Does your morning routine consist of staying in bed as late as possible while barely making it to work on time? If you’re like most people, your morning might go something like this:
- Alarm goes off.
- Hit the snooze button (at least three times).
- Lie there and think about how much you don’t want to get up. Or moan and groan about how much you hate your job.
- Shower.
- Get dressed.
- Run out the door with a honey bun (or nothing) in your hand.
With so many people starting their day off like this, it’s no wonder there’s constant grumbling in the mornings. How can anyone expect to have a great day when their morning routine is rushed and filled with negative thinking? Getting the day off on the wrong foot can sabotage your entire to-do list and prevent you from making progress on your goals. But what if you could change your life simply by developing an inspiring morning routine that sets you up for success?
About a year ago, I started to create my own morning practice that included healthy habits and positive thinking. As I began to follow this routine more and more, I noticed that not only was I feeling better mentally and physically, but that I was also able to focus on my goals and get more done throughout the day.
Here’s the outline of my own practice, with some tips for how you can incorporate this routine into your day as well:
1. Wake up one hour earlier. I don’t consider myself an early riser, but I do feel more inspired to get things done when I wake up before 8:00am. Set your alarm to go off an hour earlier than usual as you’ll need extra time to accommodate your new morning routine. Of course, going to bed earlier makes this task easier!
2. Get up immediately. Avoid lying there and thinking negatively about your day, life, job, challenges or anything else. Instead, get your head up off the pillow quickly before you convince yourself that five more minutes won’t hurt. It helps to place your alarm clock or phone on the other side of the room. That way, you’re actually forced to get up to turn it off.
3. Drink an 8-16 oz. glass of warm water with lemon. Or leave a bottle of water on your nightstand if that’s more convenient. Just be sure to get your water in as soon as you wake. You’ll feel less groggy and ready to get moving! Plus, it’s much easier to continue the act of drinking water throughout the day when you get a head start first thing in the morning.
4. Meditate or pray. Take 5-10 minutes to meditate or pray. Being still or spending time in worship will put you in the right mindset to face the day. My simple meditation process includes reading the daily passage from Mark Nepo’s The Book of Awakening, then sitting in silence on my yoga mat by the window.
5. Prepare a healthy breakfast. It’s hard to focus on your goals when you miss the most important meal of the day! Try a quick, nutritious meal each morning, Some of my favorite “ready in 10 minutes or less” breakfasts include: fruit smoothies, oatmeal with bananas and almond butter, scrambled eggs with sauteed kale or Greek yogurt topped with fresh fruit and granola.
6. Exercise for at least 15 minutes. Take a walk, jump on the treadmill, do a full workout in the gym, etc. It doesn’t matter what kind of exercise you do as long as you get your body moving! I’m not a big fan of the gym, but I enjoy taking walks in the morning as the whole world seems to wake up with the sun, especially the birds!
7. Shower and put on something that makes you feel good. Take a hot shower or warm bath after exercising. Choose one of your favorite outfits or wear a beloved piece of jewelry. For instance, I often wear a gold ring with a small rose engraved on it because it was a gift from my grandmother. Whenever I put on that particular ring, I feel her love and encouragement throughout the day.
This week, try to develop a morning routine that will help you to stay positive and focused. The practice outlined above will likely take you at least 60 minutes to complete. If that’s longer than you can spend, simply come up with an abbreviated version that works for you. For me, putting in the effort to develop an intentional morning routine has definitely had a significant impact on my productivity. Give it a try and see how it changes your day!
Leave a comment below: Do you have a morning routine? Which activities help to put you into a positive and productive frame of mind for the day?
Rosetta Thurman is a nationally-recognized author, speaker, mentor and coach dedicated to helping women create their ideal lives.
Hi Rosetta
I hate getting out of bed, I love my bed so much that I get very angry at anyone who wakes me up, I am always late for my appointments and reading these tips are just not enough to get me going, I will write them on paper and put it where I can see it as soon as I open my eyes but, when the time comes I just pretend like they not there are continue sleeping. Any advise, I believe that I could have been so far if life now if I could just loose this habit. Plzz help!
