You want to start your days more productively and not feel rushed to get out the door. You’d like to know what a peaceful morning feels like. Creating a morning routine can give you just that. Peaceful mornings filled with intention.
Creating a Morning Routine
After the birth of my fourth baby, my morning routine has become non-existent. For good reason. All of my days seem to run into one another with no clear beginning or end. On top of the demands a newborn brings, along with completing daily tasks to keep my household in order, I don’t have much time to take for myself.
I’ve missed having a hot cup of coffee and some quiet time before my house wakes up.
But now I’m ready to get back into a morning routine and create some order to the start of my day.
The Benefits of Having a Morning Routine
Having a morning routine can get your day started off in the right direction. When you have had some time to yourself before the responsibilities of daily living begin, you feel more prepared.
Reduced Stress
Beginning your day with a structured plan will leave you feeling refreshed each day and less stressed. The start of your days will have order and create space for you to breathe.
You will give your mind and body time to wake up and not have that rushed feeling. It’s not fun to begin your day already feeling behind.
Time
This is a big one for me. A morning routine gives you time. It’s an intentional time that you can use to work on an important project or read that book you’ve had on your nightstand for months. It’s time when you are investing in yourself guilt-free.
Better Health
Did you know that drinking a cup of coffee is not breakfast? Before creating my morning routine, coffee was my breakfast many days. I would wake up and make a cup of coffee first and then the demands of my day would take over and I would forget to actually eat real food. Sound familiar?
Experts show that breakfast is the fuel your body and brain need to be more productive during the day. Adding in a healthy breakfast is one benefit of having a morning routine.
Why It’s Important To Have A Morning Routine
Less Thinking
Having a routine takes the thinking out of beginning your day. It’s a sequence of actions that you regularly follow with a fixed order.
It can be done without using a lot of brain power and becomes automatic. Take locking the front door when you leave the house, for instance. You do it automatically and don’t think and worry all day that you forgot to do it.
With a morning routine you won’t forget to take care of yourself.
Control
It allows you to be in control of your schedule instead of your schedule controlling you. You get to plan the order of how your day will begin.
You will eliminate rushing around the house trying to get everyone and yourself where they need to be with all the stuff they need to have.
You will have a system in place that will start your morning off right. Instead of reacting to your morning you are acting and following the steps you laid out for your day.
Peace
As a mom of four kiddos, my morning routine helps me to be a more pleasant and joyful mother each day. Because I’ve had time to myself in the morning, I am ready to serve my family when they get up.
Give yourself the peace of a morning routine!
How Do I Start A Morning Routine?
Developing a morning routine that works for you will take some trial and error. With a little bit of effort I know you can find a routine that will work for your schedule.
You may be thinking, ”I’m not a morning person”. Getting up early just is not something I want to do.
I can tell you from experience that getting up earlier is hard to do – at first. But you can train your body and mind to do it.
You get to decide how much time your morning routine will take. Would you like 30 minutes, 1 hour or 2 hours for your morning routine?
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Decide Your Why
When you wake up in the morning and want to feel energized and ready for the day, set an intention or goal for the day. Determine what it is you want to accomplish or feel throughout the day.
Write down the reasons why you are starting a morning routine. Are you getting up so that you can have some quiet time to yourself? Do you want to work on a personal project?
Knowing why you are getting up will help you mentally be able to push forward when you’d rather hit the snooze button.
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Make A List
What you would like your morning routine to consist of? What would you like to accomplish at the beginning of your day?
Make a list of all the activities you would like to get done in the morning. This is a time for you, so make sure you use it to build yourself up so you are ready to serve others and be productive with the rest of your day.
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Add It In Slowly
Starting a new routine will take time and practice. Don’t try to overhaul it all at once. Slowly add in a new item to your morning routine tasks. Try one new thing every 3 days.
Start by just accomplishing getting up earlier. Whether that’s 15 minutes earlier or an hour earlier, give your body and mind time to adjust to its new routine.
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Pick Your Start and End Time
Know your start time and end time. Once you have made your list of what you would like to accomplish during your morning routine, you can make a rough assessment of how long your routine will take.
Having an end time will help your mind be able to switch gears and continue on with your day smoothly. You will end your morning routine feeling successful and refreshed.
What Should My Morning Routine Include?
I like to have time for a 30 minute workout or run, Bible reading, devotions, blogging work, a hot cup of coffee, getting showered, dressed, and ready for the day.
Having this morning time when I am not pulled in different directions with requests from my family is essential for my mental health.
Your morning routine should include things that will fuel your body and mind for a productive day.
