3 tips to make the most of your morning routine

Until I began a morning routine that involved not reaching for my phone first thing, I didn’t realize how much I did.

Below you’ll find my favorite 3 tips to make the most of your morning routine. Before reaching for your phone or any electronics (a common theme, also important for building a healthy nighttime routine), the first chunk of the day (an hour if you have it, 30 minutes if you’re in a time crunch or have demanding kids) should be all yours.

When you wake up, your first thought shouldn’t be what’s going on with the news, on social media, or even with your best friend. It’s about you, your health, your mind, your mood, your body and goals.

The tips below help me start my day off the best way possible, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the impact they make on your entire day.

1. Start simple

Just because you’ve decided to make the most of your morning routine, doesn’t mean you have to pop into a headstand or accomplish 70 billion things. The first tasks that you do upon waking should be easy wins. These tasks include things like making the bed, brushing your teeth, and drinking a full glass of water. Another great option for starting simple is taking a few minutes to intentionally cuddle with your spouse (or fur-friend). Oxytocin is real, you guys.

2. Move your body

Start by finding a comfortable seated position on an exercise/yoga mat and taking ten deep breaths. After that, move through whatever stretches feel right to your body followed by simple calisthenic exercise. I would LOVE to do another blog post on the breathing and activity I recommend for the morning, so if you’re interested comment and let me know. I go with anywhere between 5-15 minutes of this, depending on the morning.

3. Gratitude and Intention

While still electronic-less, I turn on my coffee pot and sit down with a journal and my daily planner (my absolute favorite planner is this @hellodayplanner. Kirsten, the owner, is the sweetest and puts her heart into the creation of these planners). Write down 5-10 things that you’re grateful for, ranging from as simple as your elastic pants and coffee to as deep as certain relationships and rights. This gratitude journaling routine was initially introduced to me by my friend and yoga teacher, Shakira, during a yoga course. No matter what you’re going through, you always have something to be grateful for in life.

After that, sip your coffee (or tea) and check out your schedule for the day while jotting down the top 3 things to accomplish. I like to pick one personal thing, one academic thing, and one business related matter. Feel free to make these top 3 items something as simple as hydration, stretching, or calling your mom to tell her that you love her.

Of course, I’m not perfect, and these don’t happen every day. Today I slept through my alarm and had to continue with my day sans morning routine. Life goes on, but it sure is a noticeable difference when you make the most of your morning routine.

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