Do you start your day with intentionality? We do! And it is SO much easier to do so when you have created a simple morning routine you can stick to.

A solid morning routine will brighten your mood and give you more energy during the day, reduce anxiety, boost your productivity levels, and make you feel better overall. It also generates momentum to get your day started off on the right foot.

Whether you have an existing morning routine that you want to revamp or you’re just getting started with organizing the first few minutes of your day, this episode is for you!

4 Steps for Designing the Perfect Morning Routine

One of the most important investments you can make in yourself is to create a morning routine. Here are the 4 steps to designing one that works for YOU:

• Step 1: Find Stillness
  • Instead of reaching for your phone first thing in the morning, we recommend finding stillness–such as journaling, praying, making a gratitude list, or writing down your goals for the day. It’s a great way to ensure your priorities are in order as soon as you wake up.
• Step 2: Move Your Body
  • Whether it’s going for a 10 minute walk, stretching, lifting, or doing yoga is a great way to reduce stress right from the beginning of your day. Be sure to set yourself up for success such as having a glass of water right by your bed or setting out your workout clothes the night before!
• Step 3: Properly Fuel Yourself
  • We are big proponents of nourishing ourselves within 30 minutes of waking up. Starting our days off with a healthy meal (typically scrambled eggs, turkey, fruit, and a slice of homemade sourdough bread) is a non-negotiable in our morning routine.
• Step 4: Review/Plan for Your Day
  • Erika is a HUGE fan of planning out her day early in the morning to ensure she stays productive, motivated, and focused. Making a to-do list and reviewing meetings helps us make the most of our days!

Tips for Sticking to Your Routine

When designing a morning routine, it’s important to not bite off more than you can chew. Trying to do too much too quickly can be overwhelming and can lead to failure. Instead of trying to do a complete 180 in your morning routine, start with one small change. For example, if you want to start drinking more water in the morning, start by drinking one glass and gradually increase that amount. This will make it easier to stick to your promise and you won’t feel overwhelmed.

Additionally, it’s important to be flexible when making promises to yourself. Life can be unpredictable and it’s important to be able to adjust your morning routine when necessary. For example, if you didn’t get enough sleep the night before, it might be necessary to sleep in a bit longer and adjust the rest of your morning routine accordingly.

Finally, give yourself grace! According to James Clear’s bestselling book Atomic Habits, on average, it takes more than 2 months before a new behavior becomes automatic — 66 days to be exact. And how long it takes a new habit to form can vary widely depending on the behavior, the person, and the circumstances.

In a study done by Phillippa Lally, a health psychology researcher at University College London, it took anywhere from 18 days to 254 days for people to form a new habit. So give yourself grace when developing new habits, and know it will take some time.

Join the Conversation

One way to stay motivated and connected with others is to join the Trust Issues Podcast community on Instagram. Our goal is to help you create a healthy relationship with yourself by questioning the world around you, and what better way to do that than with other like-minded people so we can learn from one another?

Share your morning non-negotiables with us in your Instagram story or in the comments of our recent post on Instagram. We’ll see you there!