Terrific Morning Routine! Want It To Easily Reclaim Your Day?
Morning Routine Checklist – do you have one?
You’ve probably heard that having a morning routine can get your day off to a great start!
Yep, I’d heard that too. But, my excuses for not beginning my day with a schedule of habits were that I didn’t want to be tied down, I had to get my boys ready for school, and there was no time…
Sound familiar?
And…I have a confession to make. Although I taught my two boys to have a morning routine, for years I didn’t have one for myself.
Surprising, as the “morning routine for kids” I designed for my sons helped us have chaos-free school mornings.
It was obvious a “morning routine for adults” could only make my day better too.
This night owl could use an adjustment
Because I was not naturally a morning person, I relied more on auto-pilot. I’d roll groggily out of bed straight into Mama and wife mode.
Above all, as many mothers do, I took care of my kids and husband. Moi, an afterthought.
Likewise, having my own businesses for most of my adult life meant I could create my own schedule. (which translates to – ‘my day got away from me more often than not’ .)
Despite having tried to adopt a morning practice, I could not keep it up because I had not made it mine. I needed one that fit me, so it would be sustainable.
The Key to a Morning Routine Just For You
Check out this article in Psychology Today, “Create a Morning Routine That Works For You,” by Jeffrey Davis M.A.
Above all, when I work on home organizing and business organizing with women, I listen and help them make simple systems that make sense to them.
Consequently, when I applied this to myself, I was able to make my own successful morning routine because it made sense to me.
As a result of finally deciding to create, and follow a morning routine customized to me, my mornings and days transformed.
Moreover, my routine is simple, with basic reminder words under category headings, with few steps. *(See my personal list below.)
Starting my day with a routine of self-care, I became calmer, more focused and happier. Creating a morning routine checklist helped me stay on track mindfully without stress.
Most importantly, putting myself first gave me more energy for my sons, my clients and my life.
Here’s how I make sure my morning routine happens, and you can adapt this practical fun method by snagging my morning routine checklist and create your own morning routine today.
Start with your vision, then put that into actionable baby steps. I use a simple checklist. (I love checklists 😉
Get Your Freebie Downloadable Morning Routine Checklist!
Focused Quiet
Firstly: Get quiet and focus in. Imagine…
What would you like your morning and day to feel like?
Calm, relaxed, languid or energized?
As mentioned above, I wanted calm, however, I’m not naturally a morning person (though my morning routine has been transforming me into one). Still, I wanted to ease into my morning.
Secondly: Once you have in your mind’s eye the picture of what you want your mornings to look like, you can create a mini checklist to practice and instill your new routine.
Create the healthy habit of a morning routine!
1. Wake up up 30-60 minutes earlier. Make a checklist of the things you want to do to start your day (see example below).
2. Begin with an inspirational title.
3. Put a blank checkbox next to each activity to check off as you complete.
If you use a Digital Checklist: Insert fillable checkboxes
Prefer Hard copy Checklists? Draw blank checkboxes, then print the sheet and put inside a sheet protector. Use a dry erase board marker to check off your list. Wipe off the checkmarks and reuse. (Brilliant, right?)
Download Your Freebie Morning Routine Checklist!
*Here’s my personal Morning Routine:
ABUNDANCE MINDSET
☐ Gratitude List
☐ Meditation – 3 minutes
☐ 7 minutes Qi Gong (YouTube)
ACTIVITY
☐ Power Walk 10K
BODY HEALTH
☐ Lemon Water (8 oz) (empty stomach)
☐ ProBiotic (empty stomach)
☐ CoQ10 (empty stomach)
☐ Green juice
☐ Multivitamin 2
☐ Omega 3-D3
Click For Your Freebie Downloadable Morning Routine Checklist!
In conclusion, remember to K.I.S.S. your morning routine, i.e. Keep It Simple Sweetie 😉
Okay, now it’s your turn. I’d love to hear in the comments if you have a morning routine or not. Share with us what works, what doesn’t!
Hi, I’m Jul’s Arthur, the “Out of the Box”, organizer. I’d love to help you go from chaos to FREEDOM. What I do: I help women professionals & entrepreneurs STOP endlessly spinning their wheels stuck in anxiety and overwhelm with the chaos and clutter in their home, and instead START simplifying, so everything has a place, they gain FREEDOM, CLARITY and easily step into their DREAM LIFE. I’m also the author of the book 25 Days of Holiday Organizing!
