Ever since I’ve read the book “Miracle Mornings”, it became clear how important having a morning routine can be. After much trial and error, I was finally able to implement a morning routine into my daily life, and I can assure you – the results were astonishing! My life quality has truly improved so much! In this post, I’m going to share with you what I started doing daily and how it has changed my life – plus a few bonus tips at the end to implement new habits (which I know can be so difficult in the beginning. You are not alone <3).
In this post, we will go over:
- My morning routine
- waking up early after at least 8 hours of sleep
- writing a gratitude list
- exercising for 30 minutes
- meditating
- read or studying
- deep work
- How these habits improved my life quality
- control over my life
- better time management
- improved mood
- not taking things for granted
- physical and mental health
- fake dopamine reduction
- Bonus tips to implement new habits
- don’t accept excuses
- start small
- work with your strengths
- mindset shift: it’s not a chore!
My morning routine
Waking up early after at least 8 hours of sleep
I already knew I was a morning person. Whenever I woke up after 11am, I would feel as though the whole day had passed me by. However, how could I wake up earlier when I was going to sleep so late? A key shift was figuring out how many hours I needed to sleep in order to wake up rested the next day. I did this by consistently going to sleep at the same time for about a week and letting body decide when to wake up (without any alarms). So now I know that I need, at the very least, 8 to 9 hours of sleep every night. Thus, when I started going to bed at 11pm, waking up at 7am wasn’t hard at all anymore (the first few days might be challenging, but push through! It only gets better).
Writing a gratitude list
Because I am a bit slow in the mornings, I wanted a gentle way to wake up. What could be better for that than a gratitude list? List as many blessings as you want; I usually go for 10, trying not to repeat any from the previous days and comprehending different categories of my life, such as relationships, money, career, possessions, physical and mental traits, nature, etc. This way, it forces you to be creative – one day, you’ll find yourself being grateful for pillows, the other for having all of your toes!
Exercising for 30 minutes
Working out was a hard habit for me to implement, so I included it in my mornings so that I couldn’t avoid it. Some say that you should do the hardest things first, otherwise you’ll keep postponing them and inevitably not doing them. I made sure to go easy on myself, because at this stage, it is not the results that matter: it is simply building the habit. So I start with 10 minutes of a low impact strength training (I prefer follow-through videos on YouTube), followed by 20 minutes of stretching, mobility or yoga. The key is to understand what works best for you: I know that I have to have some structure, but that I need some flexibility as well, or I’ll feel overwhelmed and end up quitting.
the same boiling water that softens the potato hardens the egg. It’s about what you’re made of, not the circumstances.
Meditating
As a means to cool down and ground myself after working out, I like to do some breath work. Once again, how you should do this depends on your preference, not mine. I prefer to sit still in silence while just focusing on my breath – inhaling, holding, exhaling, holding on a count of 4-5 seconds. For you, it might be easier to follow a guided meditation, or analyse your body, for example; there are countless ways you could meditate. I found it easier to start meditating for only 5 minutes, and then each week increase by 1 minute, with my final goal being 20 minutes.
Read or studying
At this point, I’ve already taken care of my soul, as well as my body; it is time to care for my mind. I dedicate 30 minutes to 1 hour to read any kind of book or to study. My favourite pick has been studying a foreign language every day – you don’t need to do a lot all at once; doing a bit consistently goes a long way.
Deep work
The final step of my routine is deep work. I take 1 hour to focus on my work: by organizing, planning, researching, and/or creating. This is when I take the time to do research about potential income sources, or on how to write better posts, or create a structured plan for my next week’s work, for example. Once that hour is up, it is time to nurture my body with a healthy, filling meal.
How these habits improved my life quality
Better time management
How you start your day deeply impacts the rest of it – your energy levels, your mood, your productivity, etc. By having a solid (although simple) morning routine, you’re setting yourself up for success. If you take the time to plan your morning, organizing the rest of your day won’t be a hard feat. Besides, having a structure for your day will help you defeat decision fatigue, as you will not have to wonder what task you should take on next – you’ve made your life easier for your future self.
Take control over my life
By going out there and putting in the effort on working on myself, I regained control over my life. I’ve put myself back in charge and I’m the one making decisions for myself, not my feelings or life’s circumstances. I’ve learned how hold myself accountable for my choices – which also allows me to concede some grace when I need it.
