I was always the person who woke up 45 (sometimes 30) minutes before work. I was also the person who sat on my phone and fell asleep to the same TV shows every night. Functioning this way after a while left me feeling even more burnt out every single day. I would dread Mondays, spend my evenings worrying about tomorrow, and let life happen to me throughout the process.
How did I dig myself out of this hole? It was simple: a SMALL routine
I encountered a slap in the face when my job did an annual reset for the new year going into 2020. They asked me to write down what I was proud of over the past year, personal or professional. I sat there for about 10 minutes until the time for the exercise was up, and couldn't come up with anything significant. Sure, I had some small professional accomplishments and I started working out (irregularly), so that's something, but I needed more.
I made a commitment to myself that I would have 3 things to write down in the morning by the end of 2020, and we all know what happened during 2020. I took that as an opportunity to work on myself since I had nothing else to do during that time outside of working from home. However, I made the mistake of starting WAY too big. I said I would work out every day of the week, clean every day, journal, walk my dog, meditate for 20 minutes, and everything else you can think of. Guess what? I found myself even more burnt out than before, surprise surprise.
Now I'm here, 2 years later waking up at 6-7 AM every day, yes- even on the weekend, happier, healthier, and more productive than ever. I even made the guide incredibly simple so that people don't feel the same way I did. Check out the FREE guide by clicking here! I also have a templated checklist so you can track your progress HERE!
So now you know to start small, but what do you do? Here are some ideas to try out! Remember, just because you miss a day does NOT make you a failure! This is a process, just see what works for you.
MORNING ROUTINE IDEAS
- Meditate for 5 minutes - I love to use Headspace guided meditations (not sponsored, just my favorite)
- Have an EASY meal- Protein shakes, a slice of bread with peanut butter and bananas, or a homemade parfait are my personal go to's
- Journal to set the intention: A few quick prompts I love are below. DON'T THINK ABOUT TO DO'S JUST YET! Let your mind warm up.
- Write down affirmations for the day.
- What do I want out of this day?
- What is 1 thing I can do to feel good about today?
- Stretch- You don't need a full workout routine, just some stretches to get your body active.
- Use an ice roller- I LOVE a good ice roller for under-eye bags and puffiness in the morning, the cold also helps me wake up.
- Make your bed- This is a non-negotiable for me, I feel like I am symbolically closing the time I can be in bed. It's also nice to come home too!
- Play upbeat music- I may be an odd one out for this, but I love blasting some loud music in the morning to get me up. No matter how tired I am, some good Flume or Excision always gets me ready to take on the day (this is usually about 15-20 minutes after I'm out of bed so it isn't too much of a shock.
- Drink a large glass of water- The physiological benefits help me feel more energized in the morning
- Get inspired with a good podcast or youtube video- Now I may talk down on internet gurus sometimes, but there are good ones in the bunch. Rob Dial of the Mindset Mentor podcast always makes me feel great in the morning and ready to take on the day.
- This one is important, also arguably the hardest one, stay off your phone for the first hour of being awake. The way you start your day trickles into the rest of the day. If you see something like an unread email, a horrible news event, or 15 unread slack messages you are going to throw your body into stress mode immediately. Give yourself time to charge up before diving into those things.
EVENING ROUTINE IDEAS
- Journal recap of your day- Close any loose ends, pent-up feelings, or to-dos for tomorrow. It's time to rest. Bonus points if you make a list of 3 must-dos for tomorrow so you know what to start with! (I made a great template for this - check it out here!)
- Prepare your clothes for tomorrow- The more prepared you are, the easier your morning goes.
- Read- Try to replace a small portion of your screen time with reading, even for 10 minutes. This helps your brain unwind in a healthier way than staring at your phone's blue light.
- Steam your face- One of my personal favorites. Not only does it benefit your skin, but it helps me slow down and relax with a calming sensation. You can find really cheap ones on!
- Deep breathing exercise- This one comes in handy when I can't sleep. Go to youtube and search for a guided deep breathing exercise to calm your nervous system.
- Get an electric massager- Release any tension you've been holding onto all day with a nice 20-minute massage.
- Review your vision board- Just take a look, no need to force anything. Take in your dreams in life before you sleep. If you haven't made one, try our ULTIMATE GOAL GETTER GUIDE to help walk you through setting goals & creating different boards!
- Take a shower- Wash away the day, and feel fresh and clean before getting into bed.
- Tidy up- Quickly put away dishes, toss out trash, or just put things away. This makes waking up more peaceful!
- Thoughts of gratitude- Even if the only thing you have to be grateful for today was your morning cup of coffee, be thankful that you had it.