The Importance of a Morning Routine
One of my goals for the summer is to establish a good morning routine for myself. I need it. I desperately need the alone time in the morning. I have gotten in the bad habit of rising with my children. But being needed the moment my eyes open has not been good for my spirit. I NEED to wake up and get my mind right before my family wakes up.
Now, summer may seem like an odd time to start a morning routine. The schedule is loose and you have less on the calendar. But that was all the more reason for me to establish good habits now. The kids are sleeping in…ish so I don’t have to get up quite as early to beat them to it. And I can get into a good rhythm before the busyness of fall is here.
My Goal
I plan to wake up at 6:30 every day and I am not allowed to press snooze. I want to establish this habit in the summer and then when school is back in session, I will bump my time up to wake earlier in the morning.
I will get up, get dressed in my pre-laid out workout gear, wash my face and then make my way to the kitchen. I will take my thyroid meds and hydrate my body first thing. Then I will spend time with my Heavenly Father, read, pray and ask Him to guide my day. I will go through my to do list and get my brain focused on the tasks for the day. Then I will eat breakfast. I want to get in the habit of eating 30-60 minutes after I wake up. Often, I am busy running around with the kids and fail to make myself breakfast before leaving the house.
No snooze
To help me not press snooze, I am using my Hatch Restore sunrise alarm clock. The ‘sun’ slowly starts to rise and then the music starts to play. One minute later, my alarm goes off and I immediately get out of bed.
The night before
A good morning routine starts the night before.
- Stop eating after dinner
- Load the washing machine and set the delayed start for the morning
- Drink some chamomile tea
- Put your phone to bed
- Lay out your clothes for the morning
- Get your morning water ready
- Do your skincare
- Stretch
- Go to bed at a good time
Waking up my body
My whole reason behind waking up earlier is to get myself together before the kids wake up. Once they’re awake, I feel pulled in a bunch of different directions. Waking up earlier includes waking up my body and being productive from the jump.
I get dressed in the clothes that I laid out the night before, (workout clothes most days) I wash my face, brush my teeth and drink my morning water.
Being productive
Right now, I have 30-45 minutes of alone time before my kids are up. I want to use that time to get myself ready for the day – mind, body, soul.
- Time with my Heavenly Father- prayer- journaling
- Stretch
- Breakfast
- Plan the day
- Switch the laundry
How do you start the day? Are you able to have some alone time in the morning?
What should I add to my morning routine?
Learn more about our family’s summer schedule here.