Thanks for reminding us how important to have a morning routine. I want to be energized in the morning, so I wake up early to making breakfast and smoothie, and make writing part of my morning routine as well. There are times I could not get enough sleep the night before so the morning routine can be challenging, but I still try to stick with my morning routine because we both know that is a good start for our day.
Erin, I love that you write as part of your morning routine! Yes, I try to stick with my morning routine and of course there are days that don’t work as well as others, so I may shorten the routine. I think it is so important not to beat oneself up if you fall off your routine or could not do it…just get back to it gently and as soon as you can. After all routines are to help us not limit us or stifle us.
Jul’s, as usual you have provided an actionable, easy-to-implement, process for us! I LOVE your morning routine, and while I have one that includes just getting visually ready for my day, I don’t have one that gets my mindset ready for the day; at least not an intentional one like you describe. I will be following your sage advice and getting to work on developing one myself. I think I may have to try out the Qi Gong videos, too!! Thanks for helping us to keep our lives (inside & out) organized and well-functioning! <3
My absolute pleasure April as always! A visual routine of getting ready works too. There’s no such thing as a perfect morning routine…only the one that focuses, centers and motivates you…and it can shift and change as your needs do too.
As a reformed ‘non morning person’ I can totally relate Jul’s. I now have a morning routine I adore. I especially love your tip about placing your hardcopy list inside a sheet protector!
Oh, Claire….that hard copy in a sheet protector is my savior. Sometimes my mind is muddled from lack of sleep or I it’s in busy mode, and that hard copy helps me check off my vitamins…or I forget, “Did I take them?” I am a list person…lists help me create and keep a routine.
Hi Juls! I love this post.. but I also struggle to do everything I would like to do as part of a beautiful morning ritual. I am often sleep deprived.. up 2 and 3 times some nights to check my son’s blood sugars and/or give insulin.. so when school is in session, a 5am wake up call to have more time for myself is not easy. I do try to get the healthy ones in like lemon water and my green juice.. typically after school drop off I reserve that time for exercise, or I will go directly to start my lists of gratitude and things to do for the day.. This school year, I am seriously considering writing the list of what needs to get done the night before.. and I also like doing it at the beginning of the week and then modifying it each day if needed!! Now to get back to bed earlier…..
Oh Jul’s this is SO timely! I try to keep to The Miracle Morning but getting up that hour earlier is super hard for me. My body is fully awake every day at 8:17. I’ve tried everything to work into an earlier rise time and have very spotty success. I LOVE my morning routine of gathering myself together mentally, physically, and spiritually but panic when I see the clock rising to 10am and I haven’t gotten any “work” done. Guilt, guilt, guilt. You’ve inspired me to forgive myself and take smaller steps. Thanks!!!!
Woo Hoo! and Amen! Forgiveness and baby steps all the way. I love The Miracle Morning, however, I believe you can wake up even 10 minutes earlier to super success. Start small…better to do one positive thing successfully than a slew once in a while.
Jul’s,
This is awesome! I’ve been trying a morning routine myself. Some days, I make excuses though. One is that my routine changes,so what’s the point!? It does change! Routines STILL help though, and I just don’t feel right passing on the message that giving up is the answer.
I’ve noticed that schedules do work too! Thanks for the reminder, as I often need one. If not, my days get harder.Do you happen to have any suggestions as to how to keep up with your schedule when you have alot of personal issues getting in the way? Kinda like your emergencies with kids, I’m guessing. Anyway, great post!
Namaste,
Angela
Hey Angela, thanks for the great questions—I too have felt and heard these questions from my peeps before.This is my suggestion…yes it really helps to make a routine a habit, however, flexibility is key to ultimate success. At any time if you skip your routine, no worries, you can come back to it easily. The point is not to be rigid and perfect…this routine is to help you take consistent action for your desires and wants. As to schedules…again, forgive yourself, let go and get back to things. Life is, for many of us, constant interruptions and spanners in the works—so go with the flow and pad in time for those derailing times. If I just can’t get myself to sit down and say write a blog post…I tell myself, just write the first sentence or title…next thing you know, I often get inspired. If not, at least I started. Forcing things does not work for me. Hope that helps.
Thanks for the great reminder of how life changing and charging for your daily purpose the morning routine is. The title is a powerful way to make it inspirational. I use Power titles with my clients sessions to help them feel each session is unique and special .. but hadnt thought to use that for myself and my own day. thank you . 🙂 Very easy article to read
So glad my post resonated with you and gave you that gentle reminder. I think most of us are great at helping our clients and forget we must help ourselves so we have energy to give!