This is my morning routine to be healthy, productive and happy! It takes a little over an hour and a half, but works wonders. These 7 morning habits can help you reduce stress, get more done and actually maintain a healthy lifestyle without obsessing. Even if you don’t have time for everything, I’m sure you’ll find some new morning routine ideas that you’ll want to try!
Days, weeks, even months have been slipping by this year. What happened to September? Where did it go? We had a deal.
I wanted to achieve things, to go on a trip and to have lost the weight I put on during the last days of summer. Which I don’t want to talk about.
But reality is: nada of what I planned has happened.
Life often gets stressful, overwhelming and things keep happening to us that make us go “Oh, it’s October already? And I still haven’t done ANYTHING I actually wanted?”
So today, I want to share the morning routine that has served me really well in the past in terms of keeping me happy, healthy and more productive.
It’s been the best to help me reduce stress, to actually get the things done that I need and want to do, to stop being stuck and to move forward with my life. And of course to stay in shape.
It takes about, I’d say 2 hours.
I know. I know it is a lot of time for most of us, including myself, but it’s the one that has worked for me best.
I’ve tried to shortcut my morning routine and even though it was kinda working, it was not as effective. And because I’ve learned to do things thoroughly and with enthusiasm, I like to keep it this way.
I started doing these 7 simple things in the morning around 3.5 years ago and whenever I do keep this morning routine up, I see the biggest change in my happiness, my body, my energy, productivity levels and in my life.
1. Wake up and spend a few minutes in bed.
Thinking about what you want to achieve today and what you want in general from life, from this month, this week. Don’t overcomplicate it, let your mind wander a bit.
But I always make an effort, to think about things more positively. If I do get a stressful thought, a doubt, a worry, I simply replace it with a different one and focus on what I want to do today. What’s right in front of me (not in my phone).
2. Make the bed and drink water.
Everyone says to do this, but it actually helps. I personally, don’t have to make my bed, I don’t really HAVE to drink water, but both of these are good for my well-being. And because I’m a grown-up now, I know it and I simply do it.
There’s something about knowing you’re doing the right thing, even when you don’t have to answer to anybody, that brings so much self-trust and self-respect with it. So make your bed and drink 2 glasses of water, even if nobody else is going to see it or applaud you for it.
3. Exercise for at least 20 minutes.
So this was different during summer, because it was warm and I could go out and exercise outside, but now I’m doing my workouts at home. I don’t like the gym and I don’t have 1.5 hours in the morning for it. I find my workouts on Youtube or I come up with them on my own.
I’m not exercising in the morning to get it over with and because I want a hot body. I do it, because of how it affects the rest of my day. It sounds so annoying, but moving my body helps me wake up, it helps me stay focused and motivated throughout the day. After my workout I always make sure to stretch for 5 minutes.
4. Put on uplifting music.
I like music from the 80s, 70s, 90’s… actually any decade. Sometimes I like Bob Marley, sometimes Stevie Wonder, sometimes Lenny Kravitz, lately it’s been “When You Believe” by Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston. And I sing along and objectively: I’m really good.
5. Shower and get ready.
While the music is playing, I take a shower and get ready. This is a part I feel gets ignored when people talk about morning routines.
It’s self-explanatory that you’ll shower and get dressed, right?
But to me this is a time to really enjoy, to have some fun and to put me in the right mindset for the day. It’s nothing to rush through.
6. Do one thing you’re always putting off.
Something that will bring you one step further on a goal you actually want to achieve. If you do this early in the day you’ll be very relieved and you’ll stop having the same constant thoughts that are “constipating” your mind.
To me usually, that thing is writing. It’s the most difficult task I need to do to bring my projects forward. Sitting there for 30-40 minutes, being focused and not all over the place, not looking at my phone or anywhere else?
It’s hard for me. But because it’s so hard, and because I always put it off – it’s also the most rewarding part of my day.
It takes so much stress, so much pressure off of me to have done this before 9 am. I can’t even begin to explain how much better I feel for the rest of the day.
So for you this might be learning a language, a new skill – whatever you’re putting off. Commit to doing something, finishing a small task every day to move forward with that project – it’s super rewarding. And you’re gonna feel proud of yourself for the rest of the day.
7. Go out for a walk / enjoy nature for 10-20 minutes.
Okay, this part can be optional for many of you. But as someone who works at home, I really need my time outside before I start to really work.
I did love this part in the past when I wasn’t working at home and it was my way to get to work – by walking. Or other times when I was commuting for more than an hour and was on a train.
I like to take that time to just be with myself. Not listening to music or a podcast, but really listening to me and observing the world around me. I know, people say it’s a waste of time to not listen to, work, write or plan something, but I can tell you this has been the best time for me to come up with ideas and to clear my mind.
It’s my kind of journal time, except I don’t have a journal, but my phone. And I don’t write in it, but sometimes, like a crazy person, I speak and record my thoughts.
I never listen to those “tapes”. Yet, somehow remember those ideas. Give your mind these 15-20 minutes to relax, recharge and refuel. It will thank you with new ideas and solutions that only you can come up with. Don’t interrupt with social media or the voice of somebody else. Give your mind a chance to speak to you.
And that’s it. This is a long morning routine, but to me it’s definitely worth investing my time and waking up around 2 hours earlier than I need to to do all of these things. I hope some of these ideas inspire you to live a healthier, happier and more fulfilled life!