Ever wondered why some people seem to glide gracefully through their mornings?
Meanwhile you find yourself running around in circles every single morning?
Constantly rushing from one task to the next, then racing out the door to face the day.
Nothing seems to go right no matter how hard you try.
No matter how early you set the alarm.
No matter how many times you hit snooze to get that extra little bit of sleep.
The truth is that how you start your day really sets the tone for the rest of your day. And if your day starts with chaos, theres a good chance that the rest of your day will continue that way.
What if we told you that with a few simple steps, you could create a morning routine that works for you?
Creating a simple and effective morning routine is an important first step in ensuring a productive and successful day.
By learning how to create an effective morning routine, you can start your day feeling prepared and on top of things!
A good morning routine will not only help you reduce stress, you’ll have more energy and focus, achieve goals more easily and feel more organized. All of which can make for big improvements in how your days turn out.
In this post I’ll cover all things morning routine. You’ll walk away knowing exactly what you need to do to create a morning routine that works for YOU. Yes YOU and not anyone else.
What Is A Morning Routine?
A morning routine is a set of habits or activities that you perform, typically in the same order, when you wake up. The amount of time required for a morning routine varies from person to person, but often ranges from 30 to 90 minutes.
What you do during your morning routine is ultimately up to you.
The truth is that most of us have morning routines- whether we like it or not.
You could hit snooze 15 times before rolling out of bed, or scroll through instagram for 30 minutes. You could also chose to build habits that set you up for a better day.
The Benefits Of AN effective Morning Routine
The thought of mornings alone is enough to make some people break out in a cold sweat. But at some level, most of us appreciate that having an effective morning routine can be totally life transforming.
Here are some of the benefits of having an effective morning routine:
Improves Your Mental Health and Wellbeing
- reduces your stress and anxiety
- helps to keep your energy up throughout the day
- helps you feel more grounded
Increased productivity
- improves your focus and clarity
- improves quality of work
You can also see the residual effects of these benefits in improved relationships, increased confidence and general feeling of control in your life.
All this to say: a good morning routine will have a positive impact on the rest of your day as well as the rest of your life.
Morning Routine Myths
Before we get into how to create your morning routine, I think it’s important that we dispel some of the common myths and misconceptions surrounding the topic of morning routines.
Some of these misconceptions can actually hold you back and prevent you from successfully creating a routine that works for you.
Here are the most common myths and misconceptions about morning routines:
Myth 1: You Need To Wake Up really early for your morning routine to work
Some people think that you need to wake up really really early to be taken seriously with your morning routine.
This idea that you have to wake up super early keeps many people from actually trying to create a morning routine.
Not everyone is a morning person.
The truth is, you can create a morning routine that starts at whatever time works best for you.
While it often works best for some people to wake up early, I would argue that if waking up early is what’s keeping you away from creating a healthy and productive morning routine, try doing it later instead.
For instance, when I had a newborn, we were sleep deprived. Starting my morning routine at 5AM seemed inconceivable (even though I was often awake at that time anyway). It worked best for me in that season of life to postpone my routine to later in the morning when my son took went down for his first nap.
Your morning routine should be in the early part of your day.
Whether it’s 6am or 10am, the most important thing is that it works for you and you can fit into your lifestyle.
Myth 2: Your Morning Routine Has To Be Perfect
I blame social media for making us believe that everyone else wakes up to an aesthetically pleasing routine every single day.
This is absolutely not true! You don’t need to wait until you get the perfect coffee mug to enjoy your morning coffee. You don’t need cute pens or highlighter to write in your journal.
A good morning routine is good because it works for you and you can do it right where you are.
Myth 3: You Need To Do Everything
It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that you need a morning routine that includes all the things. But really, it’s very rare that you will be able to do all those thing and still have it feel sustainable for you.
It’s important to remember that if it feels overwhelming, you can always adjust or remove some of the items.
Myth 4: Your Morning Routine Should Look The Same Everyday
Of course, having a regular morning routine can be helpful in keeping consistent and productive. However, it is important to remember that your morning can (and probably should!) look different on different days.
Moreover your routine should change as the seasons in your life change.
I mentioned earlier that my morning routine was done during my sons first nap when he was a newborn. Now that he’s a bit older, I can wake up a few minutes before he does and knock out my morning routine first thing in the morning.
This Instagram Reel is highlighting that your mornings don’t have to look perfect to be perfect.
Here’s Why Your Not Sticking To Your Morning Routine
Despite best intentions, most people struggle to stick to their morning routine. If you’re one of those people, thats totally ok.
Without an understanding of the root cause, no tip or advice will work.
The most common reasons why people don’t stick to their routines:
They’re unclear of the intention– It’s easy to forget why you set out to create a morning routine in the first place. Take some time to write down your intention and how this morning routine is helping you move towards it.
