How to Design a Killer Morning Routine

Do you envision having a beautiful, fulfilling, impactful morning routine, but just can’t manage to get your butt out of bed??? 

Believe me, you’re not alone.

Because let’s face it…. Leaving the comfort of a warm, cozy bed in the morning (with the prospect of facing a list of things you may or may not even want to do) isn’t exactly the best part of the day.

Every night for MONTHS, I would promise myself that the next morning, I would get up early and carry out a lengthy morning routine that I carefully planned in my mind. I wanted every morning to start off with yoga, a walk, journaling, meditation, intention-setting, a thorough workout, AND reading. Phew! 

And for months (more than I care to admit!), every time my alarm clock went off, it felt like there was an invisible force dragging me back into the comfort of my bed.

Sound familiar?!

Finally, I had had enough. I knew that engaging in a morning routine would make me feel happier, healthier, and more productive, and I was committed to overcoming my tendency to repeatedly hit the snooze button.

By following a few key steps, I was able to develop a morning routine that is flexible, fulfilling, and most importantly, that I can actually stick to.

If you’re finally ready to get into action and consistently partake in a kickass morning routine, keep reading. I am going to share my formula for the perfect morning routine, as well as some tips for morning routine success.

Formula for the perfect morning routine

Here is a little secret that I discovered while researching morning routines and engaging in a little self-experimentation. 

There was no way that I could actually complete the same exact morning routine every day. It simply was not reasonable to expect myself to do the same set of things every morning regardless of the day’s or week’s circumstances, nor would I want a stale and inflexible routine anyway. 

Therefore, I needed a morning routine that a) I could effortlessly adjust depending on how much sleep I got, what my mood was, and what time I had to begin work, but that b) had some consistent general structure that would allow me to build healthy habits.

For that reason, I created a morning routine FORMULA that allows me to sub in and out different activities depending on how much time and energy I have to spend, while still maintaining the same general sequence of events.

And now, I am going to show you how to do the same. 

Step 1.

Take a moment to jot down anything you think you might want to include in your morning routine on a piece of paper. After all, if you’re reading this post, you probably already have a list of morning routine ideas in the back of your mind.

Your list might looks something like this:

Exercising

Meditating

Hydrating

Practicing gratitude 

Journaling

Visualizing

Got it? Good.

Step 2. 

Now take a moment to think about a handful of different “categories” these things could fit into. Personally, my favorites are Mind, Body, and Spirit. But if those don’t appeal to you, feel free to choose others. I’ll list some examples in a bit.

Once you have your categories, sort your potential morning routine activities so that they each fall into a specific category. Ideally, every category will include ideas that vary in time commitment. In other words, some activities will take longer, and some may only take a few minutes to complete.

Here’s what mine looks like:

Mind 

Completing a “brain dump” (3 min) 

Completing a Sudoku or Ken-Ken math puzzle (15 min)

Reading a non-fiction or personal development book (10-20 min)

Journaling (15-30 min)

Body 

Drinking a large glass of water (1 min)

Doing a few sun salutations (5 min)

Yoga (15-30 min)

Going for a walk (15-30 min)

Spirit

Reading one page of an inspiring or spiritually-oriented book (3 min)

Meditation (10 min)

Scripting/Future pacing journaling (10-15 min)

Here are some other examples of possible categories and activities: Energy (Doing 20 jumping jacks; Preparing and drinking coffee; Getting sunlight), Productivity (Checking one small nagging task off the to-do list; Speed cleaning one small area of the house), Happiness (Reading one page of an inspiring quote book; Writing in a gratitude journal); Clarity (Journaling; Visualizing the future); Fuel (Prepare and drink a healthy smoothie; Work out).

Some activities may feel like they belong to more than one category. That’s okay! It likely just means that you’ve really honed in on what is important to you, and that your groupings and activities reflect these values.

Step 3.

Now for the fun part! 

Depending on the day, you can mix and match activities from each category. For example, on a day where I only have 15 minutes total, I may complete a “brain dump” list (mind), drink a large glass of water and do a few sun salutations (body), and meditate (spirit). On a more relaxed morning, I might read a personal development book (mind), go for a nature walk (body), and enjoy some future pacing journaling (spirit).

The idea is, though, that regardless of what variation of activities I complete, I am always still targeting my three core areas. After all, consistently feeding these different aspects of myself leaves me feeling balanced, empowered, and ready to begin my day.

Now that you know the secret formula for a perfect morning routine, let me leave you with a few last tips to ensure your success on your morning routine journey.

Tip 1: Make sure you’re getting enough sleep. 

I know, I know. It sounds basic, and you’ve definitely heard it before. But the importance of actually getting enough sleep cannot be overstated. I won’t harp on about it for too long, but the bottom line is, if you’re getting too little sleep, you’re going to feel groggy and unmotivated. If you want to wake up feeling energized and ready to tackle the day, the first thing to look at is your sleeping patterns. 

Tip 2: Select appropriate morning routine activities for YOU!

While I have shared the different aspects of my own personal morning routine above, your desired activities may look totally different. Though it is useful to gather inspiration from others, don’t be swayed by what you think you “should” be doing. Really reflect on what you enjoy and what leaves you feeling empowered. These activities should serve YOU. 

Tip 3: Start small.

As I mentioned above, I used to dream of completing an elaborate daily morning routine. And while the idea of spending two hours each morning on self care and personal development work sounds good… we all know it simply isn’t a reality for most people. If you’ve struggled with morning routines in the past, be sure to start small (5-10 minutes). You can always add more in later once you’ve built up some morning stamina.

Tip 4: Practice the 2-day rule. 

While your morning routine will vary, you may find there to be certain activities you want to keep as consistent as possible. For example, regardless of what kind of morning I am having, I try to include meditation as regularly as I can. If you too have a certain activity you want to include every day (or most days, at least), try practicing Matt D’Avella’s 2-day rule. 

The 2-day rule states that when you’re trying to consistently stick to a habit, never take more than one day off in a row. So if you need a break one day, fine. Even if you need a few days off in a single week, fine! Just never take more than one day off in a row. Personally, some weeks I meditate every single day, and some weeks my meditation practice happens only 3-4 times. But trying to never skip 2 days in a row keeps me consistent in my practice and prevents “just one day” off from turning into one whole month off.

Tip 5: Keep it flexible.

Finally, remember to keep it flexible! If you fall off the bandwagon one week, return the next week with greater enthusiasm. If you are finding yourself repeatedly giving up on your morning routine, examine why that may be. It could be that your selected activities aren’t right for you, or that your expectations of your mornings exceed what your daily life really allows for. Remember, don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Something is better than nothing. 

Thank you for taking the time to learn about creating a powerful and fulfilling morning routine for a happier and healthier you! Wishing you success, well-being, and love along the way!