Truth be told, if you had told me 5 years ago that I would one day have a strict morning routine, I would have laughed out loud. My morning 'routine' honestly used to consist of rolling out of bed at the last possible minute, hurriedly showering and getting ready, and rushing out the door with some sort of breakfast in hand - and definitely a lot of caffeine.
Nathan used to leave the house extremely early, and it was pretty rare for me to get up any time before he walked out the door so I could kiss him goodbye. Sometimes I even went back to bed for a few more minutes of sleep. I was also staying up pretty late during this season, though I never had a set bedtime or morning alarm. I just rolled with the punches and did what I wanted.
My routine started when I began to get frustrated at always having to rush, rush, rush in the mornings. I was not late to work but that was because I would frantically be jamming myself into the car to make sure I arrived on time. Besides, Nathan was getting up so early and I was staying up so late that we were missing each other. I knew I had to make a change.
Over the years and through much trial and error, I finally developed a solid morning routine. I live by this routine most of the time, giving myself grace for nights when I have to stay up later, or mornings when I'm just not feeling 100%. But other than a few small exceptions here and there, this is what I live by - and now I can spend my mornings well, not rushing, accomplishing everything I want to and more before I start the workday.
So without further ado, here's my typical morning!
10:00pm - Bedtime
Yes, my morning routine starts the night before. I am pretty strict about getting to bed on time whenever possible (and God bless the people who have shift work that keeps them out later - that would be so difficult!). My body is pretty attuned to this now, so right around 9:45 I automatically start feeling sleepy and get ready for bed.
5:15am - Wake Up Call.
The alarm rings. Sometimes I wake up before my alarm and sometimes I don't, but I either get up right at my alarm or consciously stay in bed for just a couple minutes longer. Generally, though, I get up immediately and get ready for the gym.
5:30-6:50am - Workout
My workout time fluctuates slightly based on what I'm doing, but I generally spend an hour between weights and some kind of cardio (usually a morning run), and I will be done and back home by 7:00 at the latest.
6:50am - Breakfast/News
I eat breakfast every morning without fail. This is usually either a protein-filled smoothie or some kind of egg scramble with fruit. I try to shoot for about 25-30 grams of protein each morning to start the day out well. While I eat breakfast I read two different news sources - and no, I'm not kidding!
7:00am - Get Ready, Shower, etc.
This timing varies a little from one day to the next, but I try to give myself some room to breathe in here. The whole point is to not rush, so whether I start earlier or later I just go with the flow.
7:30am - Bible/Devotional Time
I've learned that if I don't have my Bible time in the morning it often doesn't happen, so I make sure to get this in first thing. Again, I don't rush it, and if it takes a little longer I am ok with that. This is an area I've changed a lot - I used to be strict about the timing, but for me that defeats the whole purpose!
8:00am - Start the Work Day
This is when I open up my first few tasks of the day and really get started working. Sometimes I may start a little earlier, depending on how my morning went, but by 8am I am standing at my computer (yep, I have a standing desk!) working away on whatever I choose to tackle first.
So there you have it - my morning routine! I realize each morning anew how grateful I am that I have no commute to work and I can completely make my entire schedule, which is a luxury most people don't have. I did a modified version of this when I was working full time, and sometimes I couldn't fit everything in before leaving for work. Now that I can, though, I will have my morning workout, breakfast, devotional time, and morning news in before the work day starts - and it feels awesome!
Tell me - do you have a morning routine? What does it look like?
