I started this post 2 weeks ago and I’m SO behind on sharing. Halfway through May and I’m just sharing my May Intention but better late than never right?!
I’m super excited to share this because this has been such an amazing thing for me. Over the past few weeks I’ve really been working on my morning routine and my mornings in general. It’s a really tough one for me, but when I really work on it, the rewards have truly been amazing.
For my May Intention I’m really putting a major focus on my mornings.
I’m NOT a morning person. I have say that first because I’ve got to share how hard this actually is for me! I don’t like getting up in the mornings. I’m usually grumpy and it’s very hard for me to get going. My old routine was, hit snooze as many times as possible, scroll on instagram in bed instead of working out, wait until the very last minute to get out of bed, scramble to get ready then run to work. This is no way to live people! It starts the day off terribly and very unaccomplished! I’ve obviously known this and some mornings are better than others, but they can get pretty bad.
I also know that I can’t set some crazy goal of getting up at 5:30 every morning and working out, then working on the blog and then going to work because I know that’s not sustainable.
So, what am I doing? Small steps! Small steps in the right direction (like I said in Monday’s post!)
My Simple Morning Routine:
Set a Must Be Up By Time
I started giving myself a 7:30 max wake up time. Nothing ridiculously early, but still a time that gives me enough time to get things ready for the day. This majorly helped me get in a waking up earlier routine. I even have been getting up by 7, just 15 minutes after the alarm goes off. Ha! I’m hoping that getting into this routine will allow me to get up even earlier when this becomes easier. I was in a really bad routine of getting up super early some days and then sleeping in other days. It’s so courter productive when you do this!
Set a First Thing Awake To-Do
In the past (and I still do this sometimes) I would reach for my phone, check notifications and then scroll instagram to kill time while I’m waking up. This is not productive. So now, I have a daily devotional next to my bed. Instead of reaching for my phone I try to grab that first thing and read. Then I’m usually ready to get up and get a cup of coffee.
Stay Away From the Phone
Once I have my coffee I THEN would go back to the phone and scroll before really waking up and getting ready. So instead, I’ll have my coffee and then write a quick blurb in my Gratitude Journal. These gratitude journals are super quick and easy so it just takes a few minutes but it really helps to get my brain going and wake me up with something life giving. (Not life sucking like a phone -ha!) So once these steps are complete I’m usually ready to actually get going and start getting ready for the day or get my workout in. I usually do a quick phone check and see what’s happened but then put it away because I’m not in the wasting time mood anymore.
Literally that’s it. Nothing major, but a super simple morning routine that is starting my day off with God, in gratitude and it gets me going and out of bed so much faster then before.
*One quick tip and this is something I only do sometimes, but I’m trying to do more often, sleep with your phone in another room! I got an actual alarm clock so that I don’t have to use my phone alarm and I try to sleep with my phone either in another room or just not in arms reach of my bed. That way I’m not glued to it before sleep and as soon as I wake up! Game changer!