They’re Trying To Copy other people– You can’t just copy someone else’s morning routine and expect it to work for you. Your morning routine should be tailored to YOU, not somebody else.
Their routine is cluttered and confusing– If your routine is too cluttered and confusing, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and give up. Make sure you have a clear focus on what you want to get out of the morning.
How to create a morning routine that works
Now that we know some of the common pitfalls that people face when it comes to creating a morning routine that works, lets discuss how to actually create your morning routine.
1. Identify your intention
Why do you want to create a morning routine? Why is it important to you? What goals will your morning routine help you to achieve?
It’s really important to have clarity on your intention before you start. Having this understanding is what will help you stay motivated and keep going when you don’t feel like it.
Spoiler alert: There’ll be a lot times you won’t feel like doing your morning routine.
Start the night before
A great morning routine begins the night before. You can prepare to wake up early by going to bed early.
Not only this, you can also set your self up for success by preparing the things you’ll need for your morning routine. When you do this, you’ll have the visual cues to get started right away.
Schedule your morning routine
You’re unlikely to do something if you don’t find time for it. You need to decide when you’ll wake up and exactly when your morning routine will begin. If you choose to perform certain activities only on certain days, you also need to be clear on that.
The last thing you want to do is lay in bed wondering what you should be doing.
From experience, I can almost guarantee that you’ll roll back under your covers.
Start small
Pick one or two activities that you want to include in your morning routine and build from there.
Start small and slowly add new things when you’re ready. This way, it’s easier to stick to your routine without feeling overwhelmed by too much change all at once.
Include routines that are important to you
It goes without saying that your morning routine should include things that are important to you.
If not, you’ll dread doing them. Don’t do something just because you see other people on social media doing it.
While I include some examples of things to include in your morning routine in this post, I want to be clear that these are all suggestions. You are welcome to take what you need and leave the rest.
Avoid Screen Time
From personal experience, I’ve found that screen time can be a major distraction, derail your productivity and have you feeling sluggish for the day.
Now I recommend to avoid screen time until you’re morning routine is complete.
Unless of course you are using your phone as part of your morning routine. For instance reading the bible on the bible app or using a mediation app to aid your meditation practice.
Even though these can be useful to incorporate, I recommend to use screens sparingly. It’s easy to go from one meditation app to mindless scrolling on instagram with the click of a few buttons.
Give yourself grace
Creating a morning routine is like creating any other habit. It’s hard and it takes time and practice. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Also try not to be hard on yourself if you don’t stick to your morning routine every single day. If you sleep in or things don’t go as planned one day, don’t give up. Just try again the next day.
Refine your routine until you find something that works well for you.
What to include in your morning routine
Are you wondering what to include in your dream morning routine? As I’ve already mentioned, your morning routine is all about you. It should be customized to meet your needs. Fill it with activities that are important to you and make sense given your routine.
Below are some examples of beneficial practices that you can include as part of your morning routine.
- Gratitude– starting your day with gratitude has been shown to significantly increase your happiness.
- Mindfulness or Meditation- this could be inner reflection, practicing gratitude and visualizing how you want your day to go.
- Set An Intention For The Day– this can be something like how you want to show up in the world today
- Journaling – writing down how you feel is a great way to get in touch with how you’re really feeling and can help you work through any emotions. Journaling can help you clear your head and act as a way to keep track of your progress.
- Reading– You can read a book, an article or even the bible. Whatever you choose, make sure that it’s something uplifting and sets the tone for the rest of your day.
- Prayer– starting your day with prayer is a great way to connect with God and invite his presence and guidance for the day. When you start your day with God, it helps you feel his presence throughout the day.
- Movement– working out in the morning can help you get energized for the day. Even if you don’t have a lot of time for a full workout, you can use this time to stretch, go for a quick walk or do some yoga. Even 5 minutes of movement can improve your mood and energy for the day.
- Healthy breakfast– Eating breakfast is important because it helps wake up your metabolism and provides fuel for the rest of the day.
- Make your bed– making your bed first thing in the morning is a great habit to build. It often acts a trigger for a more productive day as you’re less likely to crawl back into bed once it’s made.
- Daily hygiene- Taking care of your hygiene is important for how you feel about yourself. Washing your face, brushing your teeth and taking a shower can help you start the day feeling refreshed and motivated.
With the right morning routine, you can transform how you feel and how productive your day will be. The key to a good morning routine is to start small and gradually build from there.
Now that you have a better idea of how to create a morning routine that works, sign up for our weekly reset checklist and get started on building your own productive morning routine today! With these tips, you can start creating habits that help you feel more relaxed, energized and motivated in your daily life. Good luck!
For more inspiration, check out these amazing books on morning routines:
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