The best morning routine
For years, I struggled to create the best morning routine. The routine that would wake me up and keep me energized throughout the day.
I never gave mornings much thought. They were just something I had to get through.
I’d roll out of bed feeling grumpy, grab my phone, and mindlessly scroll through news or social media.
Breakfast? It was usually something quick and sugary, maybe jam and butter on toast.
I never once thought that this “routine” profoundly affected how I feel, look, work, and interact with others throughout the day.
How to create the best morning routine?
Your morning routine will not be the same as mine. We have different timelines, different lifestyles, and different circumstances.
Sit down and examine your schedule. What are the things you would like to get done in the morning?
Do you want to relax and exersize, or do you also want to work in the morning? Based on this, you will select the time you want to get up.
For me, that is around 6 am. This gives me 2 hours before I start working to wake up, exersize, prepare breakfast, and do some work on this blog.
Here are several steps you need to take to create your best morning routine:
The best morning routine starts the evening before
If you’re like I used to be, staying up until 1 or 2 a.m. watching movies or scrolling through social media, you’re setting yourself up for failure the next day.
When my kids were born, I realized I would get no sleep if I did that. So I pushed my sleep time back and never looked back.
These days, I make it a point to be in bed by 9 p.m. I eat dinner by 7 p.m. and spend about an hour reading before I go to sleep. This has helped me get more consistent, restful sleep, and I wake up feeling refreshed.
Find what works for you.
Maybe you prefer to wind down later, but try to aim for the same sleep and wake times each day.
Get up early
How you start your day determines how you create your life. You do not want to sleep through your life and your goals.
This year I read The 5am Club book, and it inspired me to start getting up earlier. The book explained in great detail the benefits of getting up early and all that you can achieve if you start to do it.
So I pushed my time back to 6 am. The reason? I want to be up before my kids and the morning school chaos to have enough time to take care of myself and write.
What are your goals? What would you like to do in the mornings?
Turn off your phone
Whatever you decide to do in the morning, just do not look at your phone. I leave my phone in my bedroom, my airplane mode still on.
I like to take a walk, read a book, or sit on my balcony with my first glass of water.
If you turn on your phone, you will start checking news, messages from friends, or worse, work emails.
Instead, dedicate mornings to yourself. Do your skincare, take care of your body, and prepare a nice breakfast.
Check out my post: Reduce screen time and regain focus
Pay attention to your thoughts
Your first thoughts can set the tone of your entire day.
I never paid any attention to what I was thinking in the morning. Usually, I would just be grumpy and dissatisfied that I had to get up.
Last year, I started a gratitude journal. It is such a simple habit that takes a couple of minutes of my time.
Every morning, I write three things I am grateful for.
I noticed that my mood throughout the day changed. When you start thinking about good things in your life, you feel more energized and happier.
You feel ready to tackle the day.
Take care of your body
The best time to take care of your body is in the morning. When you get that done, then you can move on with your day.
Every morning, I either take a walk outside, use my old elliptical machine, or do some weight exercises.
Nothing wakes you up more than movement. And if you start doing that in the morning, it quickly becomes a part of your routine.
I tried for 20 years to introduce exercise into my routine. And I managed to do that when I read the book Atomic Habits. It helped me start this habit and make it stick.
Check out my post: The Power of Walking
Prepare a good, nourishing breakfast
The first change I introduced into my morning routine was breakfast. I used to eat a sweet breakfast or skip it altogether. I then snacked a lot and felt nervous and grumpy.
But once I changed my breakfast, everything changed. My usual option is egg and avocado toast. I make it almost every morning. It keeps me full until lunch, and my energy level is high.
This is now the best time to have your coffee, too. At least one hour after waking up.
If you take anything from this post, let it be the breakfast part. This was my first change, too, and it inspired me to make other changes as well.
Prepare your morning routine
If you decide to get up early, have a reason. What do you want to do with that time?
Do you want to write a new blog post? Read a book? Meditate or exercise? Have a plan, otherwise that time will go to waste.
You can use your journal to write down a short schedule. That way, when you wake up, you know exactly what to do. You can find many ideas on how to organize your morning in the books The 5am Club and The Miracle Morning.
Is consistency important?
When you start your new morning routine, consistency will be very important.
You want to create a habit. And to create a habit, you need to repeat the same action until it sticks with you.
The goal is to eventually roll out of bed and perform your routine without even thinking about it.
I now wake up and I no longer have to make myself exersize, or prepare breakfast. I just do it. So you need to be consistent at least for a couple of months to make the habits stick and feel the benefits.
I started with my breakfast at first, and then moved on to other parts of my morning routine.
So start slow, and start making small changes.
Final thoughts
Building a morning routine takes time, but the effort is worth it.
By making small, consistent changes, you can create mornings that help you feel energized and positive. The key is to find what works for you and stick with it.
After a few months, you will start to feel different and you will start to feel all the benefits from this change. Then, the routine becomes a part of you.
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