Morning routines have been something that I have been working on over the past couple years. I absolutely hate waking up with minimal time to get ready before I have to start my day and I’m in such a better place when I wake up earlier. I wasn’t like this, trust me. When I was in college I would wake up 10 minutes before I had to get to class and would show up a complete hot mess that barely counted as a functioning human.
Once I got into the working world, I realized that not only did I need to wake up to have time to be presentable, but I also needed to give myself time to wake up in a slow relaxing manner. Now that I have gotten into the habit, I now have time in the mornings to clean my apartment, sip my coffee on the couch, and slowly ease myself into the day. Not only that, but I feel so accomplished knowing that I have done so much before the day has really even begun. I love the feeling that I’m getting stuff done and being productive while everyone else is sleeping. Like I have a headstart to the day. It sets the tone for the rest of the day and puts me in a “I’m gonna kick some ass” type of mood.
Getting into a morning routine didn’t happen overnight. But now that I can say I have this whole thing down pretty well, I wanted to share how I developed a morning routine as I know it could help all of you who need a better start to the day.
Go To Bed Earlier
The earlier you go to sleep, the easier it will be for you to get up earlier in the morning. You can’t expect yourself to get up at 6am if you go to bed at midnight. You’re just setting yourself up for failure. If you have trouble going to sleep at night, try and find ways to relax before getting into bed. Drink a cup of chamomile tea, meditate for 10 minutes, read a book, whatever it takes to set your mind at ease so you can get to bed at a decent time.
Ease Yourself Into It
Don’t expect yourself to wake up one morning at 5AM all bright and cheery ready to take on the day. It won’t happen. Trust me, I wish it did because I would’ve become more of a morning person a lot earlier on. Be realistic on how early you can wake up. Maybe you need to start waking up 5 or 10 minutes earlier than normal and go from there. To me that is the easiest way to get in the habit of waking up earlier. At one point 8:30 was the earliest I would ever wake up. My body literally would not let me get up a minute earlier unless absolutely necessary. Now, I get up around 6:45-7:00 each day. While I wish I could get up even earlier, I am proud of the progress I’ve made so far.
Take Time For Yourself
The best part of getting up even just a little bit earlier is that you have time to spend on yourself. This can look different for all of us, but find what works best for you. My favorite thing to do in the morning is meditate for 10 minutes and then enjoy a cup of coffee on the couch. Maybe for you it’s taking a little bit longer in the shower to relax. Or maybe it’s walking your dog around the block. No matter what, spending even just 5 minutes on yourself and your mental health will completely change your day. You will be more relaxed and more focused than you would if you rush out of bed without even a moment for yourself.
Avoid Reaching For Your Phone
This one is so hard and a habit I am still actively trying to break. Think about it though. Do you really want to start your day scrolling through social media seeing what everyone else is doing with their lives and comparing yourself to others? To me, that’s not a good way to wake up. We are all so worried about what everyone else is doing when we really need to be focusing on ourselves. Try and set a time limit for how long you will stay off your phone in the morning. You will be shocked at how much more time you have and how much more productive you are in the morning when you aren’t glued to your phone.
Get In The Habit of Eating Breakfast
Everyone says that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and while I don’t know how true that is, I still definitely believe it’s good to have something to eat in the morning. Weather it’s a protein smoothie, avocado toast, or grabbing your favorite bar, it’s so important to get something in your stomach at the start of the day. Not only will it keep you from starving till lunch, but it will also help prevent you from overeating later.
What I’m Wearing
Dress: Tobi
Denim Jacket: Urban Outfitters, similar
Hat: Express, similar
Sandals: Franco Sarto, similar
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