MY 5-STEP MORNING ROUTINE
I've always dreamed about the perfect morning routine full of exercise, healthy habits and a load of productivity. For some reason I could never get the 15-part morning routine to stick or be something I looked forward to, so I changed tactics.
Now, I try to keep my mornings as slow as possible, working in some essentials and have created a routine that is easily doable and quite enjoyable. These activities aren't "must-do's" and there are definitely mornings that I don't get to them all, however, they are activities that I love doing and that ground me for the day to come.
1- Breakfast- this seems silly to document as part of my routine, but it is the first thing I do when I get out of bed. I make myself a quick breakfast, so I can get on with my day full of fuel. I find when I'm still waking up I don't like to spend a lot of time in the kitchen or cooking anything spectacular, so my breakfast usually consists of a bowl of oatmeal & a glass of kefir. Kefir has some great probiotic qualities so drinking a glass of it is the first thing I do. The oatmeal I make is simple "quick oats" with raisins, cinnamon and a splash of maple syrup and keeps me feeling full until lunch-time. The kind I make takes 30 seconds to put together and 3 minutes to cook in the microwave. Easy-peasy, no excuses.
2- 15 minute meditation- the most grounding part of my morning routine and also one of the things that I can easily convince myself I don't need to do or don't have time to do- but it is always worth it. I use the headspace app, sit in a quite place (bed or couch depending on where is quieter) and just do it. I don't consider myself to be very "good" at meditating but I definitely notice when I've skipped a day or two. I'm on edge way more.
3- Reading- whenever I can, I grab a book to read in the morning. Just spending a bit of quiet time reading gives me something enjoyable to do before the work day begins. I could spend this time on social media, BUT I know that it is much better spent with my nose is a good book. I usually read fiction to give my thinking brain a break, but am sometimes inspired to dive into a personal development themed book first thing too. Whatever I read, I find this is a brilliant use of time and always feel more grounded because of it.
4- Journaling & affirmations- I write out my affirmations every morning 15x each. This is another thing that I convince myself I don't have time for, but whenever that excuse comes up I know I need it the most. I've talked a lot about journaling on this blog already so I won't go into it in detail here, but I so believe in the power of journaling and it helps me set intentions for the day, clear out drama from my head and grounds me in a moment of self indulgence.
5- Get ready for my day- this looks different each day, but consists of changing into a comfy outfit for the day and sometimes involves a nice outfit, quick makeup and hair. I don't like to spend too much time getting ready (especially with no where exciting to go at the moment) but spending a bit of time getting ready for the day really shifts my mindset into a productive, inspired place. I'm also much more likely to put in a good effort of work rather than nap my day away if I change out of my PJs.
So that's it. The 5 things I do most mornings & the order I do them. None of these are particularly challenging to do but building up this routine has been a process. I've learned that it's best to start new things slowly, and add one new aspect to my routine at a time. Breakfast and getting ready have always been a part of my routine, but slowly I've added journaling, reading and meditating one by one.
I hope seeing my morning routine inspires you to stick to your own routine. Or maybe you might incorporate one of the things I find so grounding into your morning.
