Good Morning!
Believe it or not that first line is how I start each and every one of my mornings. It is written on a sticky note addressed to me and from me. It’s part of my Morning Routine and is actually how I got the name for my brand Good Morning-Me. Needless to say, my Morning Routine is pretty special and important to me so I am SUPER EXCITED about this Blog Post!
Think of any super famous, successful, or holy person you know. Chances are they probably have a morning routine. In fact, there are hundreds-if not thousands of videos, articles, and even books detailing different people’s morning routines. So why is that? Why is it so consistently important?
Why Have a Morning Routine?
Well, a Morning Routine prepares you for the day- it gets you ready for all that is ahead. It may not seem important but it is. It’s actually the most important. To give you an idea of how important it is, I’ll use an analogy:
Story Time!
Let’s say you’re going on a trip. You’re going to go camping at a national park. You can’t wait to go so you hop in the car and you’re off. About a half a mile down the road you realize your tank is empty so you pull over at the gas station to fuel up. But when you go to pump your gas you realize you don’t have your wallet. Thankfully you have enough gas to drive back home, pick up your wallet, and get your gas. You continue driving for about 3 hours and start to get hungry. You didn’t pack any food so you stop at Wendy’s quick to pick up a meal.
Two rest stops and 4 hours later you’ve finally made it to the entrance of the park. When they ask for your park pass you realize that this too was left at home. So you pay a high price for a new one (you’re too far away now to go back). As you reach your campsite you begin to set up your tent- which apparently is just about the only thing you thought to bring with you. With the tent all set up you begin to eat the rest of your Wendy’s meal from earlier. You can’t believe your luck- you have an excellent view, no noisy neighbors, and the ground is super smooth beneath your tent. Everything is going absolutely perfect- until it starts to rain. Along with your wallet, food, and park pass, you also left your rain fly at home. So you go to sleep very wet, hungry, and broke.
Now that is not a good trip. But think of how much better it could have been if you had taken the time to prepare for it:
The alternative:
You pack your car with all of your tent supplies- including your rainfly. Bring your hiking gear, park pass, wallet, and even some snacks. Checking the forecast you see it’s going to rain around 6:30 so you bring a good book to read inside your tent and plan to get there at 3. You fill your gas tank up and pack a few meals so you don’t have to stop on your way. Arriving in record time, you easily pass through the gate, and have your tent up in time to go for a hike up a beautiful mountain before the rain hits. You end your evening warm and dry. Cuddled up with a nice book and a full stomach. This was a wonderful trip- even though it was raining.
So preparing really is important. And a Morning Routine prepares you for your day. That is why it is absolutely essential to have one. So grab a notebook and pen… we’re about to look at how to make one!
How do I Create a Morning Routine?
A lot of it is trial and error. You’ll find what things work for you and what things don’t but I have a list of 7 fundamentals I believe all Morning Routines should have:
- Purpose
- Time
- Hydration
- Exercise
- Nutrition
- Mindfulness
- Motivation
Lots of things can fulfill these categories and some can even fulfill multiple. The important part is that you are patient with yourself in the process and are open to try new things! So let’s take a closer look at each element and some ideas to fulfill them…
Purpose
Developing and maintaining a Morning Routine is not an easy journey. If you don’t know your reason for embarking on it there will be no way to justify enduring its difficulties.
Everyone’s reason may look a little different but in general, we start Morning Routines in order to better ourselves: to become the greatest version of ourselves and to fulfill our purpose.
It may be beneficial to write down you “why” statement. I am starting a Morning Routine because _______. Or I am starting a Morning Routine in order to ______. It might seem silly but writing things down helps us to remember it and remembering your purpose is absolutely essential to developing and maintaining a Morning Routine.
Time
Any Morning Routine is going to take up time. Make sure to set aside the time for it- don’t schedule anything within that time. If you don’t make time for your Morning Routine it will be impossible to complete it because so many other things will be demanding your presence and energy. This may be difficult- time is valuable- but remember your purpose! Your time will be worth it 🙂
The amount of time is up to you and remember- you can always start small. If you start with a time frame you can pick the elements of your routine accordingly. OR you can choose the elements that would make up your ideal Morning Routine, figure out how long they’ll take combined, and set aside that amount of time.
