Your Best Morning Routine

Give yourself enough time

There’s no doubt about it: how you start your mornings has an incredible impact on how the rest of your day goes.

If you adhere to a healthy morning regimen, you’ll notice a boost in your energy levels, happiness, and productivity. You’ll also feel less stressed and anxious.

Unfortunately, the opposite is also true. If you wake up to a barrage of responsibilities that dictate the flow of your mornings, you’ve already condemned your entire day to be stressful and exhausting.

This is especially true if you have kids or pets that you need to care for in the morning. You probably also have a list of chores you need to get done before heading to work.

Unfortunately, without a proper morning self-care routine, your mental and physical health will soon start to suffer. Now we’re not saying you should neglect your responsibilities. We’re simply saying give yourself enough time to take care of yourself first before moving on to your to-do list.

Keep reading to learn about the importance of a morning routine and how you can create your very own.

The Importance of a Morning Routine

Even if you think of yourself more as a night owl, having a pre-set routine can help you improve your productivity and lift your mood. It’s also great for reducing stress and anxiety levels while enhancing focus and memory retention.

At its core, a morning routine has a typical wake-up time followed by some stretches and maybe even a moderate-intensity workout. Drinking water, eating right, and planning for the day are three basic parts of any successful routine.

Knowing what you’re going to do at the start of each day takes the guesswork out of your mornings. You feel more in control; and there’s little, if any, willpower required to start your day.

Moreover, when you work through everything you set out to do, you feel a sense of accomplishment and pride. This intentional approach to the start of your day ushers in a more constructive, less stressful, and effective rest of the day.

Another benefit of having a morning routine is that it allows you to prioritize your time. Whether you have kids or no kids, pets or no pets, you know how much time you need for your responsibilities allowing you to start your day in a purposeful way.

20 Steps to Build a Great Morning Routine

Creating a morning routine is an essential part of unlocking your potential for short- and long-term success.

Part of a successful routine first thing in the morning is to be flexible. For example, if you’ve done your routine except for meditating, but, for one reason or another, you’re running late. It’s okay to skip the meditation part of your routine for that day. Cut yourself some slack and just be happy that you managed to get everything else done.

The next day, you can start by meditating so you can check it off your list first. The important thing is that you’re putting in the effort and that you’re employing consistency in maintaining the structure of your routine each morning.

Below are some tried-and-true practices that can help you achieve your best morning routine. Take a look.

1. Plan how much time you need in the morning

2. Maintain a specific bedtime and waking time each night

3. Get a good night’s sleep

4. Don’t hit the snooze button on your alarm

5. Get out of bed when your alarm goes off

6. Breathe in your new day

7. Make your bed

8. Practice self-affirmations

9. Don’t reach for your phone

10. Drink a glass of water or hot water with lemon 

11. Enjoy your first cup of coffee for the day

12. Stretch

13. Meditate

14. Exercise

15. Take a cold shower

16. Write down three things you’re thankful for in your gratitude journal

17. Eat within an hour of waking Up

18. Read a book (e.g. a goal of 10 pages each morning is achievable)  

19. Finish a crossword or number puzzle like Sudoku

20. Write down your to-do list for the day and prioritize the top three tasks

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