Last Updated on March 31, 2022 by Stephanie
I am a HUGE fan of my morning routine and believe that it has helped me immensely in reaching goals and getting things done in my life. It could honestly just be referred to as morning habits because that is essentially what it is, a set of habits. Never, have I ever been a morning person, until now. Well… until I had a kid who would wake me up early each morning. Now though, since July of 2021, I have been waking up around 5:00 AM each morning.
Even. On. Weekends.
There are many different studies that show that you are your most productive in the morning. David Allen of “Getting Things Done” talks about how our brain is like a computer, but it can get filled up quite quickly. So why not fill it with some productive and awesome stuff to start that day off right.
Check out my post about my own morning routine, or build yours from this list of great morning habits that will help you create a banging morning routine that will help you achieve your goals.
1. Get Moving
Do something that gets your heart rate up. This can not only help boost your metabolism but also will serve your brain. Your brain needs to increase oxygen to focus best and the best way to do this is to exercise.
2. Drink Water
Your body is mostly water, so making sure you start your day off with hydrating is VERY important. Yes, I still do coffee in the morning, but I also have a big tumbler of water at my side during my morning routine.
3. Plan out Your Day
When you go into your day without a plan, you are not setting yourself up for success. You may think to yourself that you know the things on your to-do list. You know what you need to get done today. But do you really? Check out your calendar, pick your top 3 tasks to get done during the day, and get yourself mentally prepared for what you need to accomplish during your day.
4. Read
Reading can provide so much for someone. If you are looking to improve yourself, reading about your chosen field, or looking to those who are already successful in what you want to do, check out some books! Check out these 5 books that will inspire you to get crap done here. Maybe reading for you is a way to escape for a bit and get your mind off of things. Great, pick out a fiction book that is interesting to you. If you’re really into reading, check out my digital book logs in my shop here!
5. Reflect
I am a firm believer in keeping a journal. This journal will be different for every person. Mine personally contains a reflection on the day before and what I got accomplished and what I didn’t. It is also a reflection on my to-dos for the day ahead and what I’m excited about getting accomplished that day. I also use this for my goals and gratitude.
6. Practice Gratitude
You should always focus on the positives that are happening in your life. Even if you are super down on yourself, you can find something to be thankful for. I’ve mentioned it in the post about my morning routine, but my gratitude list of three is VERY diverse. I can be thankful for my warm bed one day, to being happy that my FLEO order came the next day. You can go super deep with your gratitude, or you can do what comes to your mind right away. This is all for you, so do what makes sense.
If you’re someone who does digital planning, check out my FREE gratitude widgets to add to your digital planner or journal!
7. Take a Cold Shower
I hate cold showers. In fact, my showers could probably boil someone if they were to join me. I like my steam and I like coming out of my showers bright red and toasty. However, some people swear by it to wake themselves up and get ready to go. Full confession, this is not one of the morning habits I will be adopting!
8. Get Your Stuff Ready for the Day
If you’ve got someone else to get ready in the morning (i.e. crazy toddler like me), then this is absolutely important. At the very end of my routine, I make sure that my lunch, my bag, etc. are all in my car. I’m absolutely ready to walk out the door in the morning before I even think about getting anyone else in my life ready. Prioritize yourself so that you can be your best for others.
9. Write Out Your Goals
In my research on personal development, there is one common thread about goals. This common practice is that successful people revisit their goals every single day. I personally write out my goals every day. Check out more about my morning journaling here. Take it a step further and write these goals in the present tense as if they have already happened and say them out loud to yourself!
10. Say Affirmations
You are awesome. This day is going to rock. I am going to be so productive today. Everything is going to be amazing today. I am strong and can accomplish all my goals.
These are examples of great affirmations that you can say to yourself each morning to get you mentally prepared for your day of being extraordinary.
11. Check Your Spending
I started checking my spending every day because I’ve made it a goal to get my student loans paid off and didn’t know where all my money was going. Check what you’ve spent the day before in the morning so you can plan your day!
12. Meditate
People swear by meditating. I am not one of those people. I have tried this on several occasions and with several different apps and books, etc. When I’m feeling stressed out, I will meditate and focus on my breath for 3-5 minutes, but other than that, I don’t tend to use this. This is one of those morning habits that I can’t seem to actually get to be a habit! Some say that this makes all the difference in their lives though, so give it a try! It may take center stage in your own morning routine.
13. Stretch or Yoga
I’m a CrossFitter and a distance runner… so stretching doesn’t happen. In CrossFit, we even try to make it sound fancier by calling it mobility work instead of stretching. It still doesn’t make me stretch. Again though, some people swear by yoga and stretching to get their bodies ready for the day.
14. Get outside.
Fresh air and vitamin D does a body good. That is all.
15. Listen to a Podcast
You can learn so much from just 10-15 minutes every morning of educating yourself. Learn something that will point you towards your goals. Find something that is meaningful and will help you!
16. Watch a TED Talk
Same as the above… find something that motivates you.
17. 10 Minute Clean Up
Do you get bogged down by having to clean on the weekends? My husband is a bit of a Danny Tanner (his sisters refer to him as that often), so he is a big proponent of cleaning as you go. I am a messy individual, but when I see certain areas getting a bit crazy, this is something that I add to my morning. Set a timer for 10 minutes and pick up things that are out of place. You can even use this for actual cleaning as well… clean the downstairs bathroom or wipe the kitchen counters. Then you don’t have to do it later!
18. Do a Puzzle, Like Crosswords or Sudoku
Wake up your brain and keep it sharp.
19. Hobby Time
Today someone laughed at me because it was 7:45 in the morning, we were getting ready for our staff meeting and I made a comment about how I was quilting that morning. Their response was… “what?” Upon further investigation, it was a question of “What time did you get up?” Here’s the deal, I wake up at 5 AM so I can get more done. If I can do 30 minutes of quilting each morning, do you know how many more projects I can get done? So much! It isn’t about the amount of time, it’s about the consistency. My morning routine helps me get stuff that I want to get done, done!
20. Listen to a Favorite Song.
I’m a big music person, so a good song can definitely pump you up in the morning. Pick out your jam and rock to it. Put loud music on and work out hard for 10-15 minutes. Let it pump you up!
What do I do now with all these morning routine ideas?
Well, you pick a few things and start! Try a few of these morning habits yourself! You can’t succeed until you try! If you are not a morning person, try just getting up 15 minutes early and picking a couple of small things from this list to try. Another tip is to keep this routine phone and device-free until you are done. Get some important thoughts and reflections done before you even think about it. I pick up my phone in the morning for only two things. I check the weather for my morning walk and I look at my Todoist app to check what I need to get done during the day. Checking Facebook and Instagram are not on that list because they will take up way more time than you think they will! While you’re at it, check out my post about building systems for creating productivity and get even more awesome stuff done!
So what do you already do on this list? What is something that you are going to try after reading this post? Whatever you do, make sure you act! Be extraordinary and don’t just stick to your norm because growth comes from the uncomfortable spots we put ourselves in!
