Your alarm goes off, you hit the snooze button. 5 minutes later you hear the blaring alarm again. Snooze again. Is this a familiar pattern to you? I know it was the reality of my morning routine for years and years, but NO MORE!
It is HARD to wake up in the morning. That’s why it is super important to have intentions set for the morning. Why do you want to wake up early? What are you hoping to accomplish with your time before the rest of your house is awake? You must answer those questions first and foremost.
- Do you wish to get a workout knocked out first thing?
- Do you desire to sit and watch your favorite YouTuber?
- Do you simply want to sit in silence with your cup of coffee?
Figure out your WHY before you’ll have any motivation to stop hitting snooze.
When I’m tempted to skip my morning routine or another form of self-care, I remind myself that I can better serve the people I love and the projects I care about when I start with me.
Courtney Carver
4 Steps to a Productive Morning Routine
Personally, I have a 4-step plan that I use every morning. Incorporating activities from each of these categories, helps set my day up for success. I focus on myself and what I need first! Only then am I able to give to my family and other responsibilities later on. They are the following:
#1-Move your body.
#2-Nourish your soul.
#3-Prepare your appearance.
#4-Nourish your body.
I have finally found a way to fit all those steps into my morning. Has it been easy to get to this point? NO WAY! Does the morning always work out perfectly according to my plan? Definitely not. But I refuse to keep hitting my snooze button. Because if hitting my snooze button is the first decision I make every morning, it sets me up for failure. My first choice now is to choose success for myself, by getting up right away and starting my day.
I will mention too that what your body and soul needs from one day to the next may vary. So be willing to be flexible each day and your morning routine can change depending on your mood, energy level, or other factors.
Now I will briefly summarize each step in the morning routine and mention various activities you can choose to implement. Just choose which is most important to YOU to add to your morning routine.
STEP #1 – Move Your Body.
There are a bunch of ways to tackle this, so really, it’s all about figuring out what works best for you. Your movement dependent on how much time you can dedicate to movement and how important your fitness goals are.
- Will you take a 20 minute walk around your neighborhood?
- Do a 5-10 minute stretch?
- Go to the gym and workout for an entire hour?
- Complete a 15 minute workout on YouTube? (This is the option I will choose most often!)
Or maybe you have time later in your day when you prioritize movement. As a bare minimum, I recommend that you stretch or move for a couple minutes to get your blood flowing.
Again, maybe Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays you have more time available, so those will be the days you go for a walk. However, Tuesdays and Thursdays, you have to go into the office, so you only have time to do a 5-minute stretch. That’s great! As long as you’re moving your body, you’re on the right track!
STEP #2 – Nourish Your Soul.
By this I mean taking care of your spiritual health, however this may look for you. If you don’t consider yourself a “spiritual person,” don’t skip this step! I’m recommending you do something that will help you feel at peace, to feel thankful, and to start your day off with a positive mindset.
Here are some ideas. Pick one or two or all of them!
- Will you write in a gratitude journal?
- Pray for your kids and husband?
- Spend time reading a chapter in the Bible?
- Say positive affirmations?
- Sit in silence and meditate?
- Listen to a podcast?
The main goal here is to fill your mind and heart with things which are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8).
STEP #3 – Prepare Your Physical Appearance.
I believe this step is essential for a great morning routine, whether you work outside the home or don’t leave your house all day! You will feel better about yourself and your appearance, and ultimately you will accomplish more throughout your day.
You want to feel clean and put together, so block out enough time to do that in the morning. I promise it will make all the difference!! The best decision you can make is to completely get yourself ready, by completing all of the tasks below.
- Take a shower.
- Get dressed in an outfit that makes you feel good.
- Do your makeup, however simple or complex you want.
- Do your hair.
- Do a skincare routine (whether it’s 2 steps or 6 steps!)
Personally, I try to make time for all of the self-care activities above and it only takes me about 20 minutes! If you pick out your outfit the night before, you could be even quicker than that.
STEP #4 – Nourish Your Body.
Your body can’t move and thrive on EMPTY. Give it what it needs: the hydration, the protein, carbs, vitamins, and minerals. Don’t wait until lunchtime. You may think you can survive off of 4 cups of coffee and nothing else until 1pm, but I offer a different perspective.
- Eat a healthy breakfast.
- Take your vitamins and supplements.