Improved mood
Starting my day by practicing gratitude has taught me not to take things for granted. I’ve started appreciating the little things more, and finding value in normal, daily life stuff. But it’s not just that; this routine is a form of self-care, a means for me to prioritize myself and my needs, and to tell myself “Hey, you matter”. By feeling well cared for, productive, organized, and invested in my well-being, I genuinely feel a lot happier and lighter than I did before starting this routine.
Physical and mental health
On a similar note to the previous point, this routine goes to show that a huge investment in your health doesn’t have to be complicated. 30 minutes for working out might not seem much to some, but it is a great foundation for your physical health – it keeps your body moving and your muscles active. And it brings such great results for your mental health as well, through the release of dopamine. Taking some time to sit with yourself, move with yourself and feeling all that’s within you is crucial to free you from the mental load you carry.
Fake dopamine reduction
Let’s be real: the majority of us are addicted to fake dopamine (short, rapid content that leads to instant gratification). I’ve fallen victim to this trap, feeling the constant need of input or of action. I’ve noticed that my patience and focus levels have severely decreased because of social media in these past years, however, this routine has brought me closer to who I was before. I find it easier to be more mindful, more present, more patient. I’m a lot more comfortable being bored, which is honestly such a blessing, and I feel such calm from within. I would say these habits as a whole contribute for these feelings, but the main culprit has to be the meditation.
Bonus tips to implement new habits
Don’t accept excuses
If it is hard for you to create new habits, you might find that one of the culprits is constantly making excuses – thinking things like “I don’t feel like it”, “it’s not the right time of the month”, “tomorrow would be a better day to start” and so on. You need to take on a serious mindset if you intend to create new habits: if you truly want this, you have to put in the effort.
What helps me most is, whenever I don’t feel like doing something I know I should, I ask myself “If I had someone to hold me accountable, would this excuse be enough?”. Because sometimes it truly is valid, like if you’re sick; but most of the times it isn’t really, is it? If the excuse isn’t valid, I “rip off the band aid” and get started on it as soon as I can, so as to not have time for second thoughts.
Start small
One mistake most people make – I surely did many times – is to want to achieve everything all at once. And then they start, very motivated, and after 3 days they quit, and then they repeat the cycle. Don’t fall victim to this. Remember, you are human, not a machine. You are not supposed to be good at everything. My advice would be to pick a maximum of 5 habits to implement at once, making sure that 1-2 of them are easy to start.
Take this list for example:
- writing a gratitude list
- meditating
- working out – choose an easy workout to follow
- eating healthier – instead of trying to cut everything off, start by reducing something – or even better, to introduce something: eat one less sweet a day or add a piece of fruit everyday.
- drink enough water – if you’re not used to drinking any water at all, don’t try to drink 1.5L immediately; odds are, it will be too difficult. So, go by increments: start with 0.5L, when you’re used to it, 1L, and then finally 1.5L.
Remember, going easy on yourself doesn’t mean you’re slacking off. It means you respect your boundaries and your mental health, otherwise you will burnout. Build the foundation first, and only then comes everything else – always by increments!
Personalize it
You could do absolutely everything right, and building new habits would still be incredibly challenging for you if you worked against your nature. This is why it is important that you, not other people, create your routines. You can – and should – take inspiration from others, but ultimately how you should create a habit comes down to your nature and your lifestyle.
Because I know it takes me some time to wake up, I don’t start my morning by working out; that would never work for me personally, no matter how well it works for somebody else. Instead, I’ve set a few steps to help me gently wake up and prepare for the rest of my morning routine, and only then I can I have a successful, enjoyable workout.
Mindset shift: it’s not a chore!
Mindset is probably the most important thing in your transformation journey. It is what influences your perspective on life, which is what influences your thoughts, emotions, and, ultimately, your actions. So, stop looking at certain habits you want to create as chores, or hard things you just want to get rid of. Try to keep in mind that you want these things in your life, that they can be enjoyable so long as you allow them to be. It is you who shapes your life.
When I meditate for a long period of time, I find myself dreading it, and counting down the minutes, thinking “ugh 8 more minutes until I’m done”. But why dread it? It is literally sitting down and breathing, taking some time to relax, which I know will have a great impact on the rest of my day. This is to say that we have been conditioned to look upon certain habits negatively, and that it is up to us to change the narrative.
So here it is, the importance of having a morning routine, and how to build strong habits to improve your life. I hope this post helps you in any way you need to become a better you.