If you’re anything like me, you love to know what other people do for their morning routine! It’s a bit like being a fly on the wall and getting a peek into someone else’s life.
The thing is, our mornings set the tone for our entire day. So having an enjoyable and empowering morning routine can really help you to have a more productive day.
So What Makes a Good Morning Routine?
First, know that having an empowering morning routine doesn’t mean you have to do the exact same things in the exact same order every. single. day.
Having a productive morning routine means that you come up with the activities that help you to feel inspired and motivated and positive about your day and your life – so you want to take action and work towards achieving your goals – and enjoy your day in the process. Having a good morning routine gives you a feeling of accomplishment as you start your day, so you’re even more motivated to keep going and do more throughout the day.
Many successful people attribute much of their success to their morning routines, like Tony Robbins and Oprah Winfrey.
Here’s What My Morning Routine Looks Like:
Wake up
Okay, this is a toughie for some people: Don’t hit the snooze button. There has been sleep research done about this. Without getting super technical, they have found that we have sleep cycles, and they vary in length for each of us from around 60 to 90 minutes.
When we wake up (even with an alarm clock), and then hit “snooze” and go back to sleep, we’re starting a new sleep cycle, but only for 10-15 minutes. So when the alarm goes off again, you’re in the middle of a sleep cycle. And when you finally force yourself to get up, you’re going to feel even more groggy and brain-foggy than before. And they have proven that you will be less productive for the rest of the day when you do this.
The Sleep Doctor, Dr. Michael Breus, talks about this, as does Mel Robbins, in her book, The 5 Second Rule.
Morning meditation
This is what really starts your day off on the right foot. Our thoughts and feelings right when we wake up are largely responsible for how the rest of our day goes.
Don’t worry. This doesn’t mean you have to sit in silence. While that type of meditation has its benefits, what we’re wanting to do is take advantage of the “just woke up” time when our minds are most receptive to thoughts and ideas, to reprogram our mind with positive thoughts and emotions.
Before I do anything else (except maybe go to the bathroom. 🙂 ), I sit or lie in bed and listen to a meditation. I had been listening to some on YouTube, and then last year, I made my own, which I really love (if I say so myself!). It’s 50 inspirational affirmations with soft meditation music and ocean waves in the background. (I also enjoy listening to it before I go to sleep at night.)
You can check it out and hear a sample of it here.
Let in the light
One of the first things I do is open up the drapes and blinds. Sunlight helps activate our pineal gland, which produces melatonin that helps us sleep better. And lack of sunlight contributes to feeling depressed. It’s also easier to go back to bed and sleep in a dark room. So, let in as much light as you can!
Diffuse essential oils
This has become one of my favorite things. I absolutely love diffusing my essential oils and mixing different ones, to come up with combinations I enjoy.
In the morning, I really like a combination of citrus and peppermint. Citrus scents are uplifting and energizing, and Peppermint essential oil is also known for helping to boost energy levels. So the combination is perfect for mornings.
My favorite brand of essential oils is Plant Therapy. They test for purity and quality, and work with Robert Tisserand, who is one of the world’s leading experts in aromatherapy. They are high-quality oils that are very reasonably priced.
Note: If you have pets, please do your research because some oils can be toxic to pets. I have a dog and use them without any problem, but I do check which ones to avoid.
Dental care
I love my Sonicare toothbrush and just got a new one for Christmas. I’ve been using them for over 20 years, and was in need of a new one. I couldn’t resist this one in pink!
I also started doing oil pulling last year. If you aren’t familiar with it, oil pulling is an old, Ayurvedic practice. It helps to pull toxins out of the body and whiten the teeth.
I will say, it took some getting used to. If you want to try it, start with a small amount of oil – like 1 teaspoon. You swish it around in your mouth for 10 to 15 minutes, and then spit it out in the trash can. (It will clog your drains.) Then rinse your mouth out with water.
Work up slowly to about 1 tablespoon of oil. Some people use more, but I’ve found that to be a good amount.
Some people use coconut oil or sunflower oil. I like this one by Banyan Botanicals with a drop or two of Plant Therapy’s peppermint oil added for flavor.
