You know what makes me mad? People who claim to be soooo busy that they can’t spend a moment taking care of themselves.

They’re the ones racing through their days like their butts are on fire. And most mornings they dash out of the house with wet hair and a Pop Tart hanging from their lips.

Do they have time to edit their lives? Ha! They’re lucky if they’re wearing matching shoes.

What these “busy” ladies fail to realize is that they’re not special. We’re all stupidly busy!

The frazzled folks don’t understand that the successful people who manage to reach their goals, grow their businesses, stay fit and healthy, and keep their cool even when they want to throw their laptops (or in-laws) out the window don’t have more hours in the day than the rest of us.

They simply use the limited time they have strategically. They prioritize life editing because they know that bettering themselves helps them improve the world around them. It’s win-win.

So what do you say? Can you spare 5 minutes in the morning to pull yourself together?

No excuses! You can still set yourself up for success each and every day even if you swear you’re the busiest person you know.

Here’s a quick morning edit you can do no matter how busy you are. Let’s get editing!

Minute 1: Create a Foundation

Grab a notebook, your journal, your planner, or any piece of paper you have handy. Next, write down 5-10 things you’re grateful for—big or small! Click here for a printable gratitude journal if you want to take your thankfulness to the next level.

Your gratitude foundation is what keeps you stable and supported all day. By focusing on what’s working in your life (instead of brooding about your problems), you’ll attract more good things to you.

Minute 2: Delete Bad Influences

Take a look at your daily to-do list. You do have a daily to-do list, right? If you’re working from a ginormous brain dump list, then you’re setting yourself up for overwhelm. Delete one item or task from your daily to-do list.

That doesn’t mean you’ll never do this task. But be honest with yourself—what thing could possibly be put off until tomorrow, next week, next month, or never? Is there something you can delegate to someone else?

Ahhh! Deleting non-essentials feels incredibly indulgent. 🙂

Minute 3: Add Good Habits and Routines

Since you’ve saved yourself anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours by deleting one task, you now have room for a positive habit that’s been missing. What tiny thing can you add to your day to reinforce good habits?

Maybe you’ll fill a water bottle and carry it with you all day, send a follow-up email to a prospective client, or put away your phone during your family dinner. You’ll be better able to stick to a good habit if you start small and keep it simple.

Minute 4: Rearrange Everything Into a Perfect Flow

Review your appointments and figure out if there are any obstacles in your daily schedule. Where do things get slowed down? Would it make sense to move something to another time slot?

Try batching like appointments together or doing all your similar errands in the same chunk of time. You’ll save time by not being pulled in a hundred different directions throughout the day.

Minute 5: Make White Space for Personal Self-Care

Finally, remember to take care of your own needs. You won’t be able to help anyone else if you’re tired and cranky. Where can you make white space for relaxation and ease?

Perhaps you’ll use this minute to close your eyes, breathe deeply, and visual your ideal day from start to finish. Everything will work out perfectly.

That’s your 5-Minute Morning Edit! Now get out there and crush it, Life Editor!

If you want more ways to center yourself in the morning, check out My Morning Stack.

This post focuses on Step 1 of the Life Editing Process, Create a Foundation. For more about life editing and what it can do for you, click here.