Ah, the good old morning routine. The subject of many YouTube videos and conversations.

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You may be thinking right now that you do not need a routine.

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But here is some truth... you have a routine, whether you like it or not.

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There will be things you do daily, sometimes without even realising it.

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Today, in this post, I want to look at the importance of a strong morning routine and how to make it stronger.

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But why would you want to make it stronger in the first place? Let’s delve into why it is so important to look at your routine morning activities…

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IT SETS THE TONE FOR THE DAY

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Of course, first things first. It sets the tone for day.

Think about it for a second… how many of your great, productive days have been reflected by a good morning?

Likewise, how often have you let a bad 5 minutes turn into a whole day?

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IT REDUCES DECISION FATIGUE

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Next up, another pro to a good, healthy morning routine is the efficiency of your decisions.

When you wake up, you do not really want to be thinking all that much. Not only are you most likely in the process of waking up, but you also do not want to be wasting precious and limited core decision making time.

Having a strong, nourishing morning routine can help with this.

You can hit the ground running when you wake up as you know exactly what you need to do. You can use sensory cues to even help you wake up and ease into the day.

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IT IS A FORM OF SELF-CARE

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Here is the thing. Self-care can sometimes look so glamours, but in reality, it doesn’t need to be so shiny. It doesn’t need to be hours long, full of bubble baths. It can simply be looking after yourself and setting that time for care as a standard.

The consistency of self-care can be done so much easier in the morning. Throughout the day, there are so many variables. It can be hard to stick to a routine. Whereas the morning, is always up to you.

So by having a core morning routine, you can ensure you are checking in and taking care of yourself.

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HOW TO CREATE A STRONG MORNING ROUTINE THAT WORKS FOR YOU

1. Take what you already have. Your existing morning routine, good, bad or neutral, and with no judgement and write it down in order of how it unfolds.

2. Then write out the things you would like to integrate into your morning routine… for example, perhaps you want to make time for meditation or reading.

3. Note down anything that can be done the night before to make it easier on you on the day.

4. Look to integrate the things you want to do into your existing routine.

So here is an example…

Your current routine may look something like this:

Wake up.
Make coffee.
Watch tv while you drink said coffee.
Get showered.
Get ready.
Leave.

The things you may want to add are:

Make time for gratitude.
Set intentions for the day.
Meditate.
Read.
Journal.
Visualise.
Raise your mood.

So then you look at ways to create that blend:

When you wake up, you can think and feel three things that you are grateful for then you can set intentions/ decide on how you are going to approach the day.

Then when you make your coffee, you could meditate to the sound of the kettle or do some kind of mindful activity.

Instead of watching tv while you drink your coffee you could read a few pages of a book you like.

Then when you shower, instead of being on autopilot you could visualise something that you want to have, be or do.

As you get ready, you could listen to a podcast, or some relaxing music or my personal favourite, binaural beats. I use the app Beatfulness for ease and convenience. Anything along these lines can make you feel good.

Finally, instead of rushing out of the door, you could take a quick 5 minutes to journal. There are some great options that fit the 5-minute time frame, or you could simply note down how you are feeling and what goals you are working towards.

Can you see how the latter morning routine is so much stronger? You still get the existing things done, and you do not feel like you are adding lots of extra time to your routine, but you do feel a bit more ‘together’.

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NEXT STEPS

So there we have it. All of the excellent reasons as to why you need to look at your morning routine, complete with the steps you need to create a beautiful blend of things you need to do and things you want to do.

Take some time now, before you jump back into your day and think about what you can do tomorrow to alter your routine...