high school and a sabbatical year in my career, it’s going to look completely different again.
That’s the point: routines are not meant to be rigid. They’re meant to support you in the season you’re in.
Why Visualization Matters
When I revisit my routines, I don’t just write them down for the sake of having a plan. I visualize what I am going to write down first to make sure it “feels” like the right fit for the season I’m in.
I picture myself waking up, moving through each part of the morning, moving from one step in my Miracle Morning to the next, and I focus on how it feels. Because if your routine doesn’t connect to your soul — if it doesn’t feel supportive, while also being practical — you won’t stick with it.
I encourage you to do the same. Imagine your morning routine step by step. For example: if journaling for 30 minutes feels overwhelming and you know you’ll end up skipping it, choose a shorter practice — maybe writing down three things you’re grateful for or setting one clear intention for the day.
On the other hand, if you know that moving your body lifts your energy, add a 15-minute yoga flow, a few rounds of calisthenics, or a quick walk outside to start your day grounded and strong.
This is the step I encourage you to take: don’t create a routine that looks impressive on paper but doesn’t match your season or energy. Ask yourself why each element belongs.
When you choose routines that feel good and serve a purpose, you won’t just get through your morning — you’ll create a rhythm that shapes your day, your month, and your year.
REMEMBER: The point isn’t to check boxes — it’s to create a rhythm that feels supportive and sustainable. When you choose with intention, your mornings stop being another hustle and start becoming alignment.
Reflection Prompt 📝
Take a few minutes this week to check in with yourself:
- Does my daily rhythm reflect what I say I want most in life?
- Which routines give me energy, and which ones silently drain it?
- How can I align my mornings (or evenings) with my North Star vision, not just my to-do list?
Even if you only have 15 minutes, ask yourself: What would help me enter the day clearer, calmer, and more energized?
Don’t just answer on paper — visualize it, feel it, and imagine how those shifts will ripple out into your relationships, your health, and your purpose.
Your North Star Connection
This is exactly what I teach in The North Star Method. Your big vision guides the smaller visions. And your routines — your rhythms — are one of the most powerful ways to reverse-engineer that vision into daily life.
When you know where you’re going, it’s much easier to create a rhythm that keeps you on track. And when your routines are aligned, they ripple outward — into your energy, your relationships, your work, your health, your future.
If you’d like to go deeper with this process, you can grab The North Star Method on Amazon here.
Or, if you’d like to start small, I’ve made the digital version available for just $1.
