Retreat Your Way to Success: How To Take A Daily Retreat

Posted on 11.18.08 in Productivity and there are

photo by notsogood
2008 is coming to a close and as I look over the past year, I realize that it has been an amazing year for me. I accomplished a lot and I changed a lot.

I think the main reason it was such a successful year for me was because I learned the value of retreating. To rest. To pray. To plan.

This year, I was very intentional about getting away on a daily, weekly and yearly basis. Over the next few days, I’ll share my various routines and how they’ve helped me.

Today I’m going to focus on my “Daily Retreat.”

Daily - My Morning Retreat

I’ve been waking up at 5:30am for the past few months and it’s been incredible to have that quiet time to myself in the morning. I spend time praying, reading the Bible, exercising and planning my day. By the time I need to get the kids dressed for school, I’m refreshed and envisioned for the day. And I feel great because I’ve already accomplished so much.

Now, I realize getting up early is easier said than done. Here are a few tips that have helped me.

Tip #1 Start simple.
When you start waking up early, keep your goals simple - just get out of bed. Tell yourself that’s all you have to do. Once you can get up and out of bed regularly, the rest is easy.

The first few days, as soon as I woke up, I spent a couple minutes just praying for grace to be consistent and faithful to get out of bed on time. I had no delusions of grandeur or Beth Moore-like Bible Study times. I just wanted the will power to exit my warm, cozy bed.

I now actually look forward to getting up early.

Tip #2 No Excuses
I don’t allow myself any excuses. I don’t sleep in on the weekends. I don’t sleep in if I went to bed at 1:00am. I get up at 5:30am. Period.

Knowing that I don’t have an option has really helped me to be consistent.

Tip #3 Prepare
I set everything out that I need the night before. I set out my journal, Bible, ipod and laptop. I hang up my running clothes.

If I have everything ready it maximizes my time and it reduces the obstacles to prayer and exercise.

Tip #4 Get Uncomfortable
An ideal morning devotion time would involve a cup of tea, a warm fire, soothing music and a soft cozy chair.

And I would be asleep in 6 seconds.

I’ve learned that getting comfy early in the morning isn’t a good idea. So I spend my morning quiet time in the grandeur of my garage. It’s not comfy. There are bugs. It’s cold. But it helps me stay focused and intentional about my time.

Tip #5 Plan
Decide how much time you’re going to spend reading, praying, working out and planning your day. Plan what you’re going to do during each section.

What book of the Bible will you study? Who will you pray for each day? What exercises will you do?

Plan it out, because the less you have to think at 5:30am - the better.

In Conclusion
Remember, the simple goal is just to get up and out at 5:30am (or whatever time you choose). Don’t make it more complicated than that. Sometimes my Bible study times are less than stellar. Sometimes I skip workouts. But by simply getting out of bed, I’m being made more faithful every day.

In the next part of this series, I’ll share how I do my weekly retreats.

Your Turn
How do you recharge each day?

If you enjoyed this post, you may also want to read:
How To Take a Weekly Planning Retreat
How To Take a Yearly Planning Retreat

(This post is part of Works For Me Wednesday.)

The Comments:

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Wow, Kat.  I am incoherent in the mornings until about 10, and previous attempts at getting up early have failed because it just doesn’t seem to be part of my genetic makeup.  I’ve found, though, that it’s really important to me to have a couple of hours at the end of the day to unwind and reflect.  And I’ve learned that it’s okay to say “no” to friends, commitments at church, and other distractions like tv and the internet in order to preserve that precious quiet time.

Texas in Africa,
I totally agree about learning to say “no.” Honestly, that’s been a hard thing for me to learn...but I’m getting better.

This is great, thanks for posting this. I could stay up all night (it’s 12:32 am as I write this) but that’s just not practical right now and I’m trying to get into a better morning routine. Very helpful stuff.

Awesome article, Kat. Kind of funny because just today I commented to other Counseling Masters student that I’ve started taking far more mental health days now that I’m a therapist. Knowing that you must take care of yourself before you care for others is a vital survival skill! Again, very awesome post!

