Morning Routine
In my last blog post, I said I would share the changes I am making to better my overall wellness. Due to popular demand on my Instagram poll last week, I am going to start by sharing my morning routine!
I am developing a new morning routine because my old one — quite frankly — sucked. Every morning without fail, I would roll over and immediately reach for my phone before my eyes were fully open. I would then proceed to waste 20+ minutes just laying in bed and scrolling through social media. Not only did that clutter my brain right off the bat, but it also set the stage for me to be glued to my phone for the rest of the day. This change in routine was centered around starting my morning with a clear head, but most importantly, without my phone.
I hesitated writing and publishing this blog because adopting a new routine hasn't been easy. I didn't go to sleep on January first with this goal in mind and wake up every subsequent morning taking these steps with ease. It is still a challenge to wake up each morning and not fall back into my old habits. The reality is that just like everything worth doing in life, this is hard. At least for me it is. But I wanted to share that aspect of it, and share it now so I never mislead you into thinking that developing a routine of your own will be a walk in the park.
However, each morning that I wake up and follow these steps, I am able to start the day with a clear mind and set goals, which leads to increased productivity throughout the day. I have also found that by not picking up my phone as soon as I wake up, I'm less likely to use it as heavily throughout the day.
Below are the steps to my morning routine:
- Journal. I keep a journal and a pen beside my bed. As soon as I wake up, I reach for my journal instead of my phone and write about whatever comes to mind for 10-15 minutes. On mornings that I'm especially tired, I found that it's better to move to a chair to journal so I don't fall back asleep.
- Write down my "Big 3" for the day. I write down my three big goals/most important things to do each day. If it's a really busy day, I will write myself a to-do list or create a schedule to follow.
- Make the bed. Mom, if you're reading this, I know you are probably shocked. I never used to make my bed. I started to last semester and now I do, every single morning.
- Stretch/Yoga. Once I'm out of bed, I do a little bit of stretching or yoga for about 5-15 minutes to wake my body up. I skip this step if I am going to a yoga class in the morning.
- Drink a glass of water. I do this before eating or drinking anything else. This is something Nolan has been doing for quite some time, and he finally convinced me to try it. I found I'm usually more dehydrated than I think in the morning. It also gets the ball rolling for the 64 oz. of water I try to drink throughout the day.
I do all of these things before picking up my phone in the morning. I do wear a Fitbit, which helps me to keep track of time. Once my 5 steps are complete, I eat a quick healthy breakfast and drink my coffee. That's when I will typically pick up my phone and check email, social media, texts, etc. before getting ready for class/the rest of my day.
It is a little time consuming, so I plan time into my day by setting my alarm early enough to wake up and complete everything. I much prefer a slow, no-rush morning, so this works really well for me. If I feel rushed and anxious in the morning, I tend to feel that way throughout the day. Waking up early and giving myself ample time helps me to start my morning relaxed and focused. Staying off my phone during that time helps me to be present, free from distraction and negativity.
If you have a killer morning routine, I'd love to hear it! Also, what should I write about next, my yoga practice or the easy changes I've made to my diet? Drop a comment below and let me know what you want to read!