Creating a Morning Routine That Works for You
I have a confession to make…I’m really not a morning person. Although I’d love to be one, I’ve had a hard time coming up with a morning routine that will help me start the day in a more productive way.
I’ve had an evening routine that has worked for me for several years now. It has been a struggle to make a morning routine work for me because I have a hard time getting out of bed.
A few weeks ago I was working through a personal growth lesson in an online group I’m a part of. The lesson was about creating an ideal day. As I worked through this lesson, I decided to focus on my morning routine. I knew if I could get a solid plan nailed down that I could actually accomplish, my days would be so much more fruitful and productive.
As I began writing out what I thought I wanted to get done in the mornings, it was as if God was directing my pen. Because when I got done, I had a simple, yet impactful morning routine that I knew I could easily follow through with.
Let me share how I came to develop this routine that has now been working for me for a few weeks.
I decided simple is best
In the past, I tried to squeeze too many tasks into my morning routine. You’ll see in my routine below that I only have four tasks to complete. Life is so much easier when you simplify. If you’ve found it hard to get a consistent morning routine going, then I suggest you take a look and see if you’ve been trying to do too much. See where you can simplify to make your morning routine more doable.
I let go of the guilt
For so many years I’ve heard that as a believer, I need to give God my first time in the morning to spend with Him. And while I strongly feel that my day goes much better when I spend time with Him in the morning, I’ve learned that right when I get up is not the best time. God is not getting the best of me because I find it hard to concentrate on His Word and can’t listen for His voice. I’m still trying to wake up and get my mind going.
So I gave up feeling guilty that I couldn’t get motivated to get out of bed to spend time with God. Now that my quiet time is the second thing on my agenda for the morning, I’m finding it to be more refreshing, fulfilling, and fruitful. I can hear His voice better and feel like my prayer life has improved because I can concentrate with a clear mind.
I found my motivation
Since I couldn’t find motivation to get out of bed to spend time with God, I knew I had to look for something that would motivate me. I’ve found I look forward to getting the newspaper and drinking my coffee first thing out of bed. I get up, turn on the coffee maker, and make my bed while the coffee is brewing. Then I sit down to read the paper and drink my coffee.
Those 20-30 minutes make all the difference in my morning routine. This time helps me to wake up so I can focus on the other things I need to do.
I said no to social media
In the past, I would find myself spending at least 30 minutes to an hour on social media in the mornings. That was a complete waste of my time. Spending that time was not enriching to me or helping me to move forward on my goals. Now I do my best to stay off social media in the morning. On occasion I may glance at it for about five minutes, but no more than that.
This one change has made all the difference in the world for me. I feel like my mornings are more productive and I’m ready to start the day more quickly than before.
This is what my morning routine looks like:
6:00 am Get up, make coffee, make bed, read paper
6:30 am Quiet time with God
7:00 am Exercise
7:30 am Eat breakfast, get ready for day
9:00 am Begin work
This is the routine I follow every weekday except for Mondays when I go to my job outside the home. On those days I try to do a short devotion time and skip the paper and exercise.
I’m grateful God showed me how I could work out this routine so I could start my day in a more positive way.
What does your morning routine look like?
