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I’ve found time and time again that I get the most done on the days I follow a set morning routine. On days when I don’t follow a routine, I tend to flounder, and my productivity drops dramatically. I haven’t always had a morning routine. I didn’t have a morning for many years, especially during periods of my life where I allowed my depression to rule rather than doing everything I could to battle it. Life is better when you have a morning as part of it.

I’d tried various routines over the years, finding that some worked better than others. What works for me won’t work for everyone. Your morning routine should be tailored to fit your life situation. For example, what works for me today as an empty nester currently residing in the United Arab Emirates would not have worked for me as a stay-at-home young mother of two toddlers living in Alberta, Canada. As I describe my morning routine, keep this in mind and tailor yours to what works best for you in your situation.

My Effective Morning Routine:

After researching others’ suggestions for a workable morning routine, I came upon one that works for me as a writer and student. I’ve been asked to share it, so here goes:

1.     I wake up every morning at 5:00 a.m. Yup, that’s right. I’m very early to rise, although I don’t work outside the home. Since I entered my fifties, my body has decided to like being up early in the morning and going to bed early at night. If this isn’t for you, adjust your times accordingly. I realize not everyone ‘does mornings’ as well as I do. It’s important not to press snooze. Snooze will only cause you to feel sleepier and more out of sorts during the day because every time you press that button and go back to sleep, you reset your sleep cycle and throw your body’s natural wake/sleep cycle off kilter.

2.     I make coffee. That is the first thing I do after I get up (well, I usually use the bathroom first, but aside from that). I admit that I need my shot of caffeine first thing in the morning. If that’s not your thing, great! So I get the coffee brewing, and I proceed with the next item as it does. I have a brewer capable of brewing a pull 12-cup carafe or single-cup servings that I absolutely love.

3.     I hydrate with water. I haven’t always done this. I’m not the best at keeping myself hydrated, so adding this step to my routine recently has been a positive move toward drinking more water throughout the day. I have at least eight oz. (250 mL) of pure water before I eat or drink anything else. I’ve heard that it helps flush toxins out of your body that has accumulated during your sleep. I don’t know if that’s true, but our bodies are composed of more than 70 % water, so hydrating first thing can’t be negative. I like to keep a tumbler filled with water close at hand. if you’re like me and want flavor when you drink something, one of my favorite solutions is to use commercial water enhancers or squeeze a little fresh lemon and lime juice into my water.

4.     I enjoy a healthy breakfast with my coffee and allow myself to wake up peacefully. It’s tempting to head straight to my phone to check my social media accounts, but I do my best not to do that now in the morning. I open the curtains or turn on the lights if the sun hasn’t risen yet and allow myself to wake up in its way rather than blasting it with overwhelming stimuli too soon. (If you have young children up early, you may have to skip this part, at least for now.) But don’t skip breakfast. It turbocharges your metabolism and gets it into burn mode. Just make sure it’s a healthy breakfast. I need to work on nutrition and avoiding the chocolate croissants! I find cereal filled with fiber and fruit a great way to fuel my body and keep my hunger at bay longer.

5.     I spend time in God’s word and prayer. Some people follow structured devotional plans at this point in their daily routine. I’m not quite so structured, though sometimes I follow along with the Our Daily Bread devotional booklets. I spend about fifteen to twenty minutes reading a passage of Scripture, and then I ‘meditate’ on it (think about what it is teaching me and how I can apply it to my life). Then I pray. If you don’t have a prayer list, make one. Then follow it, and ask God to help you utilize the day He’s blessed you with for His glory and thank Him for it. You might also want to keep a gratitude list or journal and write a few things there during this time. My favorite Bible is a comprehensive study Bible. I enjoy using a bullet journal with thick, sturdy, and bright pages, not allowing ink to bleed through.

6.     I do a light workout or go for a walk. I am anything but an athlete. I never enjoyed Phys. Ed. in school. I hate getting sweaty. But it is essential to do something to exercise and stretch out the bodies God has blessed you and me with. In the winter months in Canada or the summer months in the UAE, where the temperatures make going for walks prohibitive, I follow an easy, no-bounce twenty-minute aerobic program I found on YouTube. When the weather outside cooperates, I will go for a nice walk and enjoy the early morning beauty of God’s creation. In the UAE, I usually go for walks at night after it has cooled down because the daytime temperatures can get pretty high during spring and summer (the high 30s to 40s Celsius). My physical and mental health suffers when I skip this step in my morning routine. I wear a fitness watch to keep track of my step count and other data and carry a water bottle to keep myself hydrated.

7.     I shower, follow my skincare routine, and dress for the day. After getting sweaty (yuck!), it feels so good to shower, apply my moisturizers, and care for my body in a way that glorifies its Creator. I don’t like spending a fortune on skincare, but I enjoy the feeling of a great toner and an anti-aging moisturizer with SPF factor. Then I dress for whatever I must do for the rest of my morning and day. In my case, that’s usually a comfortable t-shirt and jeans or yoga pants as I sit in front of my laptop and write. If I have to volunteer that day or run errands, I dress more presentably to be seen in public. Sometimes I even wear make-up (I’m not a huge fan of cosmetics, usually. I’m lazy that way.)

8.     I ensure I’ve made my bed before I move on with my day. No, I am not a neat freak. I’m not a slob, either. I make my bed because it gives me an initial feeling of accomplishment that carries through to everything else I have on my agenda for the rest of the day. It looks neat and presentable whenever I return to my bedroom, relaxing me after a long day.

9.     Bonus Tip: I write out my daily to-do list and agenda the night before, usually close to bedtime, to know my priorities for the day when I wake up. I keep it written in a reusable notebook, where I can upload it easily to my favorite cloud storage and erase what I’ve written with my friction-erasable pens to fill it again the next day. It gives me direction and a guide to follow. I have adult ADD, and I must ensure I have a to-do list ready and waiting for me if I want to be productive. But you don’t need to have ADD to benefit from preparing a list of priorities or an agenda for your coming day.

That’s my morning routine! I’m grateful that I’ve found one that works for me because it has improved my productivity and mental attitude since abiding by it. Of course, there are special days when this gets thrown out the window, but I try to stick to it as consistently as possible. I hope you can glean something from my morning experience to help and inspire you with your day. Most importantly, commit your day to God for His use and glory. It’s better than floundering without direction or purpose.

Please leave a comment to let me know what you think or suggest what works best for you. As always, may God bless you richly!

Warmest Regards,

Pauline

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