I kept excusing myself out of workouts after my employer changed our hours and it put me home at 6pm instead of 4:30pm.  In September I decided that I had to change that, because I was missing my workouts, and feeling very...blah. I didn’t know how I could get there in the evenings anymore.  I decided to discontinue my Y membership because the Y is 20 minutes away (and gas prices were CRAZY HIGH then) and I joined Curves, which is 5 minutes away.  I am NOT a morning person, so I then recruited my mom (who is an early riser) and a friend to meet me there at 5:30am M-F.  I now get out of bed faithfully every weekday at 5:10 and go to Curves, no excuses.  I have so much more energy, get to see my mom every weekday and my friend?  She has lost 17 inches in the past two months!  I do let myself stay in bed on Saturdays because they don’t open until 7am, but I usually still wake up around 5am and have a couple of hours to myself.  I still have my devotional time in the evenings, but I start two hours earlier now so that I can still get enough sleep.  Had you told me three months ago that I would consistently get out of the bed at 5:10AM, I would have said you were crazy.  It really does get easier everyday.  Too bad it’s getting colder because while it’s easier to get out of bed, it’s getting harder to walk out the door!  28 DEGREES THIS MORNING IN INDIANA!

My personal mentor and friend Linda Andersen has been writing guest posts on my blog all about personal retreating.  She is an expert at it!  She has opened up her cottage to me several times per year so I can spend a day in quiet solitude!
http://momsbyheart.blogspot.com/2008/11/tuesdays-with-linda-guest-post_18.html

I do the same thing in the morning minus the exercise. It is a great way to recharge for the day. :D

I have a couple of questions, because this is something I SO want to do, but I am not, nor have I been since I was a baby- a morning person.  I honestly feel more awake from about 5:30 pm on then I do the rest of the day. 

Anyways, I was wondering a few things…
1. Do you drink coffee?  If so, do you wait until after your run to do that? 
2. Do you feel very tired during the day? 
3. Do you feel this has made you a more effective parent etc, for the rest of the day?

Hi Kat! Haven’t commented in awhile, but I’ve still been reading!

Thank you so much for what you said about starting small, and making your goal just “getting out of bed.” That’s always my struggle. Once I’m up I’m pretty good...but sometimes I will hit the snooze button a million times. I always try to do too much, thinking, “Ok, you’ll get up at 5 and read a chapter in this book and make your lunch and...” But for the next week, I’m going to make my only goal getting out of bed!

Lindsey,
You can do it!!!

I really need to be better about claiming that time before the kids get up.  Lately, I’m lucky if I get up just ten minutes before them--which is barely enough time to stoke the woodstove.
I think I’ll aim for 20 minutes early to start with.  Thanks for the nudge. 

this is so the opposite of me!
i do all this at night..
but i realize i need to switch it to the mornings. i’ve always wanted to, but it seems so hard:(
i think i am still in the college mentality sometimes...staying up way too late!

you have encouraged me, kat!
i am not sure about 5:30...I am thinking 6:15.
that gives me about a 45 minute head start!
thanks for the challenge!

I need to start getting up early again too.  I used to do it but have slacked off.  I like what you said about not having an option ... that’s good ! 

This was a very encouraging post for me.  Glad I stopped by.

I needed this!

Kat, I leave the house at 0530… It’s gonna be hard to get up any earlier than I already do!  But it’s not impossible.  I was just thinking today that I want to start trying to get up at least 15 minutes earlier, so I can spend some time in simultaneous prayer and weight-using.  I’ll give it a try, starting Monday! (I, like Kristin, am a night person, so it’s not going to be easy.)

Wow!  This is so much what I want to do!  Thanks for an inspiring example and for the tips!

I didn’t realize how much I need to just “show up” for my daily retreat. You’ve covered all my excuses, made them inexcusable. Hmm, sounds like God has me right where he wants me.

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