Life Changing Mornings - My Morning Routine Right Now + How to Find What Works for You
Because I talk about morning routines a lot, I often get asked what mine looks like. The truth is that it changes pretty often based on what my season looks like, but this is a picture of what it looks like right now, and the first few parts of it stay the same pretty much no matter what.
It’s not “minimalish”- I guess I use a lot of “stuff” for my mornings, but it’s all stuff that helps me focus on what matters to me as I start my day.
Everyone has a morning routine- everyone goes through a set of steps to get their day started- the question is whether it’s been thought through and done on purpose or if it’s just a routine you’re letting happen “to” you.
I let mornings happen to me until two summers ago. I was the crankiest mom waking up to a 10 month old yelling at me at 6am (or earlier). I knew something had to change because I didn’t want to be a cranky mom for the first hour or so of my day, which was what was happening.
I grabbed the book “The Miracle Morning” and somehow I suddenly was convinced through the author’s words that mornings could be transformational to me. Little did I know how transformational they’d actually be.
Over a year and a half later and I’ve used my morning hours for so many different things: I used to teach online in the mornings. I built a podcast + online brand in the mornings- making it my job over time. But most of all I spent time with God, I made lists of surrender, of gratitude, of dreams written out in present tense. I visualized and planned out my days and reminded myself of who I want to be: a gentle and patient mother. a loving wife. debt free.
I learned that the pain of the early wake up and the discipline of a little earlier to bed is worth it - which in turn helped me learn to have discipline in other areas of my life.
Mornings have been life changing for me. And I’ve woken up earlier than my daughter whether she was waking up at 6am or 9am - I used to get angry when her schedule changed, but I’ve learned that this season is just full of changes, and all I can do is be flexible and adjust. I personally need a good 40 minutes or so before she wakes up, so that’s my minimum. I try for around 2 hours if I can!
This is what my morning routine looks like right now - and all the things I use for it.
Gemma wakes up at about 7:30-8:30 it fluctuates but mostly is around the earlier time. I get up around 5:45 and try to get out of bed as fast as I can.
I wake up - get my coffee going in my ninja coffee maker which I got secondhand through Mercari over a year ago and LOVE! (link is to the one I have which is definitely an older model but I love it.)
I go straight to my devotional - 100 Days to Brave by Annie Downs - and I read a chapter of the Bible - I have the She Reads Truth Bible and I love it!
I pray a bit and start my Simple Morning Lists, which I do prayerfully and sometimes prayer journal in the blank journaling space.
Then I’ve got this two notebook system that is basically just my version of planning. I use the Happy Notes just because I found them on clearance but will change to this when they’re out of space. It’s kind of like bullet journaling - I use one notebook for meal planning, budgeting, and home projects, and I use the other for more daily planning - weekly lists, to do lists, calendars, work projects. It all sounds confusing but let’s just label it planning - I simply cannot ever find a planner I love and bullet journaling works better with my creative brain. I like the freedom of a blank page.
Mostly in the mornings I just write out a to do list, but if there is any planning I need to do that day, like meal planning, I’ll spend time doing that.And then I open up my computer and get to work. I often work in the mornings on writing and content creation because my brain feels the most creative then. Sometimes I have to force myself to go there because I often feel obligated to answer emails and deal with “putting fires out” first thing, but that’s just not a good use of my morning energy and it kind of stresses me out to start the day that way.
There are days where my mornings don't go exactly this way. There's an occasional, 1-2 days a month that I wake up only 20-30 minutes before Gemma if I'm sleep deprived. But waking up and putting my first and best time to my faith and to setting up my day with intention has transformed me. I
I've got a little encouragement for you as you start your week :
Write out your morning routine, as it is right now. How's it going for you? If it's going well, perfect! If you're waking up cranky and whisking yourself into your day- maybe even feeling a little frazzled or even purposeless with your days? Try to reframe this time of your day. Maybe waking up before your kids isn't realistic right now, but how could you put a little routine to this time and set your day up a little more intentionally? What I do might not work for you - but I encourage you to find what works for you.
The steps that it took for me to find a routine that worked?
Follow someone else's routine (I followed the miracle morning at first)
Tweak as I go to fit what will actually work for me and leave behind what won't
It's simple, really. Just start somewhere. Change as you go. And you'll fall into something that works along the way. Remember that routines can change as your life + seasons do. Flexible routines work a whole lot better than rigid ones.
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