My Morning Routine: A Meaningful Way to Start the Day
Last month I was chatting with some people on Clubhouse about the topic of burnout. While speaking to the idea of burnout, I brought up my morning routine and how important it is for me to do on a daily basis in order to avoid burnout. Lots of people were interested to hear more and I started to break down what exactly I do on a daily basis. But, of course, I couldn’t go into too much detail without totally dominating the conversation. Because of that experience, the idea for this blog post was born! In the following paragraphs I’m going to outline each and every step I take in my morning routine, how I do these steps, and explain why they are a part of my routine.
Are you as excited as I am? I sure hope so!
Why Have a Morning Routine
Before I get into it, I think it’s important to explain why I think a morning routine is so powerful. For me, it has seriously changed my life, and I don’t say that lightly. It has given me the space to center myself each morning and set the stage for the day ahead. It really makes me feel powerful and confident and like I have what it takes to tackle everything I have to do in a day. I love how it makes me feel, and that’s why I do it.
On a more practical level though, my morning routine keeps me off my phone for a good hour after I wake up each morning. This is a huge accomplishment for me and I find it really rewarding. Staying off my phone the moment I wake up allows me to stay disconnected from the world while I’m waking up and getting ready for the day. It prevents me from immediately jumping into my email and getting into work mode. It stops me from immediately jumping into social media and being overstimulated by everything on Instagram, Facebook, etc. It helps me focus on myself and truly leaning into how I want to feel each day. I think we could all use a bit more of that in our lives.
The Night Before
When I was thinking about writing this blog post, I realized my morning routine actually starts the night before. The pre-work I do to set myself up for success each morning really does start with a few simple things I do before I go to bed each night. Don’t worry, they’re not super crazy. Anyone can do them.
1. Plan for the Following Day
Since I work for myself, I actually tend to do this at the end of each workday. I use my planner, The Catalyst of Change Half Year Planner, to outline the 3 most important tasks I need to complete the following day and any smaller tasks I think I should complete the following day as well. This helps me know exactly what I’ll be working on the next day, that way I’m not scrambling to figure it out the following morning. It helps me feel relaxed in the morning and not stress out about my day. It really is a crucial step in setting the stage for a meaningful and powerful morning routine.
2. Set my Coffee Pot to Automatically Brew
Truthfully, this is a new one for me. Yes, I’m a coffee person. For the last 5 years, I’ve mostly been a french press person. But to be totally honest, making a french press of coffee every morning is kind of a pain in the ass. I still do it, mostly on the weekends, but the convenience of drip coffee from a machine on the weekdays is unbeatable. I love the whole set it and forget it aspect of a drip coffee machine.
I feel like a lot of us millennials love to overcomplicate things that we love (and I freaking LOVE coffee) but there sometimes is no need. I’m perfectly fine with drip coffee during the week to satisfy my caffeine fix, and maybe you should be too. Your coffee stays warm longer, you can make more of it (which is awesome since both my boyfriend and I drink coffee) and you can set the pot in advance.
Like I said though, this one is new. I’m so used to making a french press each morning that I don’t always set the machine the night before. I love the convenience of it though, so I’m working on it. It really has elevated my whole morning routine to new heights.
3. Charge my phone in another room
I do not sleep with my phone near me. I actually charge it in a completely different room in my apartment, and I LOVE IT. This small action literally stops me from immediately scrolling first thing in the morning. It’s life-changing. Try it out. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
I will say that this is much easier to do if you don’t use your phone as an alarm. I stopped waking up with an alarm when I moved in with my boyfriend and that has been revolutionary as well. It’s a luxurious way to live and honestly creates better sleeping habits. I’ve noticed a huge difference since I stopped using an alarm.
But if you’re someone that needs an alarm clock to get up in the morning, I recommend getting an alarm clock. That way you can still put your phone in another room and forget about it first thing in the morning. No excuses, you can do it!
My Morning Routine
When I wake up in the morning, that’s when my morning routine begins. I’m a pretty early riser, I usually get up between 6:30-7 AM, so I try to pack in that first hour of my day with meaningful tasks to set the stage for my day.
1. Skincare Routine
I start each day with my skincare routine. This is probably pretty obvious. Brush my teeth, wash my face, take my vitamins—you get the drill. The moment I do this I feel awake and I feel ready to tackle the rest of my morning.
2. Drink a Large Glass of Lemon Water
I follow up my skincare routine by drinking a glass of lemon water. I’ve read that drinking lemon water first thing in the morning is great for your digestive system. It’s supposed to jump start it and help it work properly throughout the day. I honestly don’t know if it makes much of a difference, but I do like the taste and getting that immediate hydration first thing in the morning.
One thing I’ll note is that I like to drink my lemon water with room temperature water because, for me, it’s easier to gulp down. I actually prefer room temperature water in general over cold water. Just something to consider if you’re not an avid water drinker. Try switching up the temperature of your water and see if that helps you drink more!
3. Journaling
I follow up my glass of lemon water by coming into my office to journal. I incorporated this into my routine last year and have been consistently doing it for over a year. I actually started my journaling practice with Morning Pages, a concept I learned in The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. It involves writing 3 pages of stream of consciousness writing first thing in the morning to get out all your ideas, words and thoughts. It’s supposed to be a brain dump and give you the space to let creative ideas flow after you get out whatever it is you’re thinking about when you wake up.
