Wow do I love mornings and my morning routine! The keyword to that sentence is “when I get to sleep in” HA! I truly believe that starting off the morning on the right foot will set you up for how you take on the rest of the day.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve had the same morning routine that’s only changed a tiny bit as I’ve gotten older. Ever heard the quote, “Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed?” I believe it’s always better to create your dream morning and get yourself excited for the day than wake up grouchy!
J.Crew Factory Matching Pajamas (Old, Similar)
Now that I am on the job hunt, I get to have the morning routine I dream of or use on the weekends! It’s so fun to be able to create a morning that I actually like and am not rushed doing! I am absolutely not a super chipper morning person by any means. But once I’m awake, I’m awake! If you’d ask me, I am more of an afternoon person but I do find that my mind works best in the AM and creativity seems to flow better from 7 AM – NOON!
My Morning Routine
Yep, I have two routines, mostly the same, depending on if it’s the weekday or weekend! Like I mentioned above, now that I am job hunting, I try to use my prime energy in the mornings and late night. Right now I wake up anywhere from 7-9 AM depending on appointments or plans for the day. Like two nights ago, I stayed up until 11:45 PM doing blog and other work and had a rough night sleep because my brain never really got to shut off and it caused me some anxiety next morning. So getting to sleep on time is just as important as waking up the right way!
It’s interesting because the days I sleep in later, I find myself regretting not getting up earlier and getting started on work. When I do that, I find that I end up staying up later to get more work done and then it puts me in a cycle of sleeping “late” and working late. For me to function best (and its also eye opening if I ever am self employed), I need to get up everyday from 6-7 AM to make the most of my day and energy levels. I need nights to wind down and let my brain rest.
Work Schedule
Wake Up With Alarm: 6:15 – 6:30 AM
Make Bed: 6:30-6:31 AM
Make Breakfast and Lunch: 6:30-6:50 AM
Eat Breakfast and Sip Tea (read Bible some AM’s): 6:50 AM – 7:10 AM
Stretch on the Floor: 7:10-7:20
Pack Up My Lunch, Clean Up Kitchen, Brush Teeth, Get Dressed, and Make a Mad Dash Out the Door: 7:20-7:45 AM (aka be late to work ha!)
No Work Schedule (Weekends)
Wake Up and Make Bed: Anywhere from 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM
Make Breakfast: 8:15 – 8:30 AM
Eat Breakfast, Sip Tea and Read My Bible (no phone time): 8:30 – 10:00 AM
Get Ready for the Day: 10:00 – 10:30 AM
What I Do Every Morning That Helps Me Start the Day Off Right
ONE. Express what I am grateful for. Every single morning when I wake up, before I even roll out of bed, the very first thing I try to do is say what I am grateful for and thank God for what I have! Gotta count your blessings! When I do this, I wake up in a much better mood than griping over *having* to get up and go to work as an obligation rather than an exciting choice. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not always super excited to jump out of bed. Finding things I’m grateful for does put my mind in the right mind frame for the day!
TWO. Make my bed. Next, I roll out of bed (not exaggerating here) and then half asleep, I make my bed. I do this *almost* every morning. Some days I run out of time and end up rushing but I’d say I make my bed 99% of the time! This helps me feel organized and put together for the day! I never used to do this until 2-3 years ago.
THREE: Make Breakfast. Then I walk straight to the kitchen and start making my breakfast and heat water for tea. If I am going to work, I sleepily make my lunch while cooking oatmeal, making a smoothie or toasting a waffle. Those are the three main foods I eat for breakfast every week and try to mix it up. Exciting stuff over here!
Depending on what I have planned, I eat breakfast and sip my tea for at least 20-30 minutes every morning. This is what I have done since I’ve been old enough to make my own breakfast. I never skip breakfast and if I could only pick one thing to do, it would hands down be eat breakfast while I wake up!
FOUR. Stretch. For a few months, I have had the weirdest back pain when I could sit. I am finally on the mend and have been going once a week to a chiropractor. He’s been a miracle worker! Before work, I made sure to lay on the floor and stretch out my body and back for at least 10 minutes. It’s made a huge difference in how I feel throughout the day!
FIVE. Read my Bible or Journal. When I don’t have to be to work, I like reading my Bible in the AM and journaling. This is what I call my lazy Saturday routine. I wish I could say I do this every single morning but I don’t. Maybe now that I don’t have to rush to work, I can get more reading in! (wrote that about a week ago and it’s true, I have been able to squeeze in reading before I start getting ready for the day and it’s amazing!)
SIX. Get Ready. This step could use a HUGE face lift. After I finally feel awake, full and have cleaned up my breakfast mess, it’s a mad dash to leave the house for work and get ready. I swear I take 45 minutes for breakfast and 15 to get ready, brush my teeth, put on makeup (if I do), pick out an outfit, get dressed and run out the door. I clearly spend way to much time “relaxing” that I make it more stressful on myself to get ready and leave.
How to Create Your Own Simple Morning Routine
ONE. Practice Gratitude Daily. Like I mentioned above, being thankful for what do you have allows your mind to be open and excited for what lies ahead. When I do this on a consistent basis, I notice myself happier throughout the day!
TWO. Create separate routines for weekdays/weekends. This is so big! On weekends, I usually let myself sleep in and love it! Take more time on the weekends to do what you love like craft and or make foods that would take to long on weekdays. Make it fun and switch it up!
THREE. Create a morning that works for you. Ask yourself what’s more important in the AM and what you want to have time for! This is the morning routine of your dreams, not mine or anyone else. Do you want to wake up and sip coffee for 2 hours!? DO IT! Or jump out of bed and do yoga for 30 minutes and skip breakfast if that sounds more like you! Read a chapter before you get out of bed!? Pet your animals an extra 5 mins. Go for it!
FOUR. Prioritize your time. It is important to keep time in mind. If you want to do yoga, make breakfast and still have time to read, just categorize each. Maybe you cook breakfast while doing yoga poses in the kitchen and then read for 5 minutes when you sit down to eat it. The key is to not stress yourself out but to make mornings easier!
FIVE. Create a rough draft / schedule. Now it’s time to take everything in your head and write it out! Write out the steps you want to take, the order you will do them in and how long it will take. Block out the exact time you want! With a little bit of tweaking, you will have your dream morning schedule in no time!
4 Comments
Caitlin
February 7, 2020 at 12:54 pmI love the gratitude point-that’s such a good way to start the day off positively! I’ve been trying to do yoga each morning as well and it has made a big difference in my day!
Caitlin
http://www.lemonadepressblog.com
Sunshine Style
February 7, 2020 at 2:40 pmThanks Caitlin! I do need to work on saying/writing what I am more grateful for because I do get out of routine of doing it! Good reminder! Yoga?! Look at you! So dedicated!
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