Suggestions for a Morning Routine
Whether you’re still working to become a morning person, or you’re thinking about making a change to your regular morning routine, you’ll find plenty of ideas here to try. This huge list of morning routine ideas covers everything from fresh air to self-care. I’ll offer suggestions for physical activities, mental practices, and practical tasks to help you create your ideal morning routine.
Why You Should Create a Morning Routine
First off, you know how hectic and scattered mornings can be. A simple routine offers a way for you to start your day off on the right trajectory. You’ll feel more focused and more able to handle whatever the day throws at you if you have a few activities or practices you regularly do in the morning.
Once you incorporate a task into a routine, it becomes second nature and you won’t have to think about doing it. This is good news! You can choose to add a few healthy habits into your morning routine, confident you are doing something to take care of yourself every single day.
Here’s a short list of benefits you can enjoy by having a healthy morning routine:
- better focus throughout the day
- improved ability to handle the unexpected
- more positive mindset
- increased energy
- more likely to make healthy choices throughout the day
- better sense of control over your time
Read: 7 Best Tips for a Good Morning
Dream about Your Ideal Daily Morning
Now that you’re convinced you should have a morning routine, what would you want it to look like? Dream a little. If you could start your day any way you wanted, what would you do? Make a list of all the things you’d include in your ideal morning routine. Feel free to use the ideas below and add your own as you brainstorm.
7 Steps to Design Your Ideal Morning Routine
After you’ve dreamed up your ideal morning, you probably have a dozen or more things on your list. If you’re just beginning to create a morning routine, you’ll need to start with one or two things and add to your routine as it becomes comfortable and natural.
Here’s how to go about designing a morning routine.
- Write down the non-negotiable things you must do in the morning. This could be feeding the dog, brushing your teeth, and getting kids ready for school.
- Add the things you usually do and want to continue doing for now. Maybe you shower every morning. You could choose to shower at night, but for now you want to leave this for the morning. Put it on the list.
- Put the items you’ve written down in an order that makes sense. Obviously, you’re going to shower before styling your hair.
- Try doing these things in this order tomorrow, and note approximately how long it takes you.
- Choose one additional thing you want to include your morning routine and add it to your list where it makes sense to you. Start small, like drinking a glass of water first thing when you wake up. Or stretching for five minutes when you first get out of bed.
- Try out your new morning routine for a few days. Does it feel natural? Can you maintain this routine? Are you ready to add something else?
- Continue adding one thing to your routine and check in with yourself to honestly assess how it’s going. You may find you need to adjust your wake up time, which means you need to adjust your bedtime. It’s possible that there are things you used to do in the morning that you decide to switch to a different time of day to make time for other tasks or practices that make you feel energized or focused in the morning. You may decide to walk at lunch or pack your lunch the night before.
Ideas to Consider for Your Morning Routine
I’ve included a big list, but hopefully these ideas will give you a starting point for creating a morning routine that is personal and meaningful to you. These ideas have been grouped into categories as a way to sort them easily, but you should feel no obligation to choose something from each category. You will only stick to a morning routine if you love how it makes you feel.
Download this free printable list of ideas to get you started – available in my printables library!
Ways to Wake Up
Here are a few ideas for waking up, before you even get out of bed.
- wake to an alarm across the room
- use a sunrise alarm clock
- wake to calming music
- start the day with a pump-you-up playlist
- do a full-body stretch before getting out of bed
- remind yourself of a scripture, quote, or positive thought
- pray before getting out of bed
- remind yourself of your most important task for the day
- think about something you’re grateful for this morning
- DON”T check phone notifications
- get natural light (open curtains or window, go outside)
Personal Care Activities
- hot shower
- cold shower
- take a bath
- wash your face
- brush teeth
- brush and style hair
- eat a healthy breakfast
- fast until mid-morning
- put on makeup
- get dressed
- take vitamins, supplements, or medication
- drink water
- drink water with lemon
- drink tea
- drink coffee
- light a candle
- diffuse essential oils
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Helpful Tools for Your Morning Routine
Sunrise Alarm Clock
Pill Organizer
Morning Pages Journal
Essential Oil Diffuser
Mental Practices and Personal Growth
- watch the sunrise
- get fresh air
- deep breathing exercises
- meditation
- sit outside while you drink your tea or coffee
- daydream for 5-10 minutes
- Bible reading
- devotional reading
- prayer
- make a to-do list
- review your to-do list
- do a brain dump
- set priorities for the day
- check your calendar
- read a professional publication
- skim news articles
- read a novel
- read to learn something (non-fiction)
- read a biography
- read poetry
- read an inspirational quote
- watch a funny YouTube clip
- watch a motivational YouTube video
- take a YouTube tour of somewhere beautiful in the world
- watch a Ted talk
- listen to a podcast
- listen to music
- do a crossword puzzle or sudoku
- work on a jigsaw puzzle
- spend time on a hobby
- learn a new skill (Skillshare, Coursera, MasterClass)
- journal
- write morning pages (inspired by Julia Cameron)
- write down 10 ideas (inspired by James Altucher)
- gratitude journaling
- review your goals
- visualize your goals
- spend uninterrupted time getting work done
Read: Miracle Morning Inspiration
Connecting with Others
- look at a picture of someone (or something) you love
- hug someone
- call a friend
- text a friend
- call your mom, grandma, or sister
- read to your kids
- play with your kids
- check email
- review plans with family
- tell your kids a joke
- write a note to put in your kids’ or spouse’s lunch
- play a quick “would you rather” or conversation starter game
Physical Activities
- work out at home (try Fitness Blender)
- do a YouTube workout
- work out at a gym
- take a walk
- go for a run
- yoga
- stretch
- use a foam roller
- dance
- walk the dog
- walk barefoot in the grass
Household Tasks
- make your bed
- work on a personal project
- work on a home improvement project
- do a 10-minute cleaning or organizing task
- pack lunches
- meal plan for the day
- prep for dinner
- start laundry
- run the dishwasher
- unload the dishwasher
- make a grocery list
- organize your phone photos
- check your bank account
- gardening
- water plants
- feed pets
Changing Your Morning Routine
Regardless of how perfect your morning routine is, life is not static, and you will probably need to change your routine from time to time. As much as possible, I like to take an early morning walk outside first thing in the morning. However, for several months, it’s just too dark for me to feel comfortable walking outside, so I switch up my morning routine during that time and walk later in the day.
It’s helpful to go back through the steps above when you find your morning routine isn’t working for you. Keep the must-do tasks, reevaluate the rest, and choose your priorities that work with your life and current schedule.
3 Helpful Tips for Creating Your Morning Routine
- Consider ways to combine more than one activity. For example, listen to a podcast while you walk. Read or journal outside to get fresh air. Watch a Ted talk or funny video while you make breakfast or load the dishwasher. Pray while you shower. These are examples of multi-tasking done right. It’s very possible to engage in one activity that involves conscious thought (listening to a podcast) while passively enjoying another activity (walking).
- Write down your morning routine. It will be helpful in the beginning as you work on making your routine habitual, but it can also come in handy when you need to reevaluate and change it up.
- Keep a consistent bedtime. The number one reason my morning routine gets derailed is when I stay up too late or don’t stay consistent with my evenings.
A positive morning routine can change your outlook for the whole day. Whether you keep it simple and relaxed, or detailed and productive, you’ll enjoy the benefits of following a consistent morning routine.
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Ideas for Your Morning Routine
