Design a morning routine that excites and invigorates you every day – here’s how in 5 steps!

Mornings are such a special and important part of each day. It’s incredible their influence on not only our productivity, but also our attitude for the remainder of the day.

Think back to the last morning you had that felt rushed and chaotic. (Maybe it was this morning.) You woke up late, and the stress began. Maybe you checked your inbox and the rush of anxiety started to build. You checked Instagram and Snapchat and already you’re flooded with what everyone else is doing. Somehow everything from your breakfast, to your outfit to your job just doesn’t feel enough. You rush out the door and boom, your day is off to a flustered start.

Then compare that to a morning when you had a little more time. Maybe you made a point to wake up early and workout or stretch. You had packed a lunch the night before so you didn’t feel so rushed. Maybe you had a couple minutes to think about your day, to focus on what you wanted to get done. You had a little extra time to put together an outfit you love so you start the day feeling energized, confident and excited.

Sometimes it’s not even that obvious a difference either. Little habits that make up our morning, repeated, over time are what really dictate so much of our energy levels. Most of the time we don’t even realize it.

Over the next couple months, I really want to dive deep into morning routines because I’m totally convinced they majorly impact our happiness and productivity, which has ripple effects across our entire lives.

True confession: I don’t have the perfect morning. In fact, that’s a big motivator into why I’m so fascinated by them. I’ve had periods of my life when I’ve LOVED my morning routine, and others when I’ve let it run me.

Together over the next few months I want to work alongside you to craft a morning that makes us PUMPED to get the day going.

From first hand experience, I know that creating habits and routines is not as easy as saying “Oh hey, that sounds nice, I’ll just start doing that now.” Because believe me I’ve tried. I’ve “wanted” to start running again in the morning and turns out just “wanting” something gets you jack shit.

Today I’m breaking down the steps I’m taking to get serious about having an amazing morning. In the following weeks and months I’ll be checking in, especially over Instagram and snapchat (@init4thelongrunblog on Insta & @georgiemo on Snap).

I’ve also started a Facebook group to share daily tips aaaand to get some help from you too! I really want to learn what makes your morning awesome and maybe help you with any stumbling blocks along the way.

Step 1: Answer the Right Questions

Often when we’re trying to make change we forget to acknowledge the reality of who we are and where our current reality is at. Some traits are bad habits, while others are built into our nature. If we want to really make new positive changes, it’s silly to fight a losing battle against our nature. So instead, we should work with it, not against it.

With this in mind the first step to a killer routine is to answer these questions, which will in turn inform what to include and how to actually execute an ideal morning.

1.) Are you naturally a morning person?

If you’re naturally a night owl, that’s totally ok! Prioritizing sleep is key. Maybe your morning routine is short and simple, and most of it can even be set up to go the night before.

If you’re naturally a morning person, then embrace that baby! Be realistic with your wake up time and prioritize what you want to feel and achieve each AM.

2.) How much time do you have every morning?

This goes along with the first question but everyone is going to have a different schedule in the morning.

For example, I used to have to go to work at 6:30 AM or 7AM which meant my routine was short, simple and to the point. Now I have afternoon shifts that allow me to go a bit slower and include a little more into each morning before work.

Identify when you need to leave the house and realistically how early you want to wake up, then do the math. That’s the time you’re working with.

3.) How do you want to feel starting your day?

I think this might be my favorite/most import question. Often when we set goals we forget to acknowledge one of the most important aspects of the goal, and that’s how we feel about it. You can have the “perfect” morning routine on paper, but if you’re sleep deprived and miserable about it, then it’s going against its entire purpose.

For me, I want to feel motivated, focused and energized each morning. Knowing these three feelings helps me weed out what to do and what not to do, with the time I have.

Step 2: Identify the Essentials

Let’s be real. There’s about a million things I’d love to be doing before 9 AM but if you’ve read the 5th Harry Potter book you know that all the time turners in the ministry of magic were destroyed so no luck there. (Sorry for non HP fans, that got nerdy quick). So it’s up to you to choose the essentials and the nice to haves. That way, even if your morning isn’t perfect you can still feel good about getting those core 2-3 good habits in.

If you look at the time you have and how you want to feel, you can quickly make a list of things that must be done in the AM.

Essentials for me include:

• Good coffee & lemon water with collagen 
• Skin Care Routine
• Walk/Run
• Breakfast

Nice to Have’s:

• Oil Pulling
• Stretching
• Journaling/Doodling (something to get my mind going and activated without my phone)
• A cute outfit/makeup
• Ideally all of these things, both the essential and nice to have’s would happen every day, but I know for sure I’ll feel good about getting the essentials in.

Step 3: Find the Stumbling Blocks

Ok, this one is major and often overlooked when you’re starting a new habit. It’s totally crucial to identify what messes you up. What problems might you have with changing your morning?

They could include (but totally NOT limited to):

• What if I can’t wake up on time?
• What if I really, really, really don’t want to workout?
• What if I forget, and start scrolling through my phone (using up valuable AM routine time)?
• What if kids/dogs/parents/partners get me off track?
• Now you don’t need to write out a 50-page morning routine contingency plan, but go over what struggles and sacrifices you might have to make and think about how to handle them when they come up.

With every stumbling block, there are also solutions.

Here are 4 ways you can set yourself up for success before you even go to bed:

1. Set out your outfit the night before
2. Pack your gym back or layout your workout clothes
3. Have your lunch packed
4. Set up your coffee so it’s ready to be made in the morning

Step 4: Make the Plan

This is probably the most fun aspect (at least for me.) Here’s where you get to totally dream up that perfect morning.

Write down the 4-6 habits/activities/practices that you want to incorporate into every morning, keeping in mind the time you have and how you want to feel.

How many of them are you already doing?

Be realistic and make a goal to implement one new habit a week. If this pace feels too fast, try one every other week or one a month. It’s way more important to find what works in the long run than to jump out the gate with the perfect morning then crash three weeks later.

Step 5: Execute and Document

Oh wait, wait, THIS is the fun part. You’ve done all the work to really visualize and strategize your perfect morning and now you have the tools to actually make it happen.

If you’re someone who thrives on accountability join the Facebook Group which I’m calling the Joy Squad because it’s gonna be all about putting the happiness back into healthy living.

If you’re a results junkie, find a journal, notebook, calendar, or planner where you can take notes and mark the days that you felt *on fleek* after your morning routine.

I’d Love Your Feedback

• Do you have a morning routine? tell me about it?
• What helps you stick to your morning routine?
• What’s one element of your morning you can’t live without?

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