How to Create a New Morning Routine

A strong morning routine will set you up for a better day, ultimately creating a more successful personal and professional life, but there is no one right way to do it. If you have plateaued or feel your life has become “stagnant,” switching up and implementing a morning routine may do the trick to get you moving again! It can help you create a positive mindset, accomplish your goals and posture your heart with gratitude.

Setting a morning routine will be different based on who you are, and that’s okay! We all have different biological rhythms and preferences – one person might prefer waking up at 5 a.m. for a run, while another wants to ease into the day with gentle yoga hours later. 

This is the time of day to allocate to yourself, every day, no matter what. If you study successful people, you’ll quickly notice that they share similar habits, and a daily ritual is almost always part of that. Being busy isn’t an excuse – it actually means you need it even more. The best morning routine is the one that aligns with what’s most important to you, so you’ll need to craft your own rather than follow someone else’s.

The Best Time to Begin a New Morning Routine

In Ali Wenzke’s book, The Art of Happy Moving, she notes that more than one in three people made successful life changes because they relocated – moving from one home to another disrupts your daily routine, creating the perfect time for a change. If you just purchased a house among the Calgary homes for sale, for example, you’ve been given a gift, so don’t miss taking advantage of it.

Of course, you don’t have to move to start a new routine, but you might want to consider the day of the week. Time management expert Laura Vanderkam says that Thursday brings the best chance for success as Monday is often filled with distractions, but by a few days later, the workweek usually slows down, so you’ll have a clearer mind for starting a new morning routine. Who knew! Isn’t that fascinating! I have always tried to start something new on Monday… but that has often resulted in me only delaying it until later in the future. The Thursday approach sounds like a great idea! 

The Basics

It’s always best to wake up close to the same time every day, whether it’s a weekday or the weekend. Sleeping in late when you don’t have to go to work will just throw off your sleep rhythms, making it harder to get up in the morning, not to mention the brain fog. Writing down everything you have to do the next day before you go to bed will help put your mind at ease so you can sleep better, allowing your subconscious to work overnight rather than worrying about what’s on your schedule. 

The night before, know what you’re going to eat for breakfast, or at least have a few easy nutritious options available so you don’t have to figure out what to eat or end up turning to junk that won’t fuel you with the energy you need for the day. 

Choose a Few New Habits to Start With

To start with, choose a few new habits – you can add more later, but it’s better to start small. A few things to consider making part of your routine for a better today (other than the usual take a shower and brush your teeth) include:

• Drink a glass of lemon water as soon as you get out of bed instead of looking at your phone. Staring at that bright screen right after you wake up isn’t the best thing for your eyes or your mind – if it’s hard to stop yourself from doing it, before going to bed, charge it farther away so that you can’t reach it, eliminating the temptation to immediately look. You can also set it to “Do Not Disturb” so that notifications won’t disrupt your peaceful morning.
• Set your mind off in the right direction. Pray that God will guide your day and keep you in the direction he wants you to head.
• Do some gentle stretches for 10 or 15 minutes.
• Practice deep breathing.
• Run a mile (or more.) Get those endorphins going!
• Write in a gratitude, prayer or bible journal.
• Think of one word, saying, or scripture that describes how you can encourage yourself about the day ahead – or how you want to feel. Write it down and put it somewhere where you’ll see it throughout the day.
• Listen to uplifting music. I love starting my day off with worship music. Being thankful and grateful for the many blessings I have been given, sets your heart off in a beautiful posture facing God.
• Skip the negative headlines and read good news instead – just a few minutes of reading negative headlines can ruin your mood all day. And it can spoil the positivity you have been creating for days! Keep it up and keep it going!

Now, include those new habits in your morning ritual every day for the next 30 days. Research has show that after 30 days, it will become routine, and you’ll be able to stick with it or perhaps add another new habit or two. Tweek what works for you. Start with 1 or 2 from the list above, and add another if wanted after the 30 days. You can see improvements in your headspace, mental clarity, positivity, outlook and mental health!  

I know sometimes things like starting a new habit may seem overwhelming. But, by breaking it down into steps, and taking it one step at a time makes the new routine more manageable. You are a BOSS and you CAN do it!

~Rachel