morning routine - Alyssa's Creative Lifestyle

Posted on March 16, 2022September 12, 2022 by Alyssa — 23 Comments

How to Create a Morning Routine and Stick To It

Are you ready to stop having crappy days where you’re tired all the time and unmotivated?

Then you need to make sure you’re starting your day on the right foot.

And in order to do that, you need to create a morning routine.

But hold on, before you go searching on youtube for the “perfect morning routine”, you need to know that everyone’s morning routine is different.

And it has to be, otherwise, it wouldn’t be created with your unique circumstances and likes and dislikes in mind.

Obviously, you wouldn’t have the same morning routine as an Olympic swimmer or a mother with 2 toddlers. That just doesn’t make sense.

You have to create a morning route that’s curated to your unique lifestyle.

And that’s exactly what we’re gonna do today.

This blog post contains my five-step process to create a morning routine that you love and that works for you and your lifestyle.

Let’s get started.

how to create a productive morning routine

Step 1: Review Your Current Morning Routine

Before you can start creating your “perfect” morning routine you need to review your current one.

Believe it or not, you already have a morning routine. If you pay attention, you’ll notice you do almost the same exact thing every morning.

Hitting snooze every morning may be part of your routine. Not eating breakfast or running out the door could also be a part of your routine.

Let’s take some time to examine your current routine.

Ask yourself these questions:

How early do you get up?
Do you have enough time to get ready before work/school?
Are you getting enough sleep?
Do you feel refreshed and ready to tackle the day?
Do you eat breakfast every morning?

Step 2: Discover Your Why

If you want to stick to a new routine, you need to define your why. Why do you want to create a morning routine?

When you’re struggling to get out of bed, remembering why it’s important to you will be super helpful.

Maybe it’s because you don’t want to feel rushed out the door every morning. Or you want more time with your kids before they run to catch the bus. Or you want to start your day with some personal development time.

Whatever it is, write it down.

Why do you want to create a morning routine and what do you want to get out of it?

Step 3: Brainstorm the Possibilities

Alright, here’s where we have fun.

Now that you know your current routine and why you want to make it better, let’s decide what you want your new routine to look like.

Brainstorm what you want to include in your morning routine.

What do you want to achieve in your first hour of the day?

Write down all your ideas and how much time you would spend on them.

If you’re having troubles coming up with some ideas, check out this blog post for 20 Morning Routine Ideas that will Make You Want to Get Up

Step 4: Plan Out Your Morning Routine

Now that you have a list of things you want to include in your morning routine, write down what you want it to look like.

Try to build off your current routine if you can. That will make it easier to implement.

If you normally go straight to the shower when you get up, keep that the same but then add one of your new activities right after, like reading or journaling.

If you’re having a hard time deciding on your routine, make a couple of different possible routines.

You could try the first one for one week and then another one the week after.

And at the end of each week reflect on how you felt they went and if you need to change something.

Pro Tip: Most people don’t want to get up in the morning because they don’t have something to look forward to in their day. Include an activity in your morning routine that you love but don’t normally have time for during the day. This will motivate you to get up earlier so you have time for something you love.

Step 5: Create an Evening Routine

Congrats – you have a morning routine, but you’re not done yet.

Getting up feeling motivated and refreshed starts the night before so you need to create an evening routine too.

It doesn’t have to be as detailed as your morning routine, but pick a few activities that will wind you down before bed so you can fall asleep faster. And do a few things that will make your morning easier like setting out your outfit, or packing your lunch.

My evening routine includes a quick 15-minute clean-up, setting out my workout clothes, filling up my water bottle for the morning, and reading for 30-60 minutes.

Decide on the activities you will include in your evening routine that will help you carry out your morning routine.

Two Tips To Help You Get Up

Place your alarm clock across the room!

Yep, it’s as simple as that.

Many people have built a habit of grabbing their phone, pressing snooze, and rolling back over.

So put your alarm on the other side of the room so you have to get up to shut it off.

Stop using your phone as your alarm!

Another habit people have is shutting their alarm off on their phone and then scrolling through social media for the first half-hour they’re awake.

This not only wastes time but can also affect your mood and mindset for the rest of the day.

Instead, try this alarm clock.

This sunrise alarm clock is my favorite. I got it a couple of years ago and now refuse to use another alarm clock.

The alarm simulates the sunrise in your room. Using it has been life-changing because I get up way before the sunrises (yes even in the summer).