Each person will have a different answer to what their morning routine consists of but there are some basic aspects that you should include to make a morning routine that helps create success for your day.
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Fuel Your Body
Before you have that first cup of coffee, drink a nice big glass of water! Also fuel your body with a healthy breakfast.
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Bible Reading, Prayer or Journaling
Taking time to be still and slowly wake your mind gives peace to your day. Read your Bible and pray. Give thanks and reflect on what you are grateful for in your life. Write down your thoughts in a journal or just take the time to be still and quiet.
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Move Your Body
Stretch your muscles or get your heart pumping with a cardio workout. Any form of physical movement in the morning to get the blood flowing will help you feel energized.
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Personal Project
You’ve gotten up early so use some of that time for a personal project. Maybe this is the time when you can work on a business you are trying to start. Or read a book for pleasure.
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Shower and Get Dressed
One way to tackle each day is to be dressed and ready for it. Getting a shower and putting on clean clothes adds confidence. You can read more about why getting dressed for the day is a good idea here.
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Make Your Bed
This may seem like an odd item for your morning routine. Making your bed doesn’t actively pertain to you, but it does help your day feel organized and more orderly. Having your bed made instantly makes your bedroom look tidy.
How Long Should My Morning Routine Be?
Remember, introduce your morning routine slowly and be consistent.
You may not naturally be a morning person but you can retrain your body over time to get up earlier.
You are in charge of designing your morning routine so you get to decide how early you start.
Now that you have your list of items you would like to include in your morning routine you can make a rough assessment of how much time you will need to complete your morning routine.
Being Successful In My Morning Routine.
A successful morning routine means being flexible. Don’t put rigid restrictions or grand expectations on yourself. Your routine won’t be perfect and may need to change with different seasons of life.
The goal of your morning routine is to add thought out structure to the beginning of your day so you can be productive and not feel stressed out.
Here are some tips to help get you started with your best morning routine:
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Prepare The Evening Before
A successful morning routine actually begins the evening before. You can set yourself up to win each morning by doing a few things to prepare for the next day.
For example, to add motivation to getting my workout done each morning, I pull out my workout clothes and gear the night before a set them in the bathroom.
This eliminates a step in the morning and also removes the noise and need to turn on a light in my bedroom which would disrupt my husband’s sleep and my four month old daughter’s sleep.
My bible and bible study book are placed at my command station (aka: the kitchen island). I don’t have to go searching for the books I need in the morning. I make sure to put them on the kitchen island each evening so they are ready for me each morning.
I check my calendar for the following day’s activities. If I’m going to leave the house in the morning, I make sure to restock my diaper bag and gather any other necessities I will need to take with me in the morning.
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Get Decent Sleep
Getting up earlier will be a lot easier if you’re getting adequate sleep. Try to get to bed 30 minutes earlier than you normally would.
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Water By Bedside
Drinking water is always a good idea. Have a full glass or water bottle on your nightstand. If you wake up in the night, take a drink and then finish the glass when you get up in the morning.
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Place Phone Away From Your Bed
How many of us go to bed with our phones in our hand. Then we spend way to much time on social media or watching a show. Before we know it, an hour has passed. That is sleep we have missed out on and will affect us the next morning.
Many of us use our phone as our alarm clocks. It’s right next to our bed. It may be a good idea to go the old fashioned route and use an actual alarm clock.
Keep your phone charging in the kitchen each night instead of by your bedside.
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Ask For Accountability
When you tell others about a new habit you are trying to achieve, it adds accountability. Your friends or family can check in on your progress and you will be happy to report your success.
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Be Consistent
Developing this new habit takes consistency. The more you do it the easier it will become. Once you start seeing the benefits of your new routine, you will be motivated to continue implementing your new habit.
If you miss a day, don’t beat yourself up, just keep going with your new morning routine the following day. It’s not about being perfect but developing a new habit that benefits you.
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Your New Morning Routine
Creating a morning routine that works for your lifestyle will benefit you by allowing yourself time to pursue a personal passion, remove the feeling of being rushed each morning, and make space to better your health by adding in a healthy breakfast or exercise.
You will have an ease about your day when you have built a plan for your morning that includes items that energize and excite you.
The length of your morning routine is up to you so get started now to a better morning!
To help get you started on this new journey, sign up for the 5 Days to A Better Morning Challenge hosted by Crystal Paine of Money Saving Mom.
During the 5-day challenge Crystal will give you practical steps and encouragement to help you set up your day for success.
Every day you will be sent a short email that focuses on one specific aspect of a better morning.
At the end of the challenge you will feel so much happier, calmer, and more organized – in just 5 days!
Click here to start your 5 Days to A Better Morning Challenge!
