Do you struggle to get started in the morning? Do you wake up and spend half an hour endlessly scrolling in bed, feel rushed and unproductive or just lacking any drive?
While this has always been a problem for so many people, it’s even more prominent today. With so many working from home and lacking that ‘need’ to get fully dressed and out the door by a certain time – it’s safe to say our morning routines are slacking.
Why do I need a morning routine?
A morning routine is far more beneficial than you might think. It sets the tone for the day, helps you to feel productive and energised, and help to prioritise the parts of our day that matter to us. For example, many that lack a morning routine might struggle to fit in exercise or might struggle to feel focused when arriving at work.
A morning routine helps you to control your own time, to do things that make you feel good, and boosts other areas of your life.
How to get started on establishing a morning routine
As with everything, starting a morning routine is easier said than done. While it has often been said that it takes 66 days to form a habit, recent research suggests it can take anywhere between 2 and 8 months. So when it comes to establishing a morning routine, where should you start?! Here are our top 3 tips for creating a morning routine:
1. Write it down and/or use alarms
If you quickly get distracted or you can’t remember everything you want to do, using a list and setting alarms based on how long each part of your routine should take you will help to prompt you and stay on top of your game.
2. Start small and slow
Don’t make your morning routine super hefty to start with. Add just one or two things to your morning routine and let them build up for a month before adding something new. It can be far too overwhelming if you put a lot of pressure on yourself.
3. Understand you’ll have off days
Many people throw their routine out the window if they spend a day or two not following it. This is a big pitfall – understand that you will have days where you don’t stick to it fully, or even at all. Once you accept that, it’s much easier to just pick up where you left off and help that routine get cemented.
How to create a morning routine that suits you
A morning routine should be personal – copying someone else's routine just because it works for them does not mean it’ll work for you. A morning routine should help you to feel organised, energised and set up for the day. If the routine is just a box-ticking exercise because you feel you have to, this defeats the point!
So how do you figure out what to include in your morning routine?
We recommend focusing on 6 key areas. This means that you choose activities that fall in line with these areas, while making it personal to suit you. For example, one person’s idea of relaxing could be another’s worse nightmare!
That being said, we do recommend you try to choose one activity for each area, as these focus points are guaranteed to help you to feel organised, efficient and good in your skin!
1. Energise: Have a bath, shower, or simply splash your face with cold water.
2. Tidy: Make your bed, put a clothes wash on, or unstack the dishwasher. Do something that clears your mind and gives you that feeling of 'I'm glad i did that earlier!'
3. Fuel up: Whether it’s a hearty porridge breakfast, a smoothie or just a coffee – we’re all different! Fuel your body in a way that makes you feel good.
4. Movement: Choose a form of exercise that you love. Whether it’s a short 30 min HIIT session, 45 minutes of yoga/meditation or a short run. Get those endorphins flowing and your body moving.
5. Relaxing: Put aside a little time to spend with your partner, children or pets – or pick up a book and get 20 pages down. Whatever it is that helps you relax.
6. Organisation: Grab your calendar or your journal and plan your day before you start - or if doing it late in the day, why not plan tomorrow? This’ll help you feel on top of things and ready to get your teeth in!
I hope you find these insights helpful for planning your morning routine! Like I say, everyone is different so following someone else’s ideal morning routine might not be optimal for you. But by creating a routine that you love, you’re more likely to be able to sustain it – because you enjoy it! Choose wisely.
Let me know how you get on!
If you need further assistance with your progression, or would simply like to include some yoga or meditation into your morning routine – explore my tailored mentoring program. My aim is to help you reconnect with your body and mind, and feel good in your skin. We do this by looking at all areas of your life and working on a personalised program to suit you. This will include helping you establish a morning routine that works best for you.
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