How I Designed A Smart Morning Routine That Works!

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You may remember this post here, where I talked about how shutting off my phone notifications saved my sanity. Well I’ve taken even more steps in recent months to further prioritize my mental health and promote a sense of calm. Today I’m excited to tell you all about what my morning routine looks like and how it’s designed to help me feel peacefully productive.

Yoga
The only time in my life that I regularly practiced yoga was when I was pregnant with Sophia. I took prenatal yoga classes for a few months and it was somewhat (maybe slightly) helpful. However, I recently started doing yoga in the mornings. Now I’m not crazy-flexible, and I have a long way to go to build more flexibility and strength, but I’ve noticed improvements already and that is damn exciting!

I simply created a playlist on YouTube with 3-4 of my favorite yoga videos. Some are shorter (like 6 minutes) and some are longer (like 35 minutes) so I can choose which one I’d like to do on a given day based on my energy levels and motivation.

Meditation
Now I have to be honest with something here. I’ve always thought meditation was a complete waste of time… sitting there and just breathing and not really doing much of anything. However, some would say that that is precisely why I could benefit from it.

I’ve always been a very type-A personality. I try to get a lot done (in as little time as possible actually.) I’ll probably always be a type-A personality in that way, but if meditation can slow me down a bit and help me remain calmer and more focused on what’s important, then I’m all for it. What really introduced me to meditation as a powerful solution to gain control over your day – and your life – is this book right here. I will always keep this book and probably read it a few more times. It’s well-written and engaging and really helps to dispel some of the myths about meditation.

Planning out the day
One thing I try to do every morning is plan out my day’s tasks. Sometimes I’m tempted to make a to-do list that’s a big too long, so I am always mindful of keeping it short & sweet. I try to stick only to the basics and not include things I’d like to get done, but I don’t have to get done. In this way, my to-do list is more manageable never overwhelming. Here is a planner I’ve used in the past and really enjoyed.

Tea
I have a mug of tea every single morning. There’s something so soothing about sipping a hot beverage and feeling it warm your body from the inside out. While I enjoy so many tea flavors, I really love a simple black tea too. It’s perfect and always hits the spot! I’ve talked about the Ember mug in the past, but this smart mug is really one of my favorite new gadgets.

Order of Events
I just wanted to say one note about the order of my morning tasks… and that is there is no order! I find that it’s best to be flexible and easy-going when it comes to the sequence of events. That’s because no two days or two mornings are alike. I allow for plenty of leeway to accommodate changes & delays in schedule.

For example, today it took extra long to get the kids ready for school. However, when you build into your plan that order doesn’t matter and time of day doesn’t really matter either, you’re more easily able to go with the flow.

Hope this post inspires you to try out yoga or meditation. Let me know if you have any questions.

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