Creating A Morning Routine You’ll Actually Stick With

We’ve all been there. Telling ourselves we’re going to wake up bright and early, hit the gym, clean the kitchen, fix a homemade breakfast, and apply that organic face mask all before the rest of the world is even awake. And then the time comes and morning smacks you back to reality.What if your morning routine didn’t have to be unproductive, rushed, or chaotic? The idea of waking up early and creating a solid morning routine is nothing new. People have been talking about the benefits of early mornings for as long as I can remember. What many of these people often fail to mention is that they tend to already be “morning people.” You know, those people who jump out of bed feeling energized and ready to take on the day while the rest of us look at them confused through our sleepy haze.

But what about those of us who aren’t morning people? Those of us who don’t really like getting up early? I was definitely one of those people. The champion of hitting snooze for a solid hour. The mom who used her children waking as an alarm clock. The women who waited until the last possible minute to get out of bed. I was the person who made promises to myself each night and then broke them every morning. 

I am proud to say that I’m not that person anymore. For the past 10+ months I have consistently gotten up at 5:00am every weekday. I workout, journal, occasionally do a load of laundry, but most importantly, I don’t start my days being hurried and frantic. I’m not saying these things to brag or make you feel bad about yourself. I’m telling you this because I know what’s like to start each day off on the wrong foot; to feel like you’re already behind before the day has even started. Now I’m sure you’re thinking, how did this happen and how do I get to this point? Here’s the things that have worked for me and lots of other women I know who have created a morning routine they stick with.

1. Check the weather the night before

By checking the weather the night before, I don’t usually have any surprises when I wake up. Waking up to an inch of snow or torrential rain creates the perfect excuse to stay in bed. Knowing ahead of time if it’s going to be blazing hot or freezing cold allows your brain to mentally prepare. And you’re less likely to use weather as a reason for skipping your routine.

2. Don’t expect to go from a sound sleep to wide awake as soon as your alarm goes off

When I said I get up at 5:00am that wasn’t exactly true. My alarm goes off at 5am, but I allow myself to hit snooze once. I don’t technically get out of the bed until 5:09am, but those 9 minutes are important. During those minutes I stretch, start to open my eyes, do a quick scroll of the morning headlines on my phone, and let myself slowly start to wake up.

3. Drink a glass of water

Once I’m out of bed I head to the kitchen and drink a cold glass of water. Not only are there tons of health benefits to drinking water in the morning (hair, skin, metabolism), but the ice cold water will help wake you up even more. And for all my coffee lovers, this doesn’t mean you can’t drink that caffeinated goodness when you wake up, just chug a glass of water first.

4. Move your body

I don’t know about you, but if I don’t get my workout in during the morning, I’m most likely not going to do it later, especially after a long day of work. I also find that I make better food choices throughout the day because I don’t want to undo all that hard work I did at the gym. If you don’t have a gym, or gyms just aren’t your thing, go on a run or walk outside, do one of the thousands of free workouts available online, practice yoga, or even have a dance party. Ok, it might be too early for a dance party, but do something.

5. Invest in personal development

This might be journaling, doing your daily devotional, listening to an inspiring podcast, or reading a book about personal growth. As my favorite gal Rachel Hollis and her husband say, “If you’re not growing you’re dying.” Amen.

6. Pause to watch the sunrise

You’re already up so you might as well enjoy it. Even if you’re not all that into sunrises, you’d be surprised at how beautiful they can be.

7. Complete one household task

Whether it’s starting a load of laundry, putting one away, or just throwing dinner in the crockpot, do one small household task that you’ll thank yourself for later in the day.

8. Write down 10 things you’re grateful for

This might be the most important tip of all and it’s how I like to end my morning routine. I usually try to find one or two things that I can already be grateful for from that morning. It might be a new flavor of coffee, leftovers for lunch later in the day, or the fact that the kids are still asleep. I go about my day looking for those little blessings and then the following morning, I reflect back on the previous day and finish writing my 10 things. The key to practicing gratitude is being mindful. What your grateful for doesn’t have to be huge, monumental things, but they should be specific to that day and meaningful to you.

Most days I finish my morning routine around 7:00-7:15am which is when I start waking the kids up and getting them ready to leave the house by 8:00am. My morning routine also includes taking a shower, washing my hair (dry shampoo some days) and getting myself ready. I’ve gotten pretty quick at this so it only takes about 15 minutes.

I’d love to know if you have a morning routine you’re already rocking or if it’s something you struggle with implementing.