When you set the time for the alarm to go off you also decide what time to start the “sunrise effect”. You can choose to have it start 10-30 minutes before the alarm is set to go off. It will slowly get brighter and brighter throughout that time.

You also have the choice of alarm sounds that aren’t blaring and annoying first thing in the morning. I set mine to have birds chirping as my alarm.

With this sunrise alarm clock across the room, it lights up my whole room gradually to gently wake me up.

Try it for yourself. I will never go back to a regular alarm clock.

Final Thoughts

Now that you have a morning routine and an evening routine, set your alarm to do your first new morning routine tomorrow.

Start with your evening routine tonight and you should be all set to have an awesome and productive day tomorrow.

Don’t procrastinate until next Monday or next week. There will never be a “better” day than right now.

Set your alarm and start each morning on the right foot with your own personal morning routine.

For more inspiration on morning routines, check out these books:

The Miracle Morning – Hal Elrod

The 5 am Club – Robin Sharma

College Students: I made a morning routine blog post specifically for you. Go check it out!

How to Stop Hitting Snooze | 5 Smart Tips for Breaking the Habit

Are you a snooze-aholic? Want to how to stop hitting snooze every morning?

Hitting the snooze button every morning is a habit whether we like it or not. At some point in your life, this action became part of your morning routine.

Well now it’s time to change that.

In this article I will be giving you my best tips for how I avoid hitting the snooze button every morning and how you can too!

alarm clock on bed | how to stop hitting snooze | pinterest pin

5 Tips for Not Hitting the Snooze Button

Go to Bed Earlier

Yeah I know I know. You probably here this all the time, but it’s true.

Going to bed even just 15 minutes earlier could be exactly what you need to feel refreshed when that alarm goes off. And if you actually feel more rested when your alarm goes off, you’re less likely to hit the snooze button.

Place Your Alarm Across the Room

The best tip I can give you is to make it physically difficult to hit the snooze button. When hitting snooze becomes a habit, some people eventually learn to do it in their sleep and we don’t want that.

The best way to afford hitting snooze subconsciously is to make yourself physically get out of bed to shut if off.

Wake up to the sunrise

Or rather the fake sunrise.

Bright lights send signals to the brain to stop the flow of meletonin. This helps you wake up and stay awake.

The best way I’ve found to combat this is my Sunrise Alarm Clock.

This alarm clock has been a game changer for me. It gives off a light that simulates the sun rising in your room which will help you gentle wake up. You can set the sunrise simulation light to start 10-30 minutes before your actual wake up time. During this time it will slowly get brighter and brighter, just like an actual sunrise.

This particular sunrise alarm clock has 7 nature sounds for your alarm so you don’t have that annoying blaring sound every morning.

Check it out on Amazon Here!

Set Your Coffee on a Timer

If you are a coffee drinker, set your coffee maker to start brewing just before your alarm goes off. Not only can coffee be your reward for not hitting snooze but the smell of coffee can actually wake you up if your room is close to the kitchen.

Count Down from 10 and Then Get Up

This tip can help build the self-discipline you need to get up and stay up.

Particularly in the morning you can feel unmotivated to get up, so when you do, count down from ten and then force yourself up.

The quick countdown can help you shift into the right mindset to get you motivated to start moving.

Some times all we need is a little push to get us going and this tip can be just that.

Related: How to Build Self-Discipline

Final Thoughts

Stay determined my friend!

You have a goal to stop hitting snooze so start by trying just one of these tips tomorrow and see how you do.

Let me know in the comments which tip helped you most.

10 Amazing Benefits of Waking Up Early and Having a Morning Routine

How to Create a Morning Routine for a Super Productive Day

20 Morning Routine Ideas that will Make You Want to Get Up

Pin it so more people can enjoy ?

pink clock on desk Pinterest Image | How to Stop Hitting the Snooze Button

Posted on March 16, 2021September 12, 2022 by Alyssa — 4 Comments

20 Morning Routine Ideas that will Make You Want to Get Up

Ready to create a morning routine but don’t know what to do during it? Try any of these 20 morning routine ideas and you’ll actually want to get up every morning.

20 Morning Routine Ideas

1. Make your bed

Making your bed can give you a sense of accomplishment right away in the morning. This little habit only takes about 2 minutes but will make you feel instantly better.

