My Morning Routine for a Balanced and Focused Day
I recently wrote a blog post for Her Track on the importance of having a morning routine so I thought I would share my own! This is something I’ve been playing with and modifying as time goes on to best fit my needs. It’s not uncommon for a morning routine to change, especially as things change in your life! My summer routine looks drastically different than the rest of the year because my schedule is so much more flexible. I actually have two and a half hours to myself every morning in the summer to prepare for the day ahead!
My day typically starts with my alarm going off and my rescue cat Xena hopping up on my bed for some morning snuggles. If I’m being brutally honest, Xena starts periodically checking to see if I’m awake around 3am. She loves attention and being a bit clumsy, is pretty great at making her presence known wherever she goes. I’m a pretty heavy sleeper so a majority of the time, I sleep through this but once the alarm goes off, she knows I’m fair game. I like having a slow morning and not having to rush so I will usually give her plenty of cuddles before finally climbing out of bed.
Once I’m up, the first thing I do is make myself tea since I gave up coffee about two months ago. Just having that hot drink right away in the morning is enough to mentally fill the need for a cup of joe. I’ll bring my tea into the living room where I curl up in my oversized chair with a blanket and a book. I love to read and adding this to my morning routine ensures I never run out of time or get too tired at the end of the day. If I’m reading a personal development book or something that really resonates with me, I will journal on it for a few minutes after.
On the days I don’t journal, I try to write a blog post or two. Blogging is a method of journaling in itself for me as I often write about things I’m currently struggling with or working on in my personal or professional life. This also helps me to get my mind and my creative juices flowing for the rest of the day. I have some of my best ideas right when I wake up in the morning!
I’ve recently added meditation to my morning routine as well. In addition to my own personal space on the internet, I host my own podcast, contribute to multiple other sites, work with youth and manage social media accounts for three organizations. I love everything I’m doing which is why I continue to do them all but it can get to be a bit overwhelming from a big picture perspective! Meditating and yoga help me to clear my mind, ground me and let me focus on my priorities.
After meditating, I create my to-do list for the day and put a mark next to my three non-negotiables. It’s not realistic for anyone to conquer their entire to-do list every single day. To help give myself grace, I choose the three I need to get done and the rest are there if I have the time or motivation. If not, they weren’t a high enough priority and can wait 24 more hours without any guilt!
Finally, I check in on the social media accounts I manage and address anything that needs immediate attention. This also allows me to look at the schedule I tentatively put together on Sunday evenings and see if any of my times need to be adjusted. Although I set a lot of my own hours and can work primarily from anywhere, scheduling these times helps me to stay present and focused in each area when I need to be. It also helps me to make sure each area of my work and personal life receives the attention and care it deserves!
The last thing I do before hopping in the shower and taking on the world is making myself a green drink. I love starting my day knowing that I’m not only taking care of my gut health but I’m also getting in the vitamins and nutrients I need! Despite being a vegetarian, I’m terrible at getting in enough green vegetables and this drink is an easy solution to an important health factor. Plus, it has natural caffeine in it to keep me going without the crash coffee would give me and it tastes amazing!
Do you have a morning routine? How do you start your day?
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