Hydration
Being hydrated makes us more efficient and energized in everything we do! (Probably because we are mostly made of water!). Start your day by fulfilling that need.
It helps to have a glass of water (or a water bottle) by your bed. As soon as you wake up, your water will be right there! And if you don’t like water, try adding some fruit or a lemon to your water. Just make sure to drink!
Exercise
This doesn’t have to be a long or intense workout- just something to get your blood and oxygen flowing. Being physically ready and awake will make you more alert and focused in the tasks ahead of you.
You can look up “quick morning workout” or “five minute energizer” on YouTube or google and you’ll find tons of options
I switch mine up pretty often but the one I currently use is:
- 15 jumping jacks
- 30 crunches
- 30 bicycles
- 30 hip raises
- 30 fire hydrants (each leg)
- 15 pushups
Some of my ones in the past have been shorter and some have been longer. What matters is that you’re getting up and moving.
Nutrition
Just like that car about to start the camping adventure, our bodies need fuel. Getting the proper nutrition will give us the energy we need to start our day! I know for me it’s sometimes difficult to eat in the morning. Between my body not being awake enough to process heavy food and the often rushed timing of the morning, I used to forget breakfast all the time. Now though, breakfast is a must.
Sometimes I’ll have a “pre-breakfast” as part of my Morning Routine. Usually it’s just something small like some pretzels with peanut butter. Then I’ll eat more of a “real breakfast” a bit later in the day. My favorites recently have been smoothies and Quinoa breakfast bowls. There are tons of simple and easy breakfast (or pre-breakfast) ideas on Pinterest if you’re ever at a loss for what to eat 🙂
Mindfulness
It’s one thing to be physically ready for the day, but what about mentally? Being mentally prepared for the day is just as -if not more– important as being physically ready for the day. Getting yourself into a good headspace before embarking on the journey of your day will do wonders.
There are many ways that you can do this whether it be through prayer, a moment of silence, or simply just breathing. The point is to check in with yourself, get centered, and focus on what is truly important. Recently my favorite way of doing this is with the Divine Office App. All I have to do is press play on “Morning Prayer” and it will walk me through guided prayer. I don’t even have to think about it!
Motivation
If you’ve gotten to the point where you need motivation to continue, you should be proud of yourself. It means you’ve started- and that’s half the battle. Maintaining your Morning Routine and building consistency is the ultimate goal. In order to accomplish that though, you’ll need bits of motivation here and there. Motivation to keep going, remember why you started, and believe you can finish!
Motivation can come in all sorts of forms. Sometimes it’s writing yourself a little note. Or maybe it’s filling your routine with bright colors and things that make you happy. Sometimes it’s as simple as waking up and telling yourself “Good Morning” with a smile on your face- even if you have to fake it. It really doesn’t matter what you do to motivate yourself so long as you keep on going.
Remember: You don’t have to do this on your own
Starting a Morning Routine has been an essential part of my journey to becoming the greatest version of myself. But sometimes that journey can feel lonely and the tasks can feel hard. Good Morning Me is meant to provide encouragement, support, and community for YOU. So, if you have a Morning Routine or you’re beginning to start one, please share it! I’d love to see and hear what you’ve come up with in the comments, on my instagram, or even through email on the connect page!
I hope that this post was helpful and I plan to do future posts with more specific things to incorporate into your Morning and Evening (which we’ll talk about on Friday!) Routines. In the meantime, if you’re looking for a place to start I can not recommend the app Fabulous enough. I know it’s a kind of silly name but it’s seriously life changing. Using psychology and other sciences the developers made an app that actually helps you to build lasting habits. Fair warning: it will start small- very small- but it will change your life! This is not sponsored or anything like that so I can’t give you a discount code, but there is a free version so go check it out!
I know this was a long post so thanks for sticking around!
-me
[elijah jane]