2. Drink water

Try to drink at least 8 oz of water right away in the morning. After sleeping for 6-8 hours you’re likely to be slightly dehydrated. The best way to wake yourself up is to drink a whole glass of water because being dehydrated causes fatigue meaning you’ll feel so tired, you’ll want to climb back into bed.

3. Brush your teeth and wash your face

These two simple tasks you probably already do in the morning anyway but they are worth mentioning. After you’ve hydrated yourself, the next step to help keep you awake is brushing your teeth and washing your face. This way you are not only more awake and alert but you feel refreshed and clean.

4. Meditate

Try meditating within the first half-hour after waking up while your brain can be easily influenced to just concentrate on your breathing. Set your brain up for a calm day before it can even start worrying about the day’s events.

5. Affirmations

Right after meditating, I like to recite my affirmations. This is the perfect time to set intentions for the day and I love how my affirmations do that for me.

Currently my favorite affirmation is “There is nothing to fear because I cannot fail. I can only learn, grow, and become better than I ever have before.”

6. Read a book

My morning routine is when I work on my personal growth so I read personal development books during my reading time. They inspire me to shift my mindset and focus on my personal growth right away in the morning.

7. Journal

Right after reading, I like to journal. This helps me reflect on what I recently read and dive deeper into the subject. I can also journal about how I am going to incorporate the latest thing I learned into my day.

You can also do gratitude journaling and write about what you are thankful for in that given moment. Focus on this completely and with a smile on your face.

8. Yoga

I love doing yoga in the morning. Stretching my whole body first thing helps me wake up all my sore and achy muscles from a long night’s rest.

9. A long warm shower

By getting up earlier you can enjoy a longer shower. This can be a simple but therapeutic thing to help refresh you every morning.

10. Coffee

I love my morning coffee ritual. While the water is warming in my kettle, I start filling out my daily log and making sure my to-do list for the day is ready for me the second I’ve finished my morning routine. And then I drink my coffee while reading my book.

11. Make a full breakfast

How many times do you just grab a granola bar on your way out the door in the morning? Now that you are getting up earlier, make sure to plan a delicious breakfast that you look forward to every day.

12. Read something informative while you eat

Instead of scrolling through social media or watching Netflix while you eat breakfast, why not learn something. You could find a news article to read or maybe catch up on your favorite blog *wink wink* (like this one?)

13. Exercise

Get your body moving right away in the morning. Whether it’s just some jumping jacks while the coffee is brewing or going for a run. Just get that blood pumping and wake up your body.

14. Dance in the kitchen

Turn on some fun music and wake yourself up by dancing while your making breakfast or waiting for your coffee.

15. Color

If making art is something you enjoy but don’t always have time for it during the day, spend a little bit of time in the morning on it instead. This will not only get those creative juices flowing right away but can also give you that motivation you need to get up earlier so you have time to do something you love.

16. Work on a side hustle

Maybe you are recently started thinking about starting a side hustle but can’t seem to find the time for it with your 9-5 job. Cut out an hour before your job to work on it instead of trying to stay awake after a long day at work. You may find it more enjoyable that way too.

17. Work on a goal

What are your current goals? Maybe you want to start a blog, or spend more time with your kids, or read more books this year. By waking up just a little earlier you’ll find those extra couple hours a week that you need to work towards your goals.

18. Get some sun

I know many people don’t see the sunrise until on their way to work for half the year but take advantage of any sun you can get right away in the morning. Soak in all the vitamin D possible.

19. Read inspirational quotes

Get some inspiration right away in the morning by reading some inspiring quotes. I like scrolling through a new app I found called Motivation. It has so many quotes that inspire me to keep working towards my goals.

20. Take your dog on a walk

Not only are you getting some exercise and fresh air but your puppy is loving you so much for spending some time with them.

Final thoughts on morning routine ideas

I hope you found something to try including in your morning routine. Remember no one’s morning will look the same. Make your routine unique to you with all the activities you enjoy and that will set you up for a productive day.

One more tip: don’t try to add so many things to your morning routine right away. That will be overwhelming and that is the exact opposite purpose of having a morning routine. Try to do just 1-3 new things at a time to see what you like best.

Which of these morning routine ideas was your favorite? Or was there something that I missed? Let me know in the comments. I’d love to know.

More Blog Posts on Morning Routines:

10 Amazing Benefits of Waking Up Early and Having a Morning Routine

How to Stop Hitting Snooze | 5 Smart Tips for Breaking the Habit

How to Create a Morning Routine for a Super Productive Day

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