A lot of people talk about the importance of having a morning routine, a system of how you’re going to “do” your mornings every single day.
I, like so many people, have a routine as well… well… I had one.
Wake up. Meditate or do yoga. Gratitude list. Journal. Chant the Shema. Hyperhydrate. Eat breakfast. Make the bed. Walk Puppy Piper. Shower. Get dressed. Go to work.
I actually kept that up for a lot longer than I expected – a couple of months.
However, after a while, I realized that instead of giving me life and energy, this routine was actually draining me.
It became a monotonous-yet-overwhelming 6 AM checklist instead of something I got to enjoy. Sometimes, it made me feel worse instead of better. The last thing I want to do when I’m on my period is yoga. (Sorry, yogis!) When I’m running late for a meeting, ya girl doesn’t have time to journal for half an hour.
So, like I’ve consistently done in many areas of my life, I hit the reset button and decided to uplevel my morning routine.
Here’s how:
Write out everything that you could do in your morning routine.
Meditation. Yoga. Gratitude lists. Journaling. Prayer. Breakfast. Reading. Making the bed. Grounding exercises. Inspirational music or podcast. Walking the dog. Breakfast. Working out. Preparing lunch. Showering & getting dressed.
Which of the list items do you have to do?
Put whatever you have to do on your non-negotiable morning routine. If you work at an office, you probably should actually shower and get dressed. If you have a dog, please walk him and feed him. Have kids? Please make sure they get dressed and go to school.
Which of the list items feel both doable and life-giving?
Each day, pick a few of them to complete based upon what feels right. You may have 3 items or 12 items on this list. You don’t have to do all of them every day – just the ones that feel good and doable for that day. I try to mix up what I do every day. Some days, I meditate, make my bed, and eat breakfast. Other days, I listen to a podcast while eating breakfast and then journal and write out everything that I’m thankful for that day.
Giving myself permission to switch up what I do in my morning routine keeps it from becoming something I SHOULD do (which means I feel shame if I don’t do it) to something I GET to do.
Here’s what my morning routine looks like…
Non-Negotiables:
Showering
Walking Piper
Breakfast
Optional (but usually happens):
Get dressed
Listen to inspirational podcast/music while getting dressed
Pick 2-4 Options (based on what feels doable and life-giving for that day):
Meditation
Make bed
Grounding exercise (walking barefoot in the grass outside)
Reading
Yoga
Additional puppy training
Gratitude list
Journaling
It’s time for you to ditch the should’s of a morning to-do list and create an ever-evolving morning routine that you get to do and brings you life.
Recent Comments