My Morning Routine

I know you’re probably thinking this is another unrealistic morning routine posted by someone who has their life in order and feels a need to push it onto others. If you do then you’re the right person to be reading this because you know deep down your morning routine could be better.

I do get asked about my mornings because they are slightly different to most people’s, so if you’re interested read on, you may even take something away from it. If not, there are plenty of other journal posts to delve into but I mean it when I say that if there’s one thing to you should try nail in your day, it’s your mornings. It really is a game-changer.

Just before I do, I’m going to assume that for most people this is what their morning looks like:

Wake-up to a loud, very stressful alarm sound.

Shower (optional), quickly wolf down breakfast or make a coffee to go.

Make your commute in rush-hour, feeling a bit stressed and tired.

Arrive at work, having not given yourself a minute’s thought and now not having time to do so.

I mean it when I say I’m not here to act like I’m better than you because I don’t do this. There’s no such thing as competition here when all that matters is what you’re doing. It really is you vs you and it’s up to you if you want to change that.

You have heard it before that if you take control of the morning and don’t let it control you, you will feel so much better about your day. So have a read and see how it makes you feel.

5am - Watch alarm goes off, vibration only so no sudden loud/stressful noises. In case of not feeling it or falling back to sleep I have a back up alarm of nature sounds on my phone. Again it’s quiet and a much more pleasant sound.

5.05am - I sit on the edge of my bed and drink the 0.5L bottle of water next to me. Hydration after a night’s sleep is so important (you lose about 25ml per hour).

5.08am - Make the bed.

5.10am - Brush my teeth, 2 minute cold shower to wake me up (took a long time to make this a habit).

5.15am - Read 1 page from this Meditation book I’m currently on, each entry split into the days of the year. Visualisation of the day and what I want to achieve.

5.20am - 5 minutes of a yoga flow/stretches to get the body moving a bit.

5.25am - Meditate for anywhere between 20 and 40 minutes, depending on how I’m feeling. My goal is to get to an hour this year.

6.05am - Breathwork session.

6.20am - Granola with honey, blueberries and yoghurt.

6.25am - Do a bit of work, nothing too heavy, just small to-dos or anything pressing.

6.50am - Get dressed for either the cold water dip or exercise (run or gym).

7am - Leave.

7.30am - Cold water dip in the Serpentine with the Dirtea Tribe, a group of fun-loving maniacs.

8am - Grab a coffee and have a catch-up with the Tribe.

8.30am - Cycle back home or head into town to work.

9am - Start the working day.

Now this seems like a lot to fit into just a morning. But it is 4 hours and everything is quite to time, as that’s the way I operate. I realise 5am is early to wake up but even giving yourself an hour before heading to work/your morning activity is enough to just set you up to feel calm, present and happy.

Admittedly not having a commute/to have to be in for a certain time does help, but you can adapt yours to your timings. There’s no such thing as ‘I don’t have time’, you’re just not willing to prioritise making time for this.

I have spent years sculpting this because it works for me but there is no one size fits all. You are allowed to pick and choose the things here, if any, you think you will benefit from. If not, look for others that you think you’ll enjoy and commit to.

Try it, there is nothing to lose. Start with incorporating just one activity into your morning and see how it makes you feel. If you don’t like it, remove it, try another. Eventually you will create the morning that makes you feel best but it will take time. Be patient but be open minded.

And I promise you will feel the difference. No one has ever come away from having a good morning routine and said it made them feel worse than when they just woke up and went to work. If there’s anything worth prioritising, make it this.