Morning routines may not come easy to some. Especially when working from home. It took me years before I found something that worked for me + something I was committed to sticking with. I found with no set routine, I was getting nothing done. And majority of my days were spent being depressed and trying to figure out what I was going to do. And then becoming angry with myself when the day was over and I had literally absolutely nothing done.
I don't really know when I decided it was time for a morning routine, but one morning I woke up and knew I had to have one. If you are someone struggling with getting your day started, here are a few things I do every morning, that help me.
Morning Meditation
Before anything, I meditate. Meditation has become so good for my mood, my body + my mindset. I find it sets my tone for the day and allows me to start my day calm and less anxious of all the things I want or have to get done. I use an App called Insight Timer and I love it. It is free but they also have a paid version that I am sure offers you so many more amazing things. I enjoy the free one though and find they have plenty of meditations for me to choose from. I mediate for about 5-10 minutes, because any longer, I get too relaxed and fall back to sleep! 5-10 minutes is just enough time to get my mind set for the day. I am sure you can find meditations on YouTube as well as an App called Head Space.
Personal Development Reading
I love to read. I always have ever since I could remember. So no, the only books I read are definitely not personal development, however, they are the only ones I read in the morning. Reading personal development in the morning, inspires me and always gets my head spinning with ideas. I find the truth bombs in many, to be the wake up call I need each morning. I try not to read too many pages in one sitting. If the chapter is really short I will read the whole thing. If not, I will break it up into 2 or 3 days. And each day I underline things that stand out to me and go back and reread what I underlined. It really helps get me thinking and to better understand what I am reading, how it is making me feel, how I can apply it to my life.
Gratitude Journal
When I started writing out things I was thankful for, I found I appreciated my life a heck of a lot more. So every morning I take out my journal, and write three things I am grateful for. Somedays they are silly things, somedays they are deep. There is no wrong answer here. I also right out one affirmation that I reread over and over all day and write out at least 5 intentions. Again, somedays they may be silly, somedays I may rewrite the same things. But just doing it and writing it out daily really helps set my mind right. I use this journal from Amazon, but you could always just use a piece of paper or even type it out on your phone. Whatever works best for YOU.
Go Upstairs + Get Ready for The Day
When you work from home, it is so important that you get ready in the morning as if you are heading into the office. I head upstairs after I do those few things, brush my teeth, wash my face and put on a clean pair of clothes. No, I don't always get dressed up like you would for the office, but putting on clean clothes and getting out of my pajamas sure makes me feel good and ready to start the day.
FINALLY Check My Phone
I try my hardest to not check my phone until all of those things are done first. I set my timer for 20 minutes, to check FB, Instagram, answer any messages, etc. I don't want to get stuck in the dark hole of scrolling for hours and then end up getting nothing done. Once I finish my 20 minutes, I put my phone to the side.
Fill Up My Water Bottle
It is so important to stay hydrated and drink your water all day everyday. So I fill up my water bottle my sweet hubby got me for Christmas and make sure I am chugging it every hour on the hour.
Sit at My Computer and Pull Up Work/ Planner Time
Once I am done with all of that, I sit at my computer and pull up my work that I know I need to get done. I take out my planner and write my goals and things I want to do that day. I have recently found that planning out what I want to do the day before or ahead of time, stresses me out. So I do it the day of. It all depends on how I am feeling and what is tugging at my heart to do and get done. I do have a few set things that I definitely have to do daily, so I always write those down first. And then add in things like, make something for my Etsy Shop, write a blog post, etc.
Those few tips are how I start every single morning. I find it helps me get ready for the day and stay on task. A few things I like to do as mental brain breaks as well, dance parties in the kitchen, getting outside for some sun and air, making some tea and just making sure I am getting up and down moving my body!
I hope you guys found this to be helpful and you can catch a shorter version of my tips on my YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t30BSPy30_o
If you guys have any questions, I am always here! If you have a routine you like, please comment below! I would love to hear what helps you get started in the mornings!
love + light XO -kimberli