- Drink plenty of water.
Obviously, nutrition will look a little different for everyone, but you know what your body needs. Do you prefer a breakfast of eggs or Greek yogurt or protein pancakes?? Consult with your doctor if you’re not sure what vitamins you individually need. I can guarantee every single human NEEDS water first thing. Your body needs to be replenished after going all night without it.
After you’ve completed the steps above (choosing which is most important to you), you’re ready to start an AMAZING day!
My Morning Routine as a Mom of 4
If you’re not sure how to fit all this in, I’m including my mommy morning routine. Yes, you may have to wake up a little earlier, but you can fit in the things that are significant to you.
Below I include my exact morning routine, including timestamps:
5:00AM-My Alarm goes off.
I give myself 15 minutes to get up, take care of my oral health, put my contacts in, and fill up my water. Then, I start drinking water, at least 8 oz right away.
5:15AM-Start workout
By this time, I try to have my workout video started (check out MadFit on YouTube, which has so many great at home workouts in 15-30 minutes!) I literally only spend 15 minutes moving my body at this time. I simply get it done before I have time to make 500 excuses as to why I can’t fit it in.
5:35AM-Take vitamins
Workout is DONE! Then I’ll take my vitamins and make my greens (I am using the one from Live Conscious).
5:40AM-Get Ready
I make it a priority to get completely ready for the day. This means the same thing every single day, in this exact same order. I’m a creature of habit. Shower, get dressed into a simple, everyday outfit, skincare, touch up my hair with the flat iron, & then minimal makeup. The process takes all of 20 minutes.
6:00AM-Time with God
At this time, I’ll spend some quiet time with God. I have a gratitude journal where I’ll write down 3 things I’m grateful for and 3 things that would make today great. Then, I say a few biblical affirmations, all of which are based on bible verses (ex. I am a daughter of the King. I am fearfully & wonderfully made).
After that, I will dive into my bible study time. I am currently studying through Experiencing God, which focuses on ways we can experience God through prayer, the Bible, church, and our circumstances. It is split up into days, so I just complete one day and use my Bible to look up the various Scriptures. I also make sure to pray through what God taught me, as well as praying for my kids, my husband, and any other important matters.
6:25AM-Make Lunches
I always make the kid’s lunches in the morning. If you prefer to prep lunches in the evening, that’s probably the better choice. But again, I’m a creature of habit, so I’ve always done it in the mornings. My two younger daughters refuse to eat the lunch provided at school, so I pack them a lunch (a sandwich, fruit, veggies & ranch, chips, & a granola bar is a typical lunch).
6:40AM-Get Brezlyn Ready
I’ll wake up my 4-year-old daughter at this time. Mornings are rough for little kids, so I devote the next 20 minutes solely to getting her ready. My mom will bring her to school for me!
7:00AM-Get Hazley, Alizae, & Ezra Ready
Brezlyn goes with Nana to school. I wake my other three kids up to make sure they get ready for school on time. My 5-year-old, Hazley, is NOT a morning person, so again, I devote the next 25 minutes to getting her ready. I haven’t mentioned that my two youngest daughters have extremely curly, tangly hair. So, it’s never a quick task! She’ll usually eat breakfast and watch her tablet while I do her hair; I’ve found that’s the “easiest” way to get it done.
7:25AM-Make my breakfast
My older two kids, Alizae and Ezra are 10 and 11, so they are self-sufficient in completing all their morning tasks. I give them a 5-minute reminder at this time, and I’ll make my bowl of Greek yogurt, berries, and granola to eat in the car line. This is real mom life!
7:30AM-Leave for school
Luckily, the kid’s school is less than a 5-minute drive! I’m gone and back in 15 minutes or less.
7:45AM-Start AM chores
I will begin quick morning chores, like starting a load of laundry, making the beds, or putting dishes away from the night before. I give the house a quick tidy (if it’s needed).
8:00AM-Morning Walk
Time for a morning walk! The sun is shining by this time. I may turn on a podcast to listen to as I walk or spend this time in prayer. Depending on how I feel, I will walk around the neighborhood for 20-30 minutes.
8:30AM-Coffee!!
Can you tell I get excited about this part of my morning routine?? I wait until this time so I can actually ENJOY it. I can take my time to savor it, without fear of my coffee getting cold & having to reheat it 17