How to create a morning routine and stick to it

This article is focused on how to create a morning routine and stick to it. I'm also going to talk about a morning routine and why it's important to have one. In addition, I will provide some tips and tricks that may help you focus on a morning routine. It's important to understand that having one helps you get into the right mental space for the day.

The question remains, do you really need to create a morning routine? And the answer is no. Nobody needs a morning routine. However, whenever we think of it consciously or not, we all have some sort of routine. I would argue that a morning routine starts the night before.

The night before

Here are some quick tips to think before you create a morning routine, and before you actually go to sleep. 

Water intake

The first thing is to make sure you don't drink water two hours before you go to sleep. You're going to end up having a really uncomfortable night. You're probably going to wake up in the middle of night, all because you need to go “potty”.

Food intake

Second thing is to make sure that you don't eat late. I used to be one of those individuals who didn't really care about when I ate. I soon realized that when I did eat too late I felt like I had something in my stomach; it’s because I did! Make sure you eat at appropriate times on a regular basis.

Minimize tech-use

Number three, it's important to make sure that you're not glued to your laptop or your phone before you go to sleep. There are different things that you can do in order to make sure that you're primed to preparing yourself to sleep mentally. Saying that there are times when I do like to read before I go to sleep. And so sometimes I have a physical hardback or I may listen to an audiobook.

As much as this is about providing some guidance, only you can decide what is best for you.

How to get back to sleep

Sometimes, what I'll do when I find it very difficult to sleep is to use the app Calm. I would also say it is important to track your sleep to see how well you're sleeping. So, for example, phones these days allow you to track your sleep using their native apps. You can also get smart watches or smart rings sleep, steps and other biometrics.

The Morning routine

Now we have that out the way, Let's get onto learning how to create a morning routine!

Practice being still

So for me, the first thing I like to do is practice being still. This may seem obvious, however, it means that I don’t want to move around too aggressively from the get go. I just want to reflect upon my nature, my being and my sense of reality at the time.

When I get into this space, I feel more consolidated and ready to wake up and start doing stuff. And so with that in mind, maybe it may help you to think about being still don't reach for your phone or anything like that. Just be still for at least ten minutes and take in how you feel and how you want your day to be. 

Set intentions for your day

The second thing I do is reflect upon the three things that I want to do for the day. Now, I did say earlier, that your phone can be a distraction, but if you set up the right way, it shouldn't distract you.

And so what I usually do is I use a tool like Trello. Tools like Trello are fantastic tools in terms of goal setting and task setting.

In the morning I look at my Trello board, and focus on what I need to do for the day, and if I need to change anything, I'll change it. If I do anything that is more than three tasks, I realize that it can be overwhelming. This can eventually cause me to have a huge bucket list that should really be a simple to-do list. So focus on no more than three things for that day and be intentional about what it is that you want to do.

Get Active!

The next thing that I do is make sure that I do some sort of physical activity. For some of you, you may go for a run, or do a workout at home or do sort of stretching. For me personally, I like to stretch and I'm not talking about a stretch where you go back to sleep. I'm talking about real stretching, making sure that there are certain niggles out of my body. Stretching allows me to feel ready for the day. It's nothing vigorous or crazy, but it is something that helps me get mentally prepared. It’s all about making sure that you're in that mental space.

Make your bed

After that, I focus on getting out of bed, making sure that I actually do my bed. I do this because I want to get into the mental habit of making sure that I stick to specific tasks and routines. I feel like this is transferable. If you're able to make your bed, not just your bed, but any sort of small activity, you're training yourself and conditioning yourself to get to the point of making sure you do things even when you don't feel like doing it.

Who likes doing their bed? Not me, but I try to make sure that I do it every single day and it's routine. And so for you, maybe it's about doing those small tasks so you can get into the habit of doing those things. From there,

Get the dirt off

I usually have a lukewarm shower, where sometimes it is completely cold. I do this because I want to activate my muscles in such a way where again, I'm waking myself up, I'm getting myself mentally prepared. You may not want to have a lukewarm or cold shower, but this gets me into the mental space.

And I've only known this through constant experimentation

Drink some water

What I then like to do is I like to fill up my water bottle. I was given a water bottle to make sure I drink water on a regular basis, as I am terrible at remembering too. You can find it here. I usually

fill up my water bottle up to 2000 millilitres, which is two litres. I also have a reminder on my phone to remind me to drink water. Now, I'll be honest with you, I don't drink all of the two litres all the time. However, I'm drinking more consciously than I would before if I was just relying on my brain.

And so I make that habit because I know that is something I need to work on. So maybe for you, it's to fill up your water bottle. 

Create time to eat properly

Some of you may be thinking, so when do you have time to eat? I like to eat, so I definitely have time for that! In the morning, I make sure that I have some sort of nutritious, healthy-ish meal, and I don't make it too complicated.

I have 40 grams of gluten free oats, blueberries, honey, and about 200 millilitres of lactose free milk. The reason I know my food measurements is because I had previously gone to a nutritionist who basically made me a meal plan specific for my needs. They also alerted me to what I was intolerant to. 

And so with that in mind, that's what I stick to.

Sometimes I may have a smoothie, which may include banana or pineapple, nuts, lactose free milk and spinach. But oats is usually what I stick to. If I'm feeling a bit bored, occasionally I will mix it up with granola. Remember, how you eat in the morning is really going to define how you are going to feel throughout the day.

Allocate time for emails

I also make time to check my personal emails, which are in the morning (before work), midday and at night. I want to make sure that I'm on top of things, hence why I schedule time and minimize distractions.

When I check my emails, I respond where I can, and if I can't respond, then I flag it or star it or move into a certain area where I can come back to it later.

Preparing my workstation

Like I stated before I also work for the public sector. So for those of you who don't know, as of this article I am a Senior Implementation Manager for NHS X. Basically, I implement digital innovations and integrations into the National Health Service (NHS). Before working, I need to make sure my station is set up the right way, especially because I am working from home. And so I get my laptop and work phone out and I put my personal phone away, like away from my area, so I don't get distracted. Because I have also set things up on digital well-being, mode it is easier for me to do this as well.

Hopefully you found this article useful and you are able to create a morning routine. If you would like more tips and tricks on how to be more productive as a person, click on this link to sign for a FREE 10-page guide in order to do so.

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