4 Steps to Creating Your Morning Routine
Are morning routines worth the hype?
I’m sharing what I’ve learned from 8 years of practicing my morning routine, plus the same 4-step plan I used to make it happen. Creating a morning routine doesn’t have to be complicated or require a ton of will power.
What is a morning routine?
Having a morning routine means different things to different people, but there are 2 things all morning routines have in common:
You do the same activity (or activities) every day.
You do those activities in the morning.
Why do the same activity every day?
Because doing the same thing every day turns that activity into a habit, which makes it easier to just do the thing without even thinking about it.
When something becomes a habit, it's less likely to fall by the wayside or be forgotten — kind of like brushing teeth or eating breakfast!
Why morning? Why not later in the day?
Because how we start the day sets us up for the whole day. If we start out by rolling over and checking our phone, forget it.
We just gave ourselves over to everyone else’s priorities, putting ourselves last on the list.
If we attend to the things we want to do first, before we open that proverbial door to others, we get a real chance to prioritize ourselves.
Remember, you’re the only one who can decide what you put first in order to live your soul’s purpose!
What my morning routine looks like
For me, this all started when I came across a wonderful resource called Create a Meaningful Morning Routine, which was a self-directed micro-course created by Courtney Carver of Be More With Less.
I jumped right in with the small steps that she suggested, choosing meditation and writing. I started with 5 minutes, and worked my way up from there.
Within months, I had a routine that I just could not help but engage in on a daily basis. It became a habit. An addiction, but the good kind.
Why morning routines?
I’ve maintained my morning routine for 8 years and it’s made a huge difference in my overall health and wellbeing.
I start each day knowing exactly what to do.
Once I had my routine in place, I stopped dreading getting out of bed in the morning. I wasn’t lying in bed and mentally making my list of “to-dos” (and yes, that is as excruciating as it sounds).
I woke up every day knowing exactly what I was going to do when I got out of bed. Meditation and writing are both activities that are easy to do anywhere — at home, while visiting family, or on vacation.
They were a welcome comfort on rough days — or rough seasons. I always knew that I could count on them to keep me grounded and centered. For me, that meant feeling in touch with myself and what’s important to me. It meant feeling confident that I was living my day in a way that I wanted to, always coming back to my personal priorities even when I got distracted by shiny objects and other people’s needs.
I take care of myself first.
Before I implemented a morning routine, I was always giving the first moments of my day to others.
This works just fine for a while, but long-term, the effects of neglecting myself showed up as poor health.
My morning routine made me replace checking e-mail with checking in with myself. It gave me a chance to take care of myself first, which made me more relaxed, more comfortable, and more ready to face my day.
I’m better at listening to my body.
I find it much easier to stay focused on what’s important each day. This means that I can say “No” more easily to things that do not bring me joy.
As a result, I’ve gotten better at hearing what my body is telling me about what it needs, be it rest, food, water, movement, sunlight, or something else.
This has naturally helped me take better care of my health.
How to get started with your own morning routine
Here’s my 4-step plan for getting started with a morning routine.
Make a list of 5-10 things you enjoy doing but don’t do as much as you’d like. If it helps, complete this sentence: I wish I had more time to _______.
Choose one activity from your list.
First thing in the morning, set a timer for 5 minutes and do it.
Repeat for 30 days.
As you get used to your new routine, you can expand those 5 minutes to longer periods, and add other activities.
If you’re wondering, “Will this really make a difference?” I challenge you to try it for just 30 days, and see what happens.
Worst case scenario: you’ll have gifted yourself with more time to do something you wish you did more of anyway.
Bonus tip: Go to bed at a reasonable time so that you can wake up before the others in your household to engage in your routine without interruptions.
Do it however you like, just do it. You'll be very glad you did.
Want help with designing a morning routine for your life?
When you start experimenting with a new morning routine for the first time, a common stumbling block is not being able to stick to it — even 30 days can be a real challenge.
What can help you create this habit is accountability.
When someone knows that you’re working on implementing a new morning routine and expects you to do the same activity first thing in the morning, every day, it becomes harder to:
Forget to do it
Hit the snooze button
Check your phone as soon as you get up
Abandon your morning routine
Having someone who is 100% supportive about your new project check in with you on a regular basis can also provide motivation (that you might not always get from your partner or kids!).
And lastly, when you have someone like that in your corner, they can help you get back to your routines after taking a break while you’re traveling, or while you’re sick.
I can be that person for you.
Creating your morning routine is one part of my coaching program, designed to help you go from feeling stressed out about your habits to integrating the right holistic lifestyle for all of you.
Here are some results I’ve witnessed from simple, personalized lifestyle changes:
Fewer illnesses
Clearer skin: no more reactions to food sensitivities
Better sleep: falling asleep faster, sleeping longer, fewer middle-of-the-night wake-ups
Clearer mind: no more brain fog or forgetting words!
Less pain in the body: faster recovery from workout soreness, joint pain from overuse, or even injuries
Higher energy levels: longer-lasting spurts, no slump halfway through the day
Ability to move farther and faster in everyday movements or exercise
If these sound like things you want in your life, send me a quick note using the form below. I’ll get back to you to schedule a free, no-pressure call to chat about your habits.