For me, I followed morning pages for a couple months, but then started to get a little bored with it. I also wanted it to be a bit more meaningful and impactful, so instead of doing 3 pages of stream of consciousness writing, I started doing 2 pages of stream of consciousness writing and 1 page of affirmations instead. This worked wonderfully for months and I still do the affirmations to this day. I think the repetitive nature of writing affirmations has helped me believe in what I’m saying to myself and set the stage for me to build my confidence and believe in myself.
I don’t always do morning pages anymore though. I found after about 6 months of doing morning pages that there were times where I could get really negative in my journal entries. With COVID and all the craziness from 2020, I found that sometimes morning pages weren't really productive for me. I started to write from journal prompts instead, keeping the affirmations as a part of the routine, and I liked that addition to my routine. I also recently learned about Future Self Journaling from Jenn Im and now incorporate that into my routine as well. You can learn more about Future Self Journaling in this video (the prompts are listed at 2:40 in the video.)
These days I switch up what I journal about depending on how I feel. Do I want to just free-of-consciousness write? I’ll do morning pages. Do I want something more structured but with free-flowing ideas? I’ll follow a journal prompt. If I’m feeling really off and need some structure in my journaling, I’ll do Future Self Journaling. Overall, I love the practice of journaling and the depth of insight it has added to my life.
4. Meditation
Next, I’ll do a 10-minute meditation after I finish journaling. I like doing it after journaling because I have an opportunity to clear my head before trying to...clear my head, lol. I use the Calm app to do this, so I’ll actually turn on the app before going to bed the night before, so I don’t get distracted when turning on the app in the morning. I’ll be honest, this is a new part of my routine, something I just started doing consistently in January. I am proud of myself for sticking with it though and do think that over time I’ll start to see results from the consistent practice.
There are countless people online that say meditation is great for you, so I won’t drown on and on about that. Pretty much anyone I follow that is a creator or entrepreneur that I look up to meditates. It has been something that I’ve always wanted to incorporate into my routine, but have had such a hard time doing. After consistently journaling for a year, I decided to habit stack journaling on top of meditation (you can learn about habit stacking in Atomic Habits by James Clear) and reward myself with coffee afterward. So far it’s been working great and I look forward to seeing results over time.
Before moving on I want to note that before taking up meditation in January, I used to think I HAD to meditate a certain way. Everyone demands that you meditate sitting upright in a seated position and that honestly doesn’t usually work well for me. I don’t know where I read it but somewhere I learned that sitting upright in meditation can cause a trauma response in some people. I personally feel like this happens to me when I am in a self-guided practice. These days I actually meditate laying down and it works really well for me.
Don’t let someone’s depiction of how you should do something stop you from doing it. I meditate laying down and it works for me. If you haven’t tried it and have had a hard time creating a consistent meditation practice as well, maybe laying down for your practice will help you too.
5. Get Some Movement
After I meditate I either go for a walk or run, depending on the day. Pre-COVID I would have gone to a yoga class as well, but obviously that’s not really happening right now. (I like hot yoga, so I haven’t really figured out how to have a consistent at-home practice.)
I alternate between running and walking, depending on the day. I live by the beach so I usually walk down to the coast to look at the ocean for a bit then make my way back home. I’ll spend anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour on my walk or run. It just depends on how busy I am for the rest of the day.
At this point in my routine, I’ll either turn on an audiobook, podcast, or music while I’m on my walk/run. This helps me gather information while doing something beneficial for my body. I really enjoy this part of my routine and it helps me feel refreshed before sitting at my desk for a large portion of the day.
6. Have Breakfast
I didn’t realize that there are a lot of people in the world that don’t eat breakfast. My boyfriend doesn’t, a lot of my friends don’t. To me, that’s totally weird. I’m one of those people that HAS to have breakfast first thing in the morning. Otherwise, it will completely derail my day, lead to a massive headache and just make me grumpy. I always make myself a large cup of coffee with frothed oat milk to go with my breakfast, and it really puts a huge smile on my face to do it. I usually alternate between oatmeal or eggs and toast for breakfast, although in the summer I do incorporate yogurt and granola bowls as well into my breakfast rotation.
Cooking is one of my favorite hobbies of all time, so if you’d be interested in learning some of my recipes I’m happy to share. Just let me know in the comments!
Morning Routine Ground Rules
That pretty much covers everything in my morning routine. After writing it all out, it actually does seem like a lot, but it really isn’t. Excluding my walk/run, everything in my routine takes about an hour to complete. Setting myself up for success the night before really helps with ensuring the routine takes that amount of time as well.
Because my routine is a bit involved though, I give myself the freedom to not follow it on the weekends. I like to fully unplug and detach from work on the weekends (although that’s WAY easier said than done) so doing my morning routine on the weekends feels a bit counterproductive toward that cause. If I feel like journaling/meditating/walking/running/etc on the weekends though, I’ll do it. I just won’t force myself to do it first thing as a part of a routine. I hope that makes sense.
I also allow myself to grab my phone on the weekends and scroll first thing if that’s what I’m feeling like doing. It’s all about balance. I like to say that I’m allowed to have some indulgences every once in a while. I just don’t want it to be my norm.
Conclusion
So that pretty much sums it up. I hope you found this inspiring and helpful for crafting your own version of a morning routine. If you have any questions about my routine, do not hesitate to reach out. I’m happy to answer any and all questions about my routine for you!
