I find so much comfort in those first rituals of the day: a splash of water on my face, my coffeemaker sputtering to life, the rays of morning light peeking over the hills outside my window. Their repetition brings calm and comfort no matter what’s in store for the day ahead.
I first began cultivating a morning routine back in college—I found solace in creating structure during such a transitional season. While my housing, roommates, jobs, and school schedules were ever-changing, my morning rituals were a grounding force that kept me in tune with myself. Looking back, this was my first step toward actively seeking wellness in my life, and over the years, my morning routine has become the heart of my journey toward personal growth.
I’ve shared a lot here about how I create a vision for the year and set goals to bring it to life. Within my morning routine lies the secret to making progress on those goals. It’s the small steps, done every day, that add up to something bigger.
Productivity Versus Prioritization
When asked some form of the question, “How do you get everything done in a day?” My answer is—I don’t! I’m a mom, I run two businesses, and like most of you, I’m juggling a lot. There are an endless number of things I could be doing. So often, “productivity” focuses on how we can be doing more, but at this point in my life, I’m focusing on doing less—while prioritizing the most important things.
Since we all know that our best intentions can be sidelined by factors outside our control (a meeting ran over, the school nurse called—your kid is sick, errands took you twice as long as expected), the early morning is the best time to get really clear about what we’re going to prioritize that day. It sounds simple, but I truly believe this is key in designing the life of your dreams.
My Morning Routine
Establishing a morning routine has been a cornerstone of my personal growth journey, providing structure and intentionality to each day. Over the years, I’ve refined my routine to align with my goals and well-being. Here’s a glimpse into my current morning rituals:
6:00 am – Wake up and hydrate
I start my day by waking up at 6:00 am, immediately hydrating with a full glass of water with electrolytes to replenish my body after a night’s rest. My electrolytes of choice are from LMNT, which really up the hydration and boost my energy levels first thing—they make a huge difference in how I feel, and I’m totally hooked.
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I also take a look at the stats on my Oura ring. It shows how much deep sleep and REM sleep I got so I know how well my body recovered overnight.
6:05 am – Skincare
A splash of cold water on my face invigorates my senses and helps reduce morning puffiness. I follow a streamlined skincare regimen: cleansing, applying a resurfacing compound, serum, and moisturizing. I linked everything I use here. This routine not only refreshes my skin but also serves as a calming ritual to begin the day.
6:10 am – Coffee
I head into the kitchen and turn on the coffeemaker (I always get it ready the night before). While it’s brewing, I feed our cat Clem, and make my AG1, which has been part of my morning routine for years. I love that it simplifies my supplement routine by packing 75 whole food nutrients, probiotics, prebiotics, and adaptogens all into one delicious morning drink.
? If you want to give AG1 a try, you can click here for a FREE one-year supply of Vitamin D3+K2, plus five AG1 Travel Packs with your first purchase.
6:20 am – Meditate, Journal, Read
I head to my cozy living room spot with my iPad for journaling, headphones, and whatever book I’m reading. I grab my Solstice Mug and get comfy—this is my favorite part of the day.
I pop in my air pods, turn on some relaxing music, and take some deep breaths to get in the zone. Then, I spend a few minutes in prayer and read a devotional to get my mind ready for the day. I often write down one quote or takeaway to help synthesize what I’ve read.
I love to use my iPad for my morning journaling because I can combine handwriting with typing. I use the Evernote app so that it’s all searchable (yep, even my handwriting) since I often go back and revisit my journal for newsletter ideas or quotes I’ve jotted down.
My journaling is a combo of creative free-writing, prayer, and recording things from the day before that I want to remember later. If I’m experiencing writers’ block, I just put pencil to iPad and start writing—anything, even if it makes no sense it always sparks something I want to dive deeper into.
6:40 am – Review my goals
Next, it’s time to get out my Vision Workbook and reflect on my goals for the year across various life areas. This daily reinforcement ensures my actions align with my long-term vision and keeps me focused on what truly matters.
6:50 am – Align my calendar
This step takes just a few minutes, but it probably has the most powerful effect on the rest of my day.
Since the way we spend our time is a direct expression of what’s most important to us, isn’t it worth it to be intentional with how we’ve allocated our precious hours in the day ahead?
After reviewing my goals, it’s the perfect time to examine whether my calendar is aligned and balanced. I can ensure that it’s not too heavily weighted towards one area of life (like career) while sacrificing all the others (like health or family.)
For example, if one of my goals is to be a better listener with my kids, I can see where on my calendar that day I can drop a few minutes of time for undistracted conversation. If I’ve committed to doing pilates 2x per week, I can see if that’s on my calendar—and if it’s not, find a place for it! Yes, you might have to cancel or move something else that’s on your calendar to make room for these priorities. Saying “no” to some things so you can say “yes” to others is all part of the process.
Life is crazy busy, and for me, I have to be super intentional about making time for the important stuff or else my schedule will easily crowd them out.
6:55 am – Prioritize the day
The final step of my morning routine is to write down the three most important tasks for me to get done that day. They can be work-related or personal, they just need to align with my overall goals so I can make sure I’m always making progress.
Usually, I write these down in my journal, and then I also keep a pad of paper on my desk where I’ll write them down so I can easily see them throughout my workday.
You know those days where it feels like you’re just spinning your wheels and hopping from one thing to the next, but it feels like you have nothing to show for it? Even on days like that, if I accomplish my top three priorities, I can end the day knowing that even if I didn’t get everything done, I still got the most important things done.
7:00 am – Family time
It’s time to get the kids up, and the mad dash begins to get everyone dressed, fed, and out the door for school. One great thing about getting up before everyone else is that I can be laser-focused on the morning routine I laid out above. Then when my kids get up, I can be totally focused on my time with them.
And, this brings me to the other most important thing about a morning routine:
Create good habits, but don’t hold to them too tightly. Sometimes life gets in the way, and it’s better to roll with it instead of resisting.
If you have young children or other responsibilities that make your mornings unpredictable, I’ve learned from experience to give yourself some grace—it’s a season, and it won’t last forever.
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Tips for Crafting Your Morning Routine
- Start Small: Introduce one new habit at a time to prevent overwhelm and increase sustainability.
- Be Consistent: Aim to wake up and start your routine at the same time each day to establish rhythm and reliability.
- Personalize Your Activities: Choose practices that resonate with you and support your goals, whether it’s reading, exercising, or creative pursuits.
- Prepare the Night Before: Set out necessary items ahead of time to streamline your morning and reduce decision fatigue.
