Morning Routine: What it is for me and how to build one
A morning routine is an investment for me.
Having one is crucial in order to start your day with replenishment, in a way that you personally like: indeed, the morning routine is extremely personal, and I like to take inspiration from others but always keeping in mind that it is what THEY like, and what works for them will not necessarily work for me.
It’s an investment in favor of your mental health, not allowing yourself to stress out first thing in the morning.
As a teenager, I would often wake up late, and as a consequence, the day would invest me after a very short time. I didn’t even have time to wake up. It was a really bad experience, and now I can’t figure out how I could continue to wake up so late, because it is way harder to maintain that bad lifestyle and deal with those days than it is to wake up a bit earlier.
It’s an investment in favor of your family and loved ones: it allows you to spend precious quality time with them before you start your work day.
Like any investment, it has a price: the price is 1 hour, maybe even 30 minutes of sleep, but this gives you a different energy throughout your whole day.
But it is very important to change our approach: we are used to rushing in the morning, and I understand that. But that +1h will not give us the same energy of having a peaceful morning.
BUT
Does every morning routine necessarily mean waking up at 5 a.m.? Absolutely not.
Does every morning routine necessarily imply a super aesthetic ambiance? Again, absolutely not.
We are surrounded by a lot of gurus who tell us that to be successful you have to wake up before everyone else and other similar things… But since routines are BY ourselves FOR ourselves, and no one else, they should be perfectly tailored.
The best thing you can do to maintain a good, positive, healthy, and productive routine is: CREATING A ROUTINE THAT’S GOOD FOR YOU.
If you prefer to go out every night and don’t need to get up early to go to work, or you don’t want to because you don’t feel productive, THAT is absolutely fine and up to you.
We all have different definitions of enjoying life, and everyone has to be free to choose for their life.
Really, it doesn’t have to make sense to anyone but you.
What should you consider when creating a morning routine?
- Sleep Quality
- Non-negotiable habits
- Having a good breakfast
In my opinion, these are the only three things you need to consider. Let’s briefly break them down.
Sleep quality over sleep quantity: If you can’t sleep 8 hours per night, that’s okay (as long as you don’t sleep 3 hours!). Focus on not using your phone around bedtime, creating a clean and cozy environment to restore your energy, and other expedients like these.
By “non-negotiable habits”, I mean things that we really want to do to start our day happy. One thing I love is applying a face mask after showering and journaling, but it can really be anything. You have to ask yourself: “What is stressful about my day?” This is the starting point for implementing your morning habits.
For me, breakfast is the most precious and important time of the day. I have breakfast with my parents, and we talk a little bit, we’re very relaxed, and we enjoy eating together before starting off our hectic and busy day. No TV, no music, no podcasts… Zero interferences.
That’s it!
I hope you liked my point of view, let me know if you have or want to have. a morning routine!
With warm respect,
Rossella
