I have a strange obsession: I love the glimpse into life that Harper's Bazaar shares on their YouTube channel. It's a look at the bedtime routine for various celebrities and it shows their skincare and nighttime routines. Some are elaborate and expensive. Some are simple and affordable as well as effective. My favorite is from makeup artist, Lisa Eldridge, in case you are interested!
If there is a whole series about how people get ready for bed, I thought perhaps others might be interested in morning routines. I have only started a specific morning routine this year, and I feel like it helps give my mornings some structure and focus as well as an intention on what I want to accomplish. It's also when I am at my best energy-wise and idea-wise. Here is my minimal morning routine.
Morning Routine Step 1: 2 minutes of breathing meditation
I now wake up prior to my alarm going off, but I still have my Alexa programmed to turn on the light and play ocean waves sound. If I wake up early, I just play the ocean waves and breathe in time to the sound of the waves.
Morning Routine Step 2: Get completely ready from head-to-toe
I put on makeup, do my hair, get dressed, and brush my teeth. I no longer try to multi-task. I used to look at email or catch up on the news or make coffee while I would get ready. Now I stay completely focused on what I am doing and have even set up my closet to help with this focus. I have streamlined this routine, too, so that I am ready in about 20 minutes.
Morning Routine Step 3: Coffee & ride the stationary bike/walk
While my coffee is brewing, I ride my stationary bike or take a quick walk outside if the weather is nice. This is a more recent step that I have built into my day because I am trying to build a habit of exercise. I only ride or walk for a few minutes, but I am doing it consistently. The 2-3 minute habit is helping me establish consistency; the coffee is a reward for completing the habit.
Morning Routine Step 4: Focused work
This part of the routine varies from day-to-day, but I always have one very specific goal in mind. As I am writing this post in the morning, this is my one specific goal, and I will keep focused on this until it is finished. Other mornings when I write, I will work for a certain amount of time or until I have a certain number of pages complete. For instance, I am working on a guide to share with you next week (which I am so excited about). I have worked on various parts of it throughout the week, but always in the morning. Some days, I need to do paperwork or household chores. My key is to always choose just one thing and finish it before moving on to something else. This is also the step that I spend the most time on.
Morning Routine DON'T: Email, social media, news
When I wake up, I glance at my phone screen to see if there is a text or email that is pressing. I don't open the phone, though. I just glance at the screen notifications. I rarely have texts or emails that need immediate attention, and this brief glance helps me. I point this out because prior to this year, this was me! I would get into the endless cycle of news, Facebook, email, etc.
And now I would love for you to share with me in the comments: what is your morning routine or what is your best advice in establishing a morning routine?
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