If you want to have an amazing day every day, you need to have a solid morning routine set in place. Morning is the perfect time to prepare yourself mentally, physically and even spiritually for the day ahead. It's taken me quite a while to find a morning routine that serves me and sets me up for the coming 24 hours, but I think I've finally managed it. If you like any of the things I do, please feel free to incorporate them into your own morning routine.
Here's
how I start my days (even weekends):
I've
never been a morning person so I like to take as long as possible for
myself before the day starts with all its challenges. Sometimes this
means getting up a little earlier (eurgh) to fit my morning routine
in, which can be hard but is definitely worth doing. If I just jumped
out of bed and ran out of the door with a slice of toast in my hand,
I'm pretty sure my day would be disastrous because I wouldn't be
prepared.
My
morning routine always starts the night before, when I choose my
outfit for the next day and lie it out ready. The fewer decisions
there are to make in the AM, the better. I also pack my handbag with
anything else I'll need the next day, and check my diary to make sure
there aren't any appointments I might have forgotten. If there's
anything to be tidied away or any washing up left over from dinner,
I'll make sure this is done before I hit the sack – the worst way
to start your day is to wake up to a messy house and piles of dirty
dishes in the sink. Then I set my alarm, put my phone on silent and plug it in to charge
overnight and get in bed. I try to get around eight hours' sleep
every night.
The
first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is head to the kitchen
to make a cup of coffee (my one cup of the day and pretty much the
only thing that can drag me out of bed). If Hubster is working
earlies he's usually already gone when I wake up, but if he's on
lates I'll let him sleep a little longer. Then I take my lovely
caffeine and something small to eat like a protein bar into the
living room, sit on the sofa and listen to a fifteen-minute morning
meditation on YouTube while I eat/drink. This meditation is something
I've only recently started doing and I've found that it's a great way
to transition gently from sleep to wakefulness and put you in a
positive mood for the day ahead.
Then
I'll go and brush my teeth, wash my face and put on my workout
clothes. At this point I'll either head to the gym if I have time, or
go for a quick run outside followed by some body weight resistance or
kettlebell exercises at home. After my workout I'll shower and get
dressed in my outfit for the day.
Next
I'll head back to the kitchen to make some breakfast for myself. My favourite breakfast which I eat almost
every day is poached egg and avocado on wholemeal toast, sprinkled
with black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. I usually make a
smoothie too. I love to take my time over breakfast and if
it's sunny I'll sit outside on the balcony and either chat to Hubster
or read a book if I'm alone.
Then
I allow myself to look at social media. I'll scroll through Instagram
for a while, reply to tweets and emails, watch a couple of YouTube
vids and read/comment on any blog posts or articles that interest me.
I might also plan out a blog post of my own. If I went online as soon
as I woke up I'd probably get bogged down in all the interesting (but
not very useful) things to read/watch and the rest of my morning
routine would fall by the wayside.
Finally
I'll plan my day out. I might write a to-do list if I have a lot of
things to accomplish, otherwise I'll just make a mental note of what
needs to be done.
Then
my morning routine is over and it's time to get to work...
What
does your morning routine look like? Is there anything you'd like to
add to it? Let me know in the comments below!
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