Do you have a consistent morning routine? Getting up early to start your day is a wonderful way to set yourself up for success for the rest of the day. You’ll feel more productive, organized, energetic, and you’ll feel better.
Why is having a morning routine so important?
- You have the quiet you need for meditation, prayer, yoga, or reading.
- You have time to effectively plan your day.
- Consistent night and morning times can help the quality of your sleep.
- You tend to have more energy.
- You tend to have a better attitude and are more positive throughout the day.
- You’ll find it much easier to focus on your goals.
- You’ll have more mental clarity (because of the quiet) and be more creative.
- The trend is your friend – with a consistent morning routine, you’re more likely to achieve your goals. AND…you’re in great company. There are so many successful people who have morning routines.
Night owls may have a harder time getting up earlier, but if you’re committed to starting a morning routine, here are some tips that can help:
- Identify and eliminate late night habits that keep you up. Late night screen time, eating “heavy” food or drinking caffeine, even exercise later in the day are all activities that affect your sleep.
- Create a new night routine that supports your commitment to rise early. An hour before bedtime, engage in quieter activities such as meditation or reading.
- Start slowly. Try going to bed 15 minutes or a half hour earlier each night until you reach your target bed time. Or, set the alarm to get up 15 minutes earlier each morning until you reach your target morning time.
- Make one of your early morning rituals exercise in the beginning. This will help you get your blood flowing and energy going.
We’re all different so your morning routine, to be more effective, will need to reflect your own preferences. You may prefer yoga to a 5-mile run, for example. Or lemon water to keto coffee.
Think of your morning routine as choices you can pick from a menu. You can choose which activities will get you off to a great start in the time you’ve allotted.
Also, think about your intentions for your morning routine. Do you need to be inspired? Motivated? Energized? Choose activities that reflect that.
For example, you may want to exercise for more energy and better health, then meditate for a peaceful mind, then sit in gratitude for improving your mood, then go over your goals list for success.
Here are some ideas you can implement for your own morning routine:
- Drink 8 oz water
- Drink green tea
- Drink coffee
- Take a cold shower
- Meditate
- Do yoga
- Workout
- Listen to a motivational recording
- Listen to a podcast
- Listen to a hypnosis recording
- Read a book
- Read from the Bible
- Read a blog post or article
- Do an e-course
- Pray
- Affirmations
- Write
- Spend time on a hobby
- Learn a new language
- Learn a new skill
There are so many great ideas for creating your morning routine!
My morning starts often before 5 am with a cup of coffee (which I’ll switch after the New Year with lemon water), then learning something new (I love Udemy for their great selection of affordable courses), then meditation, then I choose a card from one of my card decks for the intention of the day, then I write in a journal, and then I do some energy exercises that keeps my chi flowing. By then my handsome husband is up, my dogs are wagging their tails in excitement for the day, and I feel like I’ve taken care of a lot of my needs as an introverted extrovert (I need my quiet time but I also love to be around people).
Do you have a morning routine? Are you planning on starting one? What will you include in yours? Leave a comment below.
