Would you like to feel more in control of your day and to build healthy habits? Developing a morning routine can help you be more productive and less stressed out for the rest of your day. Your morning routine sets the tone for your day. In this post, I’ll show you how to create a morning routine.
Is this what your typical day looks like?
- Your annoying alarm goes off.
- You don’t get out of bed. Instead, you hit the snooze button several times.
- Instead of getting up, you lie in bed telling yourself how much you don’t want to get up and that you wish you could stay in bed all day.
- You shower and get dressed, scrambling to find everything you need for the day. Or if you are working from home, you don’t get dressed at all.
- Realizing you should probably eat something, you grab a quick breakfast of something processed. And you don’t even take the time to pay attention to eating. You just throw your food in your mouth as you hurry to get to work or whatever appointment you might be late for.
Does your morning routine resemble the above? If so, this can start your day off negatively.
Since you are reading this on a health coaching blog, I’m guessing you are looking to change your life. If you’re trying to live a healthy life, starting the day off right can affect whether you’re going to reach your goals. Plus, it makes your day go much smoother.
Living a healthy and productive life can be challenging. If you make gradual adjustments to your routine, you will impact your life in positive ways. Beginning the day with healthy activities and structure helps create a healthy mindset that will stick with you the rest of the day.
If you want to have a good day, you must prepare and build a solid foundation for having a good day.
Many people benefit from rising early and following a set routine every morning. It’s taken me a long time to build my morning routine and I’m still tweaking it.
The ideas listed below sum up my perfect morning routine. However, it’s a work in progress and I have days when I check off all the boxes and some days that I don’t. I left out my parental obligations and my business duties on this list.
The included tasks are what I believe contribute most to a positive and healthy day. My routine starts between 5 and 5:30, so I have all the time alone to get through my routine. When I don’t get up before my kids, my day is utter chaos. This rarely happens because they are teenagers.
Consider these ideas when you create a morning routine:
- Plan the next morning the night before. Plan what you are going to do first thing in the morning. If you have a clear plan for the morning, you’ll be inspired to get up and out of bed. Visualize your routine before you go to sleep.
- It’s important to have a good reason to wake up in the morning. If you have a plan for your morning, you can slip out of bed and straight into your routine.
- Write down an outline of the next day’s activities. Getting organized the night before is a productive way to start the following day. Make it a ritual to sit down for a few minutes before bed to gather your thoughts and create a plan for the day.
- Get plenty of sleep the night before. Experts advise 7 to 8 hours of sleep for your health.
- It’s known that caffeine can cause sleep disturbances, especially if you drink it too close to bedtime. Consider avoiding caffeine if you are having trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep. If you must have your caffeine (I’m there with you), try to stop drinking it after noon. Decreasing or eliminating your caffeine might improve your sleep.
- You’ll be inclined to get out of bed at a decent time if you get a good night’s sleep. Be consistent about when you go to bed and get up each day for the best outcome. Getting up earlier may help you fall asleep easier at night.
- Begin this process slowly. Decide when you want to get up. What would be your ideal time? This is your goal wake-up time. Start by waking up only 15 minutes earlier than normal. It may take some time to get used to waking up earlier. Continue this gradually until you meet your goal wake-up time.
- Get up immediately. Avoid lying in bed wishing you didn’t have to get up. And try not to think negatively about the day. It’s harder to think negative thoughts if you’re up and taking action. And whatever you do, don’t hit the snooze button.
- Move your alarm clock away from your bed so that you aren’t tempted to hit the snooze button. Keeping it away from your bed forces you to get out of bed to turn it off.
- If you have a timer on your coffee maker, set it to brew your coffee before you get out of bed. The smell of coffee might lull you out of bed.
- As soon as your alarm goes off, leave the bedroom. Once you’re up, don’t go back to bed. Create a habit, like getting a glass of water (see below), so you don’t go back to bed.
- Drink a glass of water. You’ve likely gone 8+ hours without a drink. Drink a big glass of water. Leave a bottle of water on the bathroom counter if it will help remind you. Just be sure to get your water – this sets you up to get proper hydration throughout the day. Hydrating your body with water helps your body and mind and has many other benefits.
- Enjoy a quick workout or movement. Take a walk, do some yoga, or do some jumping jacks. It doesn’t matter which exercise you do. Just do some form of movement. When you exercise in the morning, you’ll have more energy during the day. You’ll be proud of yourself because you accomplished something early in your day. When you begin your day in this positive and healthy way, the rest of the day will be less stressful. If you need help getting started with a workout routine, read this post.
- Meditate or read something inspiring. Take 5-10 minutes to meditate, practice deep breathing, or read. Inspirational reading material will motivate you and get you ready for the day. Meditation can calm your mind and bring clarity to your day.
- If you are a breakfast eater (I’m not), eat a healthy breakfast. Eat food in its purest form and avoid the processed cereals and sugary treats. It’s important to sit down and eat your food mindfully. If we are in a rush, we can’t truly enjoy and savor our food.
- Shower, get dressed and brush your teeth. Even if you aren’t going anywhere, get dressed. You will not feel energetic or productive if you are wearing pajamas all day.
- Review the plan you wrote the night before and any goals you have. This should only take a few minutes, but it’s effective. You are more likely to meet goals if you review them regularly. Checking in with your goals will keep you more focused throughout the day.
The routine outlined above may seem overwhelming, but it gives you some ideas to get you on a positive path with your goals. It’s important to follow the same basic routine each day. The more you practice your morning routine, the more automatic it will be.
If you are new to morning routines, start with just one new habit at a time. Test it out for a few days before introducing the next habit. This will make the process easier. Maybe you aren’t interested in certain steps and that’s fine. Your morning routine must work for you.
If you need help developing a morning routine, just let me know by scheduling a call.
I also created a printable morning checklist, which you can download here.
Disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor, therapist, Registered Dietitian, or financial advisor. The information presented is purely for informational purposes. Check with a doctor or other professional before making any nutritional, fitness, lifestyle, or financial changes. The author and blog disclaim liability for any damage, mishap, or injury that may occur from engaging in any suggestions or ideas from this site.