Great post! I’ve been trying to do something like this and one thing I do is make my bed (which I never used to do). Makes me feel like I accomplished something every morning. Love this list.
thanks for sharing these steps rosetta. Im asham to say that I know about all these routines and will always set my alarm clock to go off 2hrs before I leave the house, but I end up going back to sleep each time, rush everything in the morning and skip a lot of important things. I will be trying these tips from henceforth
themanecaptain.blogspot.ca
I’m just reading this post, but it is oh-so-relevant for me at this point in life! I already get up pretty early in the morning (4 AM) but I could benefit a lot from waking a little earlier and either exercising or just making sure that I eat a nutritious breakfast. Thanks for the tips!
This reminds of a book I read this summer, Get Your Act Together. The authors discuss how in Ammish culture families have a daily schedule so everything gets done. They avoid that “laying in bed until the last minute”. It helps to have a routine and create that structure. I am really bad about this but I am trying to get better. Thanks for the tips and encouragement.
http://www.makeitfunanditwillgetdone.com/products-page/books/get-your-act-together-2/
I needed to read this. I recently had an epiphany that staying in bed as long as possible and thinking about what I was happy about was not at all a joyful way to start the day. I will be creating a new morning routine.
I actually found this post to be really helpful. It is amazing that making such small changes will impact how the rest of your day goes. I am in the process of giving myself a “morning routine makeover”. This will allow me to feel better about myself and accomplish some things instead of putting things off.
Great Post!
Andrienne
I sleep polyphasically (in several 3-4 hour cycles), but in the early A.M., I write, chant one of my favorite mantras, or both.
I love this! I’m going to go over this and create a similar morning routine that will help me to be excited about the day. This is really great.
I like to cook breakfast for my family. Just the thought of helping my family start their days on a good note puts me in a happy place. I also pray and take a few minutes to meditate on all my blessings.
I’ve always been an early riser, and my day can start as early as 5 or 5:30AM. i had been meditating, followed by a “Mindful Virtual Walk”. I am fortunate in that I have a lot of trees on my block and on the surrounding blocks, so I go for a mental walk and have greet each tree (i’ve given them names). Surprisingly, i have found this exercise to be very relaxing, even more so than meditation. I have gotten out of the habit but hope to get back to it that as well as a yoga routine I was doing a couple of years ago.
I still do spend a little quiet time just thinking about different things. Then I get up and work on whatever little projects, before I get dressed and dash off to work. These days it is most likely editing a post for my blog (which I relaunched in June) , but it can also include other work for organizations I volunteer with.
I have about an hour’s commute, but since I relaunched my blog, instead of the consternation about work or other stuff I used to be preoccupied with, I’m filled with excitement and thoughts of ways to promote my blog, possible post ideas and offshoots of that. Deciding to approach blogging in a more serious and disciplined way, (after taking Rosetta’s class), is one of the best decisions I have made.
Hi Rosetta,
How in the world did you know my exact morning routine? Minus the moan and groan part about hating my job, which I actually really like, you described my morning hustle and bustle to a tee!
Looks like I could use a major morning makeover to get me through the day. I will definitely take heed to your sound advice.
Thanks a bunch,
J
Let me know what you end up with for your morning routine – a makeover can do wonders for all of us after a while :)
Hi:
I am in the same “boat” as Beverly. Getting myself before I interact with the children is quite a challenge but your tips will help. I have heard so much about the lemon and water.
Thank you,
Cheryl
Hi Rosetta,
I really enjoyed reading your tips on creating a morning routine. I’m currently on summer vacation (I work in the school system) but will start this practice immediately so I can be fully prepared when school is back in session.
That’s a great idea to start now and make your routine a habit before you get back into the “busy” time of year. Good luck!