Last Updated on April 9, 2022 by Stephanie
Today, I’m going to tell you about my morning routine. It has absolutely increased my productivity, lowered my stress level, and changed my life. I am not going to share anything that I do not 100% do myself. After I tell you generally what I do each morning, I will go into a bit more detail. Then, I want to let you know about how this routine has changed and evolved. I am a firm believer in the idea of having a set morning routine and talk about more healthy habits in this post.
My Morning Routine
- My alarm goes off every morning M-F at 5:00 AM and 5:15 AM on the weekends. (yeah, I let myself sleep in a whole 15 minutes)
- I move! Whether it is a short walk, my ab routine, or going to CrossFit… I move my body for a little bit.
- Eat breakfast, grab some water, grab some coffee.
- Journaling, reading, checking my finances, going over my to-do list.
- Load up my car.
- Turn on the birds (a fancy way of saying turn on my daughter’s wake-up signal) and get my daughter ready!
Now, I would like to give you a bit more detail about each of these things. You will notice that there are several things that are up in the air every day, even with a routine.
One important note: As you are reading more about the different parts of my routine, you will also notice the absence of my phone. I try to keep my phone out of the equation and highly suggest that you do the same! My only real exception is checking my finances and sometimes my to-do list. Phones can be such a time waster and a distraction that you don’t even realize is happening at the moment.
Waking Up Early
I love my bed.
Especially in the wintertime when my room is cold, my bed is warm… I don’t want to leave my bed.
Now, with that said, I get up earlier than both my husband and my daughter most days, including the weekends. My alarm goes off at 5:00 AM during the week and at 5:15 on weekends. If my husband is going to his 5:30 AM workout class, I might lay in bed until he leaves. This is so we aren’t competing for the bathroom. I might hit my snooze a few times… I’m only human! Most days though, I am up and out of my bed by 5:30 AM.
This is hard, but it is absolutely worth it. I only regret the days that I lay around in bed and have to skip parts of my routine. So, it very rarely happens that I stay in bed too long after my alarm goes off.
The Most Important Part of My Morning Routine is Moving!
As many of you know, I love CrossFit. I walked into CrossFit Thunderbolt in 2016 and never looked back. I’m a certified L-1 trainer and believe that fitness and your health should be a large priority in your life. With that said, I have a toddler and a full-time job. Life gets in the way!
My husband doesn’t like to work out in the evenings and has always gone to classes before work. I can’t ask him to give that up because he is AWESOME and supportive. He supports my fitness, my endeavors, and my CrossFit, so I will always support his fitness as well. As a result, I try to work out after school several times a week. I also need to make sure that I’m still being the mom I want to be and getting home. Sometimes that tug to pick up my daughter or be home for an extra hour instead of going to the gym wins.
Making sure I move in the morning not only ensures that I am putting fitness and health at the forefront of my life, but it wakes up my brain and my body!
I switch between a couple of things. On occasion, if I really love the workout or it is a special hero WOD and I can’t make it to class after school, I will go to a 5:00 AM class at the box. If the hubby works out in the AM, I do a set of workouts from Kari Pierce’s PowerAbs programs. They are only about 10 minutes long, but they pack a good punch in those 10 minutes. If the hubs is home, I will take a short morning walk outside in my neighborhood for 1-2 miles.
Just make sure you move!
Fuel During Your Morning Routine
I always eat breakfast of some sort. This might not be something big, but something simple like yogurt with some granola or a pastry. Sometimes if I know that I’m going to do a hard workout later or I’m particularly sore from the day before I’ll do a small protein shake. A little almond milk, some protein powder, and a banana are a yummy treat.
I also get my water intake for the day started and get some coffee ready too.
Don’t skip out on breakfast because refueling your body after sleep is important for your overall health.
Reflecting and Planning in My Journal
I keep a journal and this has evolved A LOT since I’ve adapted different morning habits. Read a bit more about my morning journaling habit here. Right now, my journal is a bit of reflection first. I reflect on things that went well or not and what I accomplished the day before. Then I list out my goals… every day.
Yes…every day.
Go check out my post about setting goals that empower you to learn more about my process of creating goals!
I write out what my goals are. These are written in affirming statements as if they have already happened in my life, which is a technique that I have heard from several different personal development authors including Grant Cardone in his book “Be Obsessed or Be Average.” After I write my goals I may reflect on them or on what I want to accomplish during my day.
I always end my journal entry with three things I’m thankful for. My post about healthy habits touches more on this, but practicing gratitude in this way has been awesome. When I look back at these, I love them. It absolutely shows me the people and the moments in my life that are at the forefront. I often mention my husband and the father he is, moments with my daughter, certain friends, and my fit family at Thunderbolt.
If you’re someone who likes digital journaling, try out my free digital notebook.
Extras
In the bulleted list above with journaling, I also mention a few others. Reading, going over my finances, and going over my to-do list are sometimes alongside this. Journaling for me is non-negotiable, even if all I do is list out the three things I’m grateful for. These others typically do happen, but again, life happens. If I hit that snooze more than once, my daughter wakes up earlier, or my husband is particularly chatty when he comes downstairs, I may abandon it.
Checking my finances includes looking at my bank account and my credit card to see what I spent the day before. I’ve learned that looking at what I’m spending each day actually helps me spend less on other things in working towards my goal of paying off my student loans.
Reading can take a few different forms. Sometimes this is listening to an audiobook while I’m walking or actually reading for 10-15 minutes. This reading is not fluffy reading like a romance novel or some young adult fiction (I save that for bedtime). Reading during my morning routine is for my growth and learning. I pick biographies of people that I admire, personal development books, books on productivity and habits, and inspirational books. Check out my post about setting a reading goal here!
Being a life-long learner and an avid reader can absolutely better your life. Make time, even if it is only 10 minutes, to read daily!
Going over my to-do list happens weekly, during my weekly review which I talk about in my post about how a weekly review is an absolute game-changer. My projects, because of this, are always in my head and my to-dos are typically very fresh in my mind. I don’t need to do this daily unless I can’t think of a few things that I want to get done. I will typically write down a few things that I want to accomplish during the day while I’m journaling. While I’m doing this I may check in with my project lists during this time. If you want to know more about to-do lists, check out this post.
Getting to Work!
The last part of my routine includes the boring stuff… making sure that everything is set before I help get my daughter up. I load up my car with my school stuff, my lunch, and my daughter’s bag. I make sure I’ve topped off my water and coffee for school and put that in the car. Having all of these things ready to go when I get back downstairs with my toddler makes everything run more smoothly. If you’re a mom or dad, you get it. The worst is when I hear the “Uh oh Mama” right when I open the door to her room. That usually means a bath before going to our daycare person. If I’ve already got everything done and ready to leave, this is a lot less stressful.
The Best Morning Routine is Yours
That is my morning. What does yours look like? What do you want to get done every day? Are there things that you first do in the morning to help you work towards your goals?
My routine has changed several times but has kept the same base skeleton. I do a short workout, reflect in a journal, and get stuff set for the day. Let it evolve as your goals change and your life changes. If you want some more ideas to add to your Morning Routine, check out this post with 20 habits to add to your morning routine!
If you need a bit more help, check out this free morning routine printable guide with three different checklists for you to build your own routine:
Leave a comment below and let me know what your must-haves are for your morning routine!