Banyan’s oil has peppermint oil in it, which gave me the idea. But there is really no mint flavor to it. When I called the company and asked, I was told that it’s more for the therapeutic benefits and not to add flavor. It has a strong fennel taste, which is okay, but I’ve found a drop of peppermint oil makes it more enjoyable for me.
Obviously, this is completely optional. I’ve just found that I really enjoy the benefits from oil pulling and how fresh my mouth feels afterwards.
Skin care
While I’m swishing away, I cleanse and moisturize my face. Some people also shower while swishing.
Make the bed
Making your bed in the morning is such a small thing. It takes just a couple of minutes to pull up the sheets and comforter, and fluff the pillows. But it can make a big difference in your day.
Naval Admiral William McRaven, the commander of U.S. Special Operations, in a 2014 commencement speech at University of Texas at Austin, talked about the benefits of making your bed: “If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another,” he said. “By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter.” He even wrote a book about it!
In addition to the feeling of accomplishment and increased productivity, your room looks much cleaner when the bed is made. Think of how nice it is to come home and walk into your bedroom with your bed made.
Journal or Scripting
Scripting is an incredibly powerful tool for manifesting used in the Law of Attraction. It’s also called, “future journaling.” It’s actually really easy and is a time for you to let your imagination lead you.
First, decide what you want to manifest and imagine what it would be like to have that in your life now. Then write about how it feels and what you would like to be, do or have, as if it were happening now.
For example, let’s say you want to manifest a new car. You would write something like, “I am so grateful for my brand new Toyota Camry XLE. I love driving my car. It rides so smooth and quiet. I love seeing the sun streaming through the moonroof. Even driving to the grocery store is a joy in my car.”
You get the idea. Write about what it would be like to be in the experience you want to manifest. There aren’t a lot of rules. Mostly you want to get into the feeling of already having whatever it is you desire. Try writing a few paragraphs a day. You don’t need to keep writing about the same thing, but you can if you want. Just write about what you want to experience in your life.
Check in
In metaphysics, there is a saying that what you resist, persists. In other words, if you are avoiding something, you’re actually putting negative energy on it, which can push it away.
For example, I found that I was avoiding checking my bank balance. Whether it was high or low, it didn’t matter. Either way, I was avoiding checking it. And that energy will push money away.
If you’re avoiding something related to money, you’re actually pushing money away, even if that’s not your intent. Think about how you feel about someone who is avoiding you. Does it endear you to them? Does it make you want to be around them? Money may not be a person, but money is energy. And it responds to us, our energy and our feelings about it – just like people do.
So I pay attention to my money, and every morning, I take a minute and log in to check my bank balance, and write it in my calendar.
Plan the day
While I have my appointment book open to record my bank balance, I also look at what’s planned for the day. If I have any appointments, I set an alarm on my phone to remind me to prepare, and leave, for the appointment. I also write out any to-do’s for the day.
Breakfast
My breakfast has changed from when I originally wrote this blog post. My current breakfast is usually a cup of Four Sigmatic Think coffee, which has many benefits for me. It has Lion’s Mane and Chaga mushrooms, which help with my energy and brain fog. In addition, it is organic and tested for mold. (Most coffee has mold and mycotoxins, even though it’s not visible.) And the most important thing is that it’s really delicious coffee!
I make it with a Melitta pour over cone.
Since starting a keto/ketovore/carnivore diet, I have been making Bulletproof coffee with unsalted Kerrygold butter, collagen powder, and cream. I find that this holds me for several hours.
What’s missing?
You may have noticed two things missing from my morning routine: social media and email. While I do use my phone to listen to my meditation and to check my bank balance, I don’t do anything else. I wait until I’ve taken care of myself with my morning routine before bringing in the outside world.
It used to be the first thing I did after I woke up. And then I heard Mel Robbins talk about how she didn’t go on social media or check her email until after she had finished her morning routine. So I decided to try it, and it’s really nice to have the morning for myself. Then I shift into “business mode,” and check my email and go on social media.
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Akshaya @ Cabinet of thoughts says
Thank you soo much for these tips! I will be implementing some or all of the tips