5 tips on Establishing a Morning Routine

It’s all the buzz now. Having a morning routine. Having a way to intentionally start your day and set yourself up for success. I am a firm believer in having a morning routine so you can get ahead of your day and spend some time by yourself, for yourself.

It may seem selfish to some, but this time of day actually helps most of us be LESS self-focused throughout the day. I personally spend time with God and in my Bible, and allowing God to fill up my heart and my cup allows me to better serve my babies, my husband, and my clients throughout the rest of the day. Then, I workout and move my body as a way to celebrate this body God has given me and take care of myself. Working out in the morning boosts my energy, releases anxiety, and helps me make better food choices throughout the day. All in all, I am kind of crazy about my morning routine and am in love with it, because I’ve seen the way it changes my mood, energy, and sets me up for a better day!

But how do you start a morning routine? What if doing something, anything, besides sleep, at 5am is a foreign concept to you? That’s ok! I’m here to help! Here are some of my tangible and simple tips for getting started with a morning routine.

Get enough sleep: I can’t stress this enough. You simply cannot get up at 5am if you haven’t had a decent night’s rest. You shouldn’t, actually, because lack of sleep can be just as detrimental to your health as soda or a bag of chips. So if you want to start getting up earlier, you have to start going to sleep earlier. Which means you may have to give up your Netflix show or that extra hour of scrolling through Instagram. Don’t worry though, once you get hooked onto your morning routine like I have, you won’t sabotage yourself with these things and you will get your butt to bed EXCITED to get up in the morning. Just you wait :)

Have a comforting beverage you look forward to: for me, I make either a cup of coffee or my pre-workout, which tastes like lemonade and is so delicious. Either drink gets me excited to get up in the morning, and I love to sip on something while I’m journaling or reading my bible!

Listen to some pump-up jams: some mornings, that’s worship music; and other mornings, it’s N*sync. But whatever pumps you up, you do you, and listen to that music! Music can be so energizing for us, so get excited, listen to something that lights you up, and enter your morning feeling happy and energetic. I personally have a playlist on Spotify for times like these where I need to pump myself up and get excited for life, so I highly suggest making your own playlist to help you out here, too!

Have your space ready for you: whether that means getting your Bible and journal out the night before, setting out your workout clothes, or having the coffee maker automated, getting as much ready for yourself ahead of time will help your morning go smoother. I love having my desk ready for me with my Bible, journal, and my workout clothes so that I can start my morning with all my tools at the ready!

Enlist some accountability! Reach out to a friend, mentor, parent, or spouse to hold you accountable to get up. Post your goals for yourself on your phone/alarm, or something inspiring (my phone alarm says “Love God, and Love Others), so when that alarm goes off you jump out of bed. Accountability can really help us in this area, so even if you need an extra layer from a coach/mentor (um hiiiii), utilize all the tools necessary to get yourself up and keep the promise you’ve made to yourself to have that time alone in the mornings.

If you have some goals for yourself as we enter into a new month to get up earlier and make your mornings more productive, I hope these tools and tips will help you in establishing your morning routine! And if you want to read some books on this area, I highly recommend “Miracle Morning” by Hal Elrod, and “The 5 Second Rule” by Mel Robbins.