How to create a morning routine

When I was younger, I used to wake up at 6:30am every day for school and leave the house by 7:45am. I'm not entirely sure why I would get up so early or why it took me so long to get ready but I would occasionally find myself running a little late. I kept this up throughout secondary, sixth form and up until second year of university.

These days, with working at home, I drag myself out of bed around 8am. My typical morning routine involves waking up (begrudgingly), heading to the shower, getting ready, reading, making breakfast and starting work at 9am. I keep it relatively straightforward and simple but without needing to wake up super early. 

Here are some tips to help create a morning routine that will have you ready and feeling positive about the day ahead:

01 // Work out what you value. 

First off, before you even think about what your morning routine is going to consist of, ask yourself what do you value the most? Is it time? Sleep? Food? Working this out is going to form the foundations of your morning routine. If you value time, you might choose to wake up a little earlier to ensure you have enough time to do the things you want to do. If it’s sleep, then your morning routine is going to be about making sure you get enough sleep and waking up a little later. If it is food, then it might be giving yourself time to make breakfast. Either way, it will help to form the foundation of your routine and let you know why you’re really creating one in the first place.

02 // Find out how to wake up happy. 

Waking up on the right side of the bed can make a massive difference in your day. Of course, this is just an expression but the first step in a morning routine is waking up. Therefore, waking up to the shrill of the classic Apple alarm sound doesn't sound appealing - unless you prefer to wake up like that. I’ve switched my alarm sound to ‘Slow rise’ because I can’t cope with such a shock first thing in the morning. Some people also enjoy waking up with an alarm that gets brighter to help wake you up naturally. Since, I prefer sleeping in a lighter room that won't work for me.

03 // Go with the flow. 

Every day is different. Therefore, your morning routine doesn’t need to be a rigid regime. Some things change and it’s okay. For this reason, I don't like to set times for each activity. I might have had a late night and want to sleep in a little longer or someone might be spending too long in the bathroom. If you set times for everything and one of those things don't work out on a particular day, that can mess up the whole schedule and the running late mindset follows you through the day.

I hope these tips have helped. How do you like to start the day?

Love, Aoife xo