Maxie’s posts is spot on today. One of the hardest things that I had to figure out when I quit the rowing team in college was what my morning routine would be. For years I had been waking up extra early to rush to get to school (that 7:25am start always felt terrible) or rushing out the door before the crack of dawn to get to practice. Once I quit though, I had luxurious mornings to fill up. Even my earliest class at 8:50am felt incredibly late. The first few weeks I slept in, but I’d find myself groggy. Then I started to work in a morning routine and it changed how my entire day went. With my first job in NYC, I had a strict morning routine that really set how my whole day would go. I needed that rhythm to get me going! Even working from home, I stick to a routine. I swear by it!
How to Create a Morning Routine You Stick to in 2016
Guest post by Maxie McCoy
The way you start your day sets the entire tone of the day. Think about all the days you’ve snoozed seventy times only to rush around like a mad person. Or the countless mornings you’ve laid scrolling in bed, waist deep in facebook and Instagram and emails and snaps and texts. Thirty minutes later you’re almost late for class or work and didn’t have time to fuel your body. I know. Been there. So guilty. That used to be so me.
And then a few years ago I got the wild idea to stop pushing emails right to my phone so that I didn’t have to see everything waiting for me from the time I turned my alarm off. Or in the middle of the night when I woke up for some reason. It was an amazing change because I finally was able to erase my morning anxiety. My chest didn’t tighten within 5 minutes of waking up.
This year, I’ve upped my morning game by creating an entire morning routine that doesn’t include my phone. No emails. No social. No texts. No calls. Pings. Mentions. Comments. Surfing. Double taps. Or scrolling. It’s almost a full hour digital detox each morning like this one so that I can make breakfast, meditate and get ready before diving into the digital world. It’s slow, peaceful, and all mine.
And it’s hard. It’s tremendously hard to turn my alarm off while seeing some of the notifications on my homescreen and not want to check everything and just get right into it. I’m tempted to scroll through facebook and twitter while I’m drinking my tea. And I occasionally wonder if there’s anything significant going on that needs my attention.
There’s not. There never has been. From taking emails off my phone a few years ago to this new prolonged morning ritual without my phone, not a single problem has arisen that couldn’t be taken care of post routine. And more than that, it changes the entire feeling of my day.
If it sounds nice, it’s because it is. And it’s probably the best gift you can give yourself. If your morning routine needs a little overhaul, here’s some places to start:
Ask Yourself How You Want to Feel
One of my soul sisters mentioned this idea to me last week when explaining how to come up with the right ritual for you – ask yourself: “how do I want my morning to feel?” If it’s currently crazed and you want to feel calm, add one thing into your morning that is soft and slow like hot tea on the couch or a stretch sequence by the bed. If you need to pump some strong energy into your day, try a 10 minute workout plan before hopping into the shower. Your morning sets your tone so figure out what you need each day.
Move Your Phone
Just do it. Move it away from your bed. I know it’s not the only outlet in your place. Move it so that you’re not scrolling until midnight and facebook before you’re even out of bed in the morning. And when you get to your morning musts, leave it where it is. The best way to combat the temptation of your phone (and it is actually an addiction) is to not have to fight it. If it’s upstairs or in another room while you’re doing your morning thing, you’ll have so much more space to just be, breathe, and prepare.
Start Small
I didn’t get to a full hour of a calm morning of soulful preparation for my day off the bat. It started with no emails and has moved to what it is. And some days are a bit speedier than others depending on my schedule. When it comes to your golden morning routine that you can keep up, start small – even just ten minutes – and build onto it.
No matter where you begin when it comes to building a morning routine you love, start somewhere. It’ll have such a beautiful impact on your day that you’ll do whatever you can to protect that special time and stick to it.
xoxo
these are great tips! Im so glad i've finally established a good permanent routine!
XO Ellen from Ask Away
http://www.askawayblog.com
Posts like this always come at the perfect time! With early morning classes starting back up, a calm morning routine is exactly what I need to get the motivation to take on the day! Thanks for sharing!
-Angela & Amy
FiletoStyle.com
I've been struggling with this so much the past few months! I think the late sunrise has a lot to do with it. I can pretty much get out of the house in 15 minutes but then I feel so crappy about it. Definitely going to try the "Ask yourself how you want to feel", I think that is an awesome way to get off to a positive start!
Such a great post, Carly! This has always been a struggle for me… blocking off my time has recently worked wonders, though. 🙂
xx
Kelly | Kelly in the City
Really great tips…especially the "remove your phone" part! xx
-Mikayla
http://thetastetracker.com
I really love this post! One of my new years resolutions has been to keep a strict morning routine and for the past week I have been pretty consistent on what time I wake up and what I do in the morning. Another one of my resolutions has been to wake up earlier overall which also means going to bed earlier and I swear by keeping my phone far away from me. It is much less of a distraction when trying to fall asleep.
Xoxo, Kate // asprinkleofkate.blogspot.com
I love this! My mornings tend to be a bit chaotic getting ready for school so this will definitely be helpful!
xoxo,
Katie
chicincarolina.blogspot.com
These are amazing tips! My school mornings are always chaotic and it really just comes from spending too much time on my phone. I'll definitely try these tips out tomorrow morning!
XO Alyson | mylifeasalyson.blogspot.com
I wish I can push away my phone as far away from my bed as possible but I'm currently using it to measure sleep. I can however turn off the wifi so I'm not bombarded with notifications as soon as I wake up. That may be a good place to start!
I definitely need to do this! I would accomplish so much more in the mornings and get to spend a lot more sweet time with my husband before we both rush off to work!
xoxo, SS
The Southern Stylista
Great post! I have just begun to create a morning routine for myself, so it came at just the right time. I agree about disabling email and social media notifications from your phone. I did this about a year ago, and I'm so much calmer now without my phone constantly dinging. I can look at the apps on my time when I want to.
Hi- where did you get your bow pillow? Thanks!