Creating a Morning Routine
Even if you're decidedly NOT a morning person, hear me out!
By now you've probably heard endlessly about this idea of a morning routine. There are a lot of reasons why I think it's become such a hot topic. But I think one of the reasons it is a valuable tool in your life, is that it forces you to approach your day with intention, before life takes over. Because once the ball gets rolling, the emails start coming in… the baby is crying… the train is almost at your stop… you get the point- it's really hard to claim back your time. You're then just sort of on track to fulfill other people's needs for the rest of the day or being on someone else's schedule. Even if you're an entrepreneur who largely controls your own schedule, you're likely still held captive to your customer's or employees needs throughout the day.
The idea of a morning routine as I see it is to choose how you want to start your day, rather than letting outside factors control it. It's time where you can focus on getting your mind, body etc. set up for success for the day ahead. So what is a morning routine, and how do you decide what to include in it? This is where it's totally personal to you. That's the whole point! I'll talk about the morning routine I've developed, and maybe it will get your wheels turning on what yours may look like. The key is to ask yourself- what contributes to a great start to your day? What starts your day in a way where you feel like you're going in to your day as your best self? Where you focus on your top priorities? What would you do first thing that would give you peace and ease as you went through the rest of your day? Start by putting together a little list of ideas. Then it's all about trying these ideas out and seeing how it goes. It may force you to get up earlier to be able to schedule this time in for yourself. But I promise you, even waking up 5 minutes earlier- you will feel more energized by having 5 minutes to yourself. Maybe some of it fits in while you're commuting. It also may be something where sometimes you have to have a modified version, when things pop up that are out of your control that carve into your typical morning routine time. When I have to go to the flower market for example, I wake up at 4 am- then drive to Chelsea. So I'm starting with work technically, but then as soon as I get home and put all the flowers in water, I go right into my morning routine, and then return to my work after.
I've now reached a point where I've had the same morning routine for about a year and a half. It's something I've evolved over time, trying different things out until I reached the point where I felt like I understood what felt like the best start to my day. I personally only follow my morning routine Monday-Friday, because I enjoy having the flexibility on Saturday-Sunday to switch it up and have some flexibility. But you do you. And start small! If you can only realistically dedicate 5 minutes to yourself in the morning, that's still 5 more minutes than you take for yourself now. Every little bit counts. So feel free to start off small. Maybe that means just 5 minutes outside with a cup of coffee. Maybe it's 5 minutes reading a few pages of a book. Just make sure it's 5 minutes uninterrupted, and that is totally focused on yourself (and no social media!).
My priorities in the morning fall into 3 categories- my physical well being, my mental well being, and my dogs well being. When I include things that encompass all those priorities, I feel like I'm ready to take on my day and be open to whatever gets thrown my way. Here's what my morning routine looks like, in order of activity. And there's a reason for the order too ;)
Take the dogs for a walk- (morning walk location pictured!) there are a few reasons this is the first thing I do when I get up. First of all, our puppy wakes up with a full battery charge- and he needs to get some activity in to calm down- if I have any hope of getting anything done in my day LOL. And honestly, there is so much value to getting outside first thing when you wake up. I find for myself the walk (usually 20ish mins) is great for clearing my head as well. I don't listen to anything during this time, I just totally focus on the walk, the dogs, and being in nature.
Breakfast (and coffee, obviously coffee)- nothing fancy or elaborate here, because my priority is just to have a quick little something so that I'm not starving, and have the energy to get going with my day. Usually just a piece of toast, overnight oats, or cereal. (Note: again, this is where you customize! Maybe breakfast is really important to you, or you like something more filling or more involved. So do that!!! It's all about considering what you like best).
Workout- I find working out first thing is the best for me. It helps me get out of my head and not let my head race with everything I need to do for the day, and it puts someone else in charge (usually I take a peloton class with an instructor). It also ensures I don't put it off until later, when I'm feeling less motivated or tired or whatever. I think in order to be motivated to do this first thing, you have to do something you really enjoy. So don't make it something you'd very easily hit the snooze button over and choose sleep over it. Make it something you actually enjoy doing. Sometimes it's just a matter of finding the right type of instructor who motivates you or who entertains you, whatever! This is a good area to sort of play with until you figure out what's right for you. I find that 30 mins + a 5 min stretch after is a good length for me first thing. Not too long where I feel antsy to get on with my day, but long enough to get a workout in.
Meditate- I've been meditating now for about 2 years. I do it after I exercise, because I find that exercising helps to quiet my mind a little bit, making it a little easier to meditate. But I'll be honest- I still don't find it easy per say. Some days are easier than others, but my mind is still super active during my meditations. But regardless, I still notice a difference in the days I do it vs. if I don't. Even just in my body I can sense a different kind of ease. I usually limit it to 5-10 mins max. There are tons of free guided meditations you can find online if you're new to it!
Journal - usually during the meditation my mind will be racing on something. After, I make sure to write about it and get it out of my head. Or really anything that comes to mind. There is no agenda for what I write. I just open a blank page and dump whatever is on my mind. Sometimes it's something I'm emotionally processing, sometimes it's just a gratitude list, sometimes it's an intention I'm setting for my day. I really just allow myself to have no agenda and just have found so much value in writing every day. It was something in the beginning I had to force myself to do as I was trying it out, since I had heard so many benefits of it. It didn't feel natural to me in the beginning. But after years of doing it, I now feel weird if I don't do it. It's therapeutic. And it's probably only about 5 minutes of my morning routine.
Pull an oracle card- after journaling for nearly 2 years, I can say definitively that most days that I pull an oracle card, it directly relates in some way to what I've written about/what's on my mind. It gives me confirmation on something. It allows me to focus on something outside myself/greater than myself. I know oracle cards may be a little too "woo woo" for some, and that's ok. But I think it's a really cool tool to try out if you're open to it (I use the Rebecca Campbell Work Your Light Oracle Cards which you can get on Amazon). And if there's a day where I open my journal and can't think of anything to write, I pull an oracle card for inspo/direction- and then let that guide me into what I'm going to write.
I have found that this particular combination of activities is what works best for me as a morning routine. It covers all my priorities, and I can say that when I'm done with these activities, I truly feel ready to start my day. I do not check my email or text messages (or social media) before these items are done. Because that would defeat the purpose. It would shift me from my priorities to someone else’s. There are exceptions of course, but as a general rule of thumb, that's my approach. I'm also flexible when I have to modify my morning routine. While this is my ideal morning routine, sometimes the reality is that I can't fit it all in and I have to modify it. I hope this inspires you to think about what would be the best start to your day. I can tell you that it has completely changed the trajectory of my days. Instead of just hitting the ground running and getting swept up in everyone else's needs, I've started my day with intention and taking care of myself. And as they say, we have to put the air mask on ourselves first, before we can help others. This is your permission to start the day in a way that serves you, before you serve others.
xo
