Tips for establishing the best morning routine for yourself that will boost productivity and decrease stress.

Here’s an undeniable fact about me: I’m not a morning person. 

I’m a night owl by nature whose creativity and productivity flows its best after sunset. It’s not at all unusual for my brain to be firing well past midnight and often times that’s when my best ideas are born. 

Being a creature of the night used to be something I felt guilty about anytime someone who loves rising at 5 am gave me a judging look – but not any more. I’ve come to accept that everyone is wired differently and while some have internal clocks that crave life before sunrise and go to bed before 10 pm… that’s not the way it is for everyone. That’s especially not the case for me.

There’s just one major problem my nighttime-loving self can’t seem to avoid.

We live in a world where 9-to-5 schedules are the norm and everyone is expected to be up by 7 am with the birds! Tweet, tweet. 

Creating the Best Morning Routine

For most of my life, I’ve shrugged and accepted that mornings simply are not my favorite and balanced that out with lots of coffee.

These days? Yes. I’m still fully into my coffee, but I’ve also been fine-tuning the best morning routine to help me feel more energized as I head into the day. I now intentionally fill my mornings with things I enjoy to make them more bearable but also set myself up to feel more inspired and be more productive throughout the day. 

After quite a bit of trial and error, I wanted to share how I’ve created the best morning routine for myself in the event in my experience may help a fellow night-owl (hey, you!) get more out of their days. 

Tips for Building the Best Morning Routine

TIP 1: Wake Up to a Sound You Enjoy

Let’s be real. The buzzing and ringing sounds of standard alarm clocks are frankly quite annoying. So it comes as little surprise that so many of us have bad relationships with our morning alarms. 

To create a more joyful wakeup experience, one of the best morning routine pieces of advice is to ditch you standard alarm bell altogether. Instead? Choose an alarm you enjoy like calming sounds from nature or a favorite song.

FOR iPHONE USERS: If using your phone as an alarm, select a favorite iTunes song as your morning wake up call. Under the alarm settings, tap “sound” to edit and navigate to the top of the screen. There you’ll find the option to “Pick a Song” from your music library.

There are also outstanding alarm clocks out there that are designed to provide a more enjoyable wakeup experience. This $40 alarm clock from Amazon can wake you with light that simulates a sunrise or sunset. It can also be tuned to your favorite radio station or one of 7 nature sounds.

Tip 2: Avoid Your Phone

As a rule, resist the urge to check social media, your email or the news when you first wake up in the morning.

Instead of scrolling Instagram, give yourself some tech-free time. Take calming breaths, drink water, repeat favorite affirmations or stretch to help energize your body. We all have a lot of time with our phones throughout the day and those pesky notifications will be there when you’re ready for them.

Tip 3: Pair Entertainment with Getting Ready

Create a happy bubble for yourself by swapping depressing news headlines with entertainment. Get ready while watching nighttime talk show clips that will make you laugh or a YouTube channel that inspires you. Or, listen to a favorite podcast or an audiobook that engages your imagination!

Tip 4: Don’t Schedule Meetings First Thing in the Morning

Wherever possible, avoid scheduling meetings you’ll have to jump into immediately after arriving at work.

Instead – give yourself time at your desk to review your schedule, look over emails and jot down action items for the day. Taking time to process the day ahead will not only help you be more productive – it will also decrease levels of stress.

Tip 5: Set Intentions by Journaling or Tracking Goals

Journaling isn’t just a hobby for your adolescent years. Carve out 5-10 minutes to jot down how you’re feeling and talk through whatever curveballs life is throwing your way. 

Another excellent tip for creating the best morning routine for yourself? Check in with your goals. To help, DreaminLace‘s goal-tracking journal on Amazon has daily worksheets outlining short and long-term goals. These check-ins help build a framework for your day while increasing focus and productivity.

Tip 6: Practice Daily Gratitude

Perhaps my favorite tip for creating the best morning routine? Practicing gratitude. This lil’ tip always manages to improve my mindset no matter what is going on or how little sleep I got the night before. From essentials like good health and shelter to milestones like a career or personal achievement, there’s no rule on how big or small your items of gratitude can be.

Tip 7: Get Organized the Day Before

There’s nothing worse than being groggy in the morning AND feeling frazzled. To avoid this as much as possible, take some time to get organized the day before.

Tidy up your desk and put top-priority items together before leaving the office. Plan your outfit, pack lunches and prepare your gym bag the night before. Anything you can do in advance to set yourself up for success and start your day out as stress-free as possible is absolutely part of any good morning routine.

Thank you for reading!

If you’re in the mood for more food for thought — checkout this post on staying motivated.

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XOXO
Kelly

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