What is a morning routine and how to develop one?

What is a morning routine?

You may say that a “morning routine” is pretty self-explanatory. It’s a routine aka set of habits you do in the morning, right? Technically, that’s correct.
But there can be a huge difference in the effects on your day.
Let me tell you something. Everyone has a morning routine, even if they aren’t familiar with the concept of it. Unfortunately, a lot of people don’t know how their morning even goes. They are often doing their “routine” automatically, like on auto-pilot.
The fact is that the way you spend your mornings can transform not only your day but little by little also your life.

What’s a GOOD morning routine?

When you jump out (don’t take it literally) of bed as soon as your alarm rings and spend the next 30-90 minutes working on yourself, you will have more time and energy to deal with other tasks that your day brings.
On the other hand, when you snooze your alarm a couple of times, read your emails or scroll the feed for next 20 minutes, then you don’t have enough time to prepare yourself for the day, and finally you have to rush to school or work with tea or coffee in one hand and snack bar in another one.
You have to admit that this is unhealthy, stressful and not very productive start of the day.

Your morning routine is the best way to send your day in a positive direction.
So dedication to your morning routine may transform your life completely in all areas.

But you don’t have to stick to one routine for the rest of your life. You can also modify it based on your needs. When you want to focus on productivity, you can choose more steps related to that and when you want to focus on well-being you change it.
Try as many ideas as you like, play with schedule. You’ll see what fits the best.
You are the master!

Check also: 10 Morning Routine Ideas That Will Boost Your Energy

How to develop a healthy morning routine?

Creating a morning routine is a process similar to any other goal-setting. You need to simply acknowledge the person you are today and clarify the person you want to become. Easy, right?
Or easier said than done?

In order to make things a little easier….First you need to identify the reasons for your morning routine.
Do you need to boost your energy?
Be more productive?
Perhaps you aim for more alone time and your overall well-being.
Or you want to study/learn something new.
Maybe you just want to have more time for general tasks.

Yeah, there are many diverse morning routines. But before you get overwhelmed and want to try all of them, let me tell you, that your morning routine will change over time. Maybe not completely, but when you are all set and you know that you will stick to it, you can adjust it whenever you want.

So jump right to the first step of developing a morning routine.

1. Determine your routine

What do you want to focus on in the morning? Choose your priorities before you start.
Write it down all ideas you would like to have in you morning routine (but pick only one to start with)
You may also want to set the time you have or better yet the time you want to dedicate to your newly established morning routine.
For instance, if you have 45 minutes and you just want to practice yoga and meditate, you can meditate for 20 minutes and half an hour to practice yoga. Or vice-versa.

2. Baby steps

If you have planned your morning routine with everything you want to do immediately when you wake up, but you fail to do even one step of it, you most likely will be upset, right? I got it. You need to set your mind as well as your body for a change like that.
Start with just one step for a week. And when you feel you can handle more, add another task.
And so on. Don’t try to rush it though. It could be too much too soon. And you know perfectly how it may end up. (I know you don’t want that.)

Check also 33 Morning Quotes for The Best Start of Your Day

3. Consistency is key

I am pretty sure that you have heard that before and I bet you will hear or read it many, many, many more times. Don’t ask me why, please.
Anyway, staying consistent with anything can be a bit of a challenge. Anyone can fall off the track. We are human after all.
But remember, there is no better feeling than to complete tasks you want to directly in the morning before you will drown in the sea of all your duties. I know it was a little bit too dramatic, but hey, you know what I mean.
So, when you remain consistent you will enjoy those teeny tiny victories day after day.

4. Keep an eye on the progress

If you have a wall calendar or a planner, you can mark every day when you complete the task. This can also trigger consistency since many people like to see their calendar marked fully without any blank day.
It may sound silly for some people, but it works.

5. Celebrate small wins

Don’t wait until you become fully consistent, throw a party after a week, or two.
You can also reward yourself with something fun.
Celebrate, that you’re staying on track or that you’re adding new steps to your morning routine.
Besides that, you deserve it.
And as a bonus, it will motivate you to continue and improve your routine journey.

While you’re here

It is said that it takes 66 days to form a habit and up to 254 daily until this habit is fully developed.
It seems to be like a heck of a long time, don’t you think? Hmm, it surely does, but…
I am certain that you can build a morning routine that you enjoy doing.
I believe in YOU.

And remember: Own your morning, own your day.

Take care and lots of love.

Until next time,

Lori