Have you ever been lying in bed in the morning, and noticed that just thinking about the day ahead made you feel more exhausted? The morning roulette wheel is a fun/creative way to help make getting out of bed a little bit easier. I’ll explain more about that and how to use it later in this post.

Last year, there were a lot of mornings like this for me. And getting out of bed was the hardest battle of the day.

I wanted to see if I could find a way to make it easier for myself to get out of bed. 

I wanted a method that could make it easier for people to start their days regardless of their level of responsibility or the length of their to-do list. 

Here’s what I know to be true: 

– the hardest part of most things is starting, so taking that first step of getting yourself to stand up is the most important part of this morning battle

-we feel more resistance when we think about something on our list that we don’t want to do.

-we feel less resistance when we think about things that we know will feel good, like having a cup of tea or coffee, or stretching our bodies, or eating something yummy.

-it is easier to start things and take action when we have fewer decisions to make (i.e. debating “what should I do?” or “where should I start?” often delays us from starting.)

With these four truths in mind, I came up with a super simple and easy method that can help us start the day more easily, with a lot less resistance. 

I created a morning roulette wheel. 

This method has actually helped me… 

• Start my days earlier without having to fight myself as much
• Feel better in the mornings
• Stretch more often
• Have enough time in the morning to create a morning routine

It’s helped me with all of this without me needing to “find more willpower,” or “be more motivated.”

AND it’s super simple. 

What’s a Morning Roulette Wheel? 

A morning roulette wheel is a randomized decision maker for your first task of the day. It’s purpose is to…

1. Reduce decision fatigue in the mornings 

2. Give you something pleasant to focus on when you first wake up and 

3. Help ease yourself into the day, and be a bridge between laying in bed and tackling some of the harder/more energy consuming tasks later. 

Instead of thinking about all the things you don’t want to do first thing in the morning, the roulette wheel is pre-loaded with things you DO like doing. 

It only includes things that you know are A) low effort and B) aligned with your personal goals, so it makes it so much easier to help your brain actually WANT to get up. 

How a Morning Roulette Wheel Works

Using one of these wheels is so easy. Once it’s made, all you do is open it when you wake up, spin the wheel, and then ask “do I feel like I can do this right now?” If not, spin the wheel again, and ask the question again. 

Sometimes you’ll spin the wheel once and be able to get right up, other times you’ll spin it a few times before landing on something that sounds good to you in the moment. 

You hand pick the things you’d like to potentially start your day with, so it usually only takes me two spins to be like “that sounds good” and then I get up and do it. Voila!

Make your own Morning Roulette Wheel

It only takes 3 steps to make and use one of these wheels. 

First: Brainstorm things you could do in the morning that require very little effort, but that you would enjoy doing in the morning. (For example, I love starting my day with stretching or having a cup of tea, so both of those are ideas on my wheel)Make a list of the options. I like to have anywhere from 5-10 options total. (Note: the next section offers some ideas and some help with brainstorming things to put on your wheel!)

Second: Find or download any “spin the wheel” app or website, I use the free version of the “PickMe” app. (You could also go low tech, and just write some options on pieces of paper and put them in a hat or a jar 🫙🎩)

Third: Enter your list of items into the wheel. When you press the spin button, it will randomly select one. And you’re all done! 

Once it’s made, you can spin this wheel every morning and it will randomly select one action for you to start your day with. 

If the wheel picks something that you feel resistance to, feel free to spin the wheel again. With each spin, ask yourself “do I feel like I can do this right now?” and if yes, get up and do it! 

Please also give yourself permission to adjust the items on the wheel as you test it out. If you notice that there’s a particular item that you consistently feel like you don’t want to do, thats okay! Just take the item off and find something that works better for you to replace it with. Again, the goal is to find things that feel as easy and pleasant for you as possible. 

Then ta-da! Your day has started, and you’ve won the hardest battle of your day so far. 😉

Ideas for your Roulette Wheel

I love making lists, so when somebody says “make a list” I’m all over it. But if you’re not sure what to put on your wheel, here are some questions you can ask to generate your own.

1. Ask yourself any of the following questions, or pick one or two that stand out to you. See what you come up with! 

• What are some super low effort tasks that I will feel good doing? Or tasks I would feel good after I’ve completed them? 
• What is a simple way I can care for my needs before I start the day? 
• What would be an easy task that would require me to get out of bed, but would serve as a nice transition into my day? 
• What are some things I do that bring me joy? Is there a simple/low time investment way I can do that in the mornings? 
• If there were no rules about how I could start my day, how would I want to start it? 

2. Ideas List

• Make & Have breakfast
• Listen to music or a podcast (I list specific ones on mine)
• Have a cup of tea or a glass of water
• Go turn on my electric fireplace and sit in front of it for a few minutes
• Make a cup of coffee
• Stretch my body
• Do one lesson of Duolingo
• Write down my thoughts/journal about what’s on my mind
• Write down my priorities for the day
• Water my plants
• Wash my face or do some form of skincare
• Read a page of a book
• Step outside and get some fresh air or sunlight to wake my body up (yes, even if it’s cold outside)
• Go for a short walk

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What items are you putting on your morning roulette wheel? Let me know by commenting or sending me a message! If you enjoyed this post, and want to keep finding ways to get more energy and approach life’s tasks with increasing levels of self-compassion, sign up for the Self Love Atlas Newsletter, where I share stories, tips, and ideas to support you in increasing your self-kindness, confidence & sustainable self-worth/esteem. Can’t wait to see you there! You can also check out other posts from this blog here.

Cheers, 

Morgan Rita Barbret