In Search of a Morning Routine
As someone who loves structure, I’m surprised I’ve never had a dedicated morning routine. People swear by them and say having one has changed their life, so I’ve always wanted one…but I’ve just never been quite sure where to start.
A few years back I read the book, “Daily Rituals: How Artists Work” and was completely fascinated to learn how all sorts of famous creative folks over time have structured not just their mornings, but their entire days. Spoiler Alert: pretty much everyone rose early, did the bulk of their work in the a.m. (usually not more than 4-5 hours total for the entire day), took a long walk in the afternoon, and then drank a bunch of booze at night. The end—not really though. A lot of the people profiled had some pretty weird habits thrown in there too. I definitely recommend checking it out if you’re at all interested in that type of stuff.
Anyways, I set it as a 2021 goal to finally figure out a morning routine for myself, so for the past few weeks I’ve been trying out different things to see what sticks—and what feels good, because the last thing I need is another chore. I’m looking to get a better start to my day, not to add something annoying to my to-do list.
I imagine it will shift and evolve over time, but so far, this is what I’ve landed on:
Wake up, wash up + get dressed first thing. No more social media in bed or lingering in pajamas (except maybe on the weekends).
Pour a big glass of water and drink it while writing my Morning Pages, which you know all about if you’re familiar with “The Artist’s Way”. For those who aren’t, Morning Pages is a form of stream of conscious journaling that is done first thing in the morning. I usually sit for 20 minutes or so and write whatever comes to mind, even if it feels random and completely disjointed. Now, I’m a lifelong journaler so it’s no surprise that this practice resonates with me, but it feels so good to sort through my thoughts and clear my mind first thing in the morning.
Sit on my meditation cushion and practice my “5 Things”: 1. Take 5 deep breaths, 2. Express gratitude, 3. Forgive myself for yesterday’s mistakes (I find this to be the most important one), 4. Set an intention for the day, and 5. Smile.
Meditate: After my “5 Things” I’ll usually sit for a few extra minutes in meditation.
Make my chai + breakfast and prepare for the day: Check in at work, go over my calendar, to-do list, and etc.
A few things I intentionally didn’t include in my routine:
Starting at a certain time. At this stage in my life I’m not an early riser, so I didn’t bother setting some lofty expectation to start waking up at 5 a.m. This routine can happen whenever I get up.
Exercise. I’ve found that I don’t like working out first thing in the morning so I didn’t include exercise in the mix. I much prefer easing into the day, not vigorously jumping around first thing.
Yoga. I experimented with doing a little yoga before sitting down to meditate as part of the ritual, but I like saving my yoga practice for later in the day when I’m ready to start winding down. Somedays I’ll throw in a pose or two in the morning, but rarely much more.
Overall, I’d say it’s working out well so far and I’ve found myself actually looking forward to it which was the goal. It ends up taking me somewhere around half an hour from start to finish, which feels substantial enough to make an impact, but simple enough that it isn’t overwhelming.
And, as with most things in my life these days, I’m not too strict about any of it. Sometimes I miss a step, sometimes I miss a whole day, but I’m not hard on myself when I do. If I’m doing most of these things most of that time, that’s good enough for me.
Anyone else have a morning routine that they love? I love hearing about it, I really do.
p.s. Some mornings when I have time I’ve been adding in a little reading too. My friend Amanda sent me Mark Nepo’s, “The Book of Awakening,” which is a lovely book that offers a short reading for each day of the year.
p.p.s. The pic above is of my alter (which honestly feels a little weird to share publicly, but oh well, welcome to my sacred space) where I sit to meditate in the morning. I love a good crystal grid. ✨
