How To Create A Simple Morning Routine For A Happy Life

Are you looking to create a healthy morning routine, but don’t know where to start? 

You’re not alone if you feel busy with kids, work, family responsibilities, appointments, etc.! When life gets busy, we feel exhausted and time disappears. 

While this is happening, our stress keeps rising and rising…

Creating a morning routine won’t remove the stress in your life, but it can add many positive benefits to your life and ultimately help you lead a happier life in the long run!

In this post, we’ll teach you how to create a simple morning routine for a happier life…

Let’s dive in!

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Why Create A Simple Morning Routine?

You may be asking yourself, “Don’t we all already have morning routines?” 

And the answer to that is “yes” and “no”.

Yes, in the sense that we all pretty much wake up, use the bathroom, shower, and brush our teeth…Maybe in different orders, but it’s pretty much universal.

The difference, however, in the morning routine that we’re talking about, is the intentionality behind it!

This isn’t just a morning routine that’s about going through the motions; it’s about having a strict set of tasks that you want to execute each morning for a more productive and peaceful start to your day!

Here are some of the main benefits of creating a solid morning routine:

• Morning routines allow you to ease into the day instead of rolling out of bed late and getting off to a poor start
• You can set the tone for how the rest of your day will go (increased positivity)
• Allows you to be more productive
• You can make time for/get some of your most important tasks done right away without feeling guilty all day (exercise, stretching, reading, etc)

Can A Morning Routine Change Your Life?

Yes, we are creatures of habit, and a morning routine will allow you to improve your productivity while also relieving stress related to rushing in the morning and being late, depending on how early you wake up. 

Morning routines can boost your mood because you’ll feel accomplished before the day has even started! 

If you choose an earlier wake-up schedule, like say 5:00 am or 6:00 am, you’ll be getting up before most and able to get important tasks done while everyone else is still sleeping.

This may not be realistic for everyone, but depending on your schedule and evening routine, this type of wake-up schedule is not only possible but a tool you can use to accomplish your goals and find time for things you put off…

How To Create A Simple Morning Routine For A Happy Life

Wake Up Earlier

One of the essential aspects of creating a simple morning routine is rising early!

For some, these early hours are the most productive due to the mind being fresh after sleep.

Okay, yeah, this sounds great and all, but on a practical level, we all know sleep feels amazing when we need to get up and setting an earlier alarm may sound like a nightmare…

Yes, this is the hardest part, but like anything, your body will get used to the routine and will adapt. It requires discipline and a strong desire to achieve your desired goal of waking early.

Quick Tips To Wake Up Earlier

There are 3 essential tips to follow that I’ve found work for me when I try to wake up earlier or set an early wakeup schedule:

• Quick Tip 1: Decide what your bedtime and sleep schedule will be ahead of time. You must pick a specific bedtime and coordinate how many hours you’ll sleep to reach your wake-up time goal. It doesn’t make sense to wake up at 5:30 if you plan to hit the bed at midnight every day…You simply won’t get enough sleep. So, ensure you know when you want to wake up and see how many hours you want to sleep to calculate your bedtime. For example, if you want 8 hours of sleep and want to wake up at 6 am, 10 pm is your ideal bedtime (which is really hard to do consistently, depending on your business/responsibilities)

• Quick Tip 2: Place your phone across the room at night. This seems like torture at first, but it’s a practical way to force you out of bed when your alarm goes off. Yes, you may be tempted to hit snooze and go back to bed (I know I have!) but at least this will get your feet on the floor and after a few nights and going to bed on time, you’ll be able to stay up and get started with your day after that first alarm.

• Quick Tip 3: Finally, your evening routine may actually be the best thing you can do for your morning routine. This is because you set the tone for your morning by what you do the night before! Get to bed late, you feel tired and cranky, and the rest of your day follows suit…Control your destiny and create a solid evening routine to prep for an amazing morning and the rest of your day!

Decide Your Priority A.M. Habits

Now that you know your sleep schedule, it’s time to plan out what you actually wanna do with that extra free time in the morning!

Here’s a list of common positive morning routine habit ideas:

• Exercise
• Stretching
• Journaling
• Checking emails
• Reading
• Prayer
• Reading the Bible
• Gratitude journal
• Positive affirmations
• Decluttering

I recommend choosing 2-3 of these types of activities each morning because realistically, you may not have that much time to enjoy each one of them, and choosing too many morning ritual activities.

Here’s an example of a positive routine using the ideas above: 

Routine Example: Wake up at 6:00 am, quick gratitude prayer, after using the bathroom, stretch for 10 mins, lastly, spend 10-15 mins journaling. Afterwards, shower and get dressed for the day.

This is a simple idea of how your routine can play out…Use this as inspiration and develop the habits you want to include in your routine!

Eliminate Distractions

One of your biggest hindrances to your routines (and time) is your electronic devices and screen time.

Limiting your screentime a few hours before bed and after your morning routine can help you to unplug and reduce your anxiety/FOMO of what’s going on with social media, etc.

Use a different alarm than your phone, or if you have to use your phone, try to keep phone use to a minimum until after you’ve completed your morning tasks.

Trust me, it’s incredibly easy to waste time scrolling and watching YouTube videos…

Don’t let that precious morning time go to waste that you’ve worked so hard to be awake for.

Remember To Keep It Simple

Don’t overcomplicate your morning routine.

There’s no need to pack your morning with a bunch of tasks, pick some essentials, and pick something that’s repeatable. 

It’s easier to repeat something that’s short and simple. 

If you add too many tasks, you may also run the risk of disappointment due to not being able to repeat your routine daily…

Do yourself a favor and start out simple, and if you feel you can add more tasks, give it a try later on!

Final Thoughts 

Morning routines provide many benefits and allow you to take control of your day. 

Creating a morning routine is all about relieving stress, getting a positive start to your day, and achieving goals you want to accomplish!

Get inspired to shift up your morning routine and start your days off right!