How to build the perfect morning routine

What does your morning routine currently look like? Do you even have one? Do you struggle to get out of bed? Is your morning typically rushed? Do you feel tired for hours in the morning before you officially start functioning like a human? Before forcing myself to plan a solid morning routine mine was pretty bad and all of these things were my morning. I had no scheduled wake up time and got up whenever I wanted. Which could literally be anytime since I typically work in the evenings. I got nothing done and felt tired all day long. Finally I crafted my morning routine and now I am accomplishing more goals. I also have more energy, and I am getting my workouts in again. 

If you struggle to get out of bed in the morning or if your always feeling like your running late then it might be time for you to build yourself a morning routine as well. I used to think, why.. why do I need a routine in the morning to make my day better? Like is waking up at the same time actually good for me? I thought that if I was tired I needed to sleep. And if I wanted to be lazy in the morning who cares..

why?

It made no sense to me. But I also felt like I kept getting worse, wanting to sleep longer and doing less and less. Until I started doing some research. Research actually shows that if have a consistent sleep schedule it can seriously improve the quality of your sleep. Not to mention eventually your body gets used to waking up at the same time everyday and makes it so much easier to get up and get moving. 

Having a good morning routine can also help reduce stress, increase productivity, train time management, and so many other things. Go ahead. Research the benefits of a productive morning routine. There’s a reason its written in every self help, mindset, sales and business book out there. 

Whatever routine you build in your life will become natural habit. So if staying in bed and going back to sleep for another hour everyday is something you’ve been doing your going to continue to want to do that until you force yourself to stop. We have the power to build the life we want to live, and it starts with our daily habits and routines. 

So how do you figure out what is the best morning routine for you? Trial and error is the answer. Your going to have to figure out what is going to make you feel the best on your own, but I can help you with some ideas on where to start. 

Heres my morning routine. Its pretty simple. 

The most important thing to think about when planning a morning routine is figuring out what you want to get done and how much time you need to do it. I have so many more things I would like to get done in the morning but I know I cant add anything more to my routine right now if I want to stick to it. So think of the basic things you would love to get done before you start your day. Once you figure out what you want to do in the morning the next thing you want to do is plan it backwards.

If you are typically supposed to be at work at 8:00 in the morning you will plan your schedule from that point backwards. 

8:00 = be at work

Next.. how long does it take you to get to work? 25 minutes? Okay.

7:25 = leave for work ( I always suggest a little wiggle room )

Whats next? Breakfast? How long does that take you? It usually takes me 30 to 35 minutes to make and eat a decent breakfast so well go with that. So well say you should start breakfast by 6:45

6:45 = breakfast

Are you starting to understand how to build the perfect morning routine?

Do you see what we’re doing here? Planning your schedule backwards is a technique I was taught in one of my sales classes. But it is actual something that comes from the military. The backwards planning method is taught in the military as a way to plan everything you want to accomplish whether it’s a morning routine or a goal. You figure out where you want to end up and then backwards by planing everything that needs to be done to accomplish that goal. In this case we’re using it to craft the perfect morning routine. 

There are so many different ideas you can come up with to plan into your morning routine. If your someone who get caught scrolling on your phone maybe you need to schedule 30 minutes of no screen time in the morning. Or if you are always tired when you wake up maybe you need to add in a morning walk to get your blood pumping. Here’s some simple ideas to think about:

Exercise

Exercise is a great thing to do first thing in the morning. It doesn’t matter if its taking a walk, hitting the gym or doing some jumping jacks at the foot of your bed. Exercising in the morning can actually improve your energy and focus throughout the day. So even if your not into a full blown workout, doing some type of movement can really kick start your day. 

Eat a healthy rich breakfast

They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, which can be controversial to some these days. But I say that you do what makes you feel best. I hate eating in the morning, when I first wake up but Ill tell you what I feel the best throughout the day when I do. Skipping breakfast in the mornings can make some people super tired. Some people can fast for long hours and feel great and some need some type of enrichment in their bodies every few hours in order to function properly. So figure that out. And eat your damn breakfast. 

Take your vitamins or supplements

If you’re a person that takes vitmains daily, then you know how easy it is to forget them, especially if your in a rush. Getting your vitamins and supplements taken care of first thing in the mornings just allows you to check one more thing off your list and have one less thing to worry about later. Plan it into the routine. Same time everyday and you wont forget as easily. 

Read or journal

Both things are great for the brain and stimulation. Just 15 minutes a day can make a difference. Journal and plan your day, or your week or read something fun. Back in the day people used to start their day with a newspaper and a cup of coffee, maybe we should go back to starting our day by reading something in the morning.. Maybe something educational or inspirational instead of the news though.. 

Typical Morning Rituals

Things like brushing your teeth, washing your face or taking a shower should also be time scheduled into your routine. Adding them into the routine might not seem important until you realize your didn’t leave time in the schedule for your morning shower and now you are going to be late for work. So pencil it in. If you’re a 20 minute on the toilet human I know some of you are, pencil it in bud just pencil it in.

Daily duties

Ofcourse don’t forget your daily duties. The daily duties are typically some of the most important ones. If you have dogs to feed and walk or litter boxes that need to be cleaned don’t forget about those things. Your animals need and love you so make sure they’re your number one. Also, let’s attempt to be clean people in life. Maybe wash your dishes in the morning, make sure there’s no dishes in the sink or mess in the kitchen after breakfast. And make your damn bed, were grown people these days let’s really get it together ya know.

What else can you think of to add to your morning routine?

Those are just the ideas off the top of my head. I have friends who have a business on top of their daily 9-5 and they get up and work on their business in the morning as part of their routine 1 to 2 hours of scheduled work everyday to keep them focused and on task. I have other friends that spend an hour of their mornings playing with their kids so their children get some fun time with them before they head off to work. There are so many things you can budget into your morning time that could help you plan and prepare for a better day, month or year. Just don’t be afraid to start small and work up to more.

That’s all folks! Hopefully you were able to get some good information for building your perfect morning routine!