Creating an intentional morning routine

Aesthetic morning routines are dominating social media feeds, but have you considered an intentional morning routine?

Influencers who are stirring straws in green drinks, doing sunrise yoga and dressing in power outfits to tackle the day might have inspired you to implement a similar morning routine. Perhaps you’ve even tried.

In reality, when the alarm buzzes first thing on a January morning, the prospect of getting out of bed might not seem as appealing. But, do you like green drinks, doing yoga and wearing power outfits? The “aesthetic” in a morning routine is visually appealing, but is it realistic? Powdered greens are out of the question for me (tried and detested) and I prefer to exercise in the evening, so that’s sunrise yoga out! My morning routine might not be aesthetic, but it’s realistic for my lifestyle.

“Habits in the morning enable you to take a step towards your wildest dreams before your day has begun and without distraction from your spouse or children.”

If you haven’t been successful in building a morning routine in the past, you’re not alone – I’m the first to admit that starting a morning routine can feel difficult. But, having a morning routine is achievable and, dare I say, rewarding, if it supports you. In this blog, I will explain the benefits of a morning routine and how you can create one that supports intentional living.

Benefits of an intentional morning routine

Now that we’ve dealt with the concept of aesthetics, it’s time to dig deep and find your reason for getting out of bed in the morning. It could be for one of the following benefits:

Better time management

Managing your time and prioritising where to spend it is a skill that many people want to attain. Building a morning routine will help you manage a block of your time in a less overwhelming way than, say, committing to time-blocking your entire day (guilty).

Positivity

Have you ever heard of the saying, “Get up on the wrong side of the bed”? How you spend the morning influences the rest of your day. So, building a routine that puts you in the right frame of mind will increase your positivity. If you’re practising the law of attraction, a positive mindset is crucial for your spiritual journey, too.

Productivity

In the self-development realm, many books advocate using a morning routine to increase productivity. I read The One Thing by Gary W. Keller and Jay Papasanis a couple of years ago, which is an inspiring book that I recommend for learning about productivity. The authors believe in completing one thing, that is, your number one goal that’s going to lead to the most profound results in your life, every morning before any other things. So, a morning routine will give you time to be productive on what’s most important to you.

Less stress

Waking up five minutes before dialling into a meeting is a recipe for an unintentional day. Only the other day, I lost track of time and had to rush into my first meeting at 9:00 AM. I felt overwhelmed by lunchtime and realised that because of the rush, I hadn’t written my to-do list. The point is, if I had prepared ahead of my work day, it would have prevented those feelings. Plus, a morning routine will give you structure, so you know what you should be doing and what follows.

How to develop a morning routine

Firstly, ask yourself the following questions:

What is my biggest goal?
What do I enjoy?

The most productive routines contain a goal, as we covered in “Productivity”. But, without including an activity that makes your heart sing, the morning alarm will be easier to ignore. I recommend starting with one goal-based and one enjoyable activity, and building it from there. Popular practices in the morning include:

Goals and personal growth

Constant habits that support your vision for the future are commonly implemented into a morning routine. Habits in the morning enable you to take a step towards your wildest dreams before your day has begun and without distraction from your spouse or children. For me, it banished the self-deprecating statements such as, “I don’t have time”, because I made time!

Mindfulness

Journalling and free-writing are mindful activities for expressing your thoughts, whether they’re your worries, desires or gratitude – I write as part of a gratitude practice for the law of attraction. Meditation is also a sure-found way to support your mental well-being and have inner peace before the busy day ahead.

Exercise

Of course, exercise in the morning is beneficial for your physical body and mind. It’s a popular addition to the morning routines of highly successful people, too. Reports reveal that Barack Obama lifted weights and did cardio as part of his presidency schedule in the White House, Bill Gates spends an hour watching courses on the treadmill every morning [The Independent], and Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson religiously completes his morning cardio [Bodybuilding.com].

Bring morning routine ideas together

Once you’ve chosen the activities for your morning routine, write them down in a notebook or journal with the amount of time you want to spend on them. For example, I dedicate one hour to my blog (my goal) and 45 minutes to reading and gratitude (activities I enjoy).

Then, work backwards from your first commitment, which might be getting ready for work or your ideal wrap-up time for your morning routine. For example, if you need to get ready for work at 8:00 AM and your morning activities take two hours, you might choose to wake up at 6:00 or 5:45 AM, depending on if you want to add some self-care and coffee in there, too.

Now, all that’s left to do is to start your morning routine! It might feel difficult in the first week, but don’t snooze your alarm. In no time, you will wake up with excitement to start the morning and spend time on your goals and passions. Be sure to let me know how you’ve implemented an intentional morning routine in the comments or by contacting me.