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Behind the Scenes: The Messy Reality of Creating "The Morning Reset" Guide
If you’ve downloaded my new guide, The Morning Reset, you probably see a sleek PDF with clean typography, calming colors, and actionable steps that look effortless to implement. It looks like it was born fully formed, like Athena springing from Zeus’s head.
I wish.
The reality of creating this product was less "divine inspiration" and more "chaotic trial and error." Today, I want to take you behind the curtain. Not to complain, but to show you that creativity is rarely a straight line. It’s a scribble. And if you’re struggling to create something of your own, I hope this makes you feel a little less alone.
Phase 1: The Spark (and the Doubt)
It started three months ago. I was feeling overwhelmed by my own mornings. My alarm would go off, and instead of feeling refreshed, I felt anxious. I’d grab my phone, scroll through bad news, and rush out the door. I knew I needed a change, so I started experimenting. I tried meditation apps, journaling prompts, and strict no-phone rules.
Some things worked. Most didn’t. But I started documenting what actually helped me feel grounded. That was the spark. I thought, “Maybe other people need this too.”
Then came the doubt. “Who am I to write a guide? There are a million morning routine experts out there. What if nobody cares? What if it’s bad?” I almost quit before I even began. But I remembered why I started: to help my future self. So, I kept going.
Phase 2: The Ugly First Draft
I sat down to write the first draft on a rainy Tuesday. I opened a blank document and stared at it for twenty minutes. When I finally started typing, it was terrible. The tone was preachy. The advice was vague. The structure made no sense.
I wrote about 2,000 words of pure rambling. I deleted half of it. I cried a little (okay, maybe just sighed heavily). This is the part nobody shows on Instagram. The ugly, frustrating middle where nothing looks good and you question every life choice that led you to this moment.
But here’s the secret: You can’t edit a blank page. I had to get the bad ideas out to find the good ones. I saved that messy draft, closed my laptop, and went for a walk. Clarity often comes when you step away from the screen.
Phase 3: Designing the Vibe
Once the content was solid, I moved to design. I’m not a graphic designer, so I used Canva. I spent hours picking fonts. Serif or sans-serif? Bold or light? I tried twelve different color palettes. Blue felt too corporate. Yellow felt too aggressive. I settled on soft sage green and warm beige—colors that felt calm, like a deep breath.
I created templates for the journaling pages. I tweaked the spacing. I moved elements two pixels to the left, then back to the right. Perfectionism is a thief, but attention to detail is a friend. I had to learn the difference.
Phase 4: The Tech Headaches
Then came the technical stuff. Setting up the payment gateway. Formatting the PDF so it looked good on both phones and tablets. Writing the email sequence. I encountered bugs. Links broke. Files wouldn’t upload. I spent an entire afternoon on hold with customer support.
It wasn’t glamorous. It wasn’t creative. But it was necessary. This is the unsexy work that makes the sexy product possible.
Phase 5: Launch Day Nerves
When I finally hit “publish,” my hands were shaking. I posted on social media. I sent the email. And then… silence. For ten minutes, nobody bought it. I refreshed the page constantly. Did I make a mistake? Is the link broken?
Then, a notification popped up. One sale. Then another. Then a DM from someone saying, “Thank you for this. I needed it today.”
That moment made all the doubt, the ugly drafts, and the tech headaches worth it.
Why Share the Mess?
I share this because we often compare our behind-the-scenes to everyone else’s highlight reel. We see the finished product and assume it was easy for them. It wasn’t.
Creating something is hard. It’s vulnerable. It’s messy. But it’s also incredibly rewarding. If you’re working on a project—a blog post, a video, a business idea—and you’re stuck in the messy middle, keep going. The magic isn’t in the perfection; it’s in the persistence.
So, here’s to the ugly drafts, the tech glitches, and the doubt. They’re all part of the process. And they’re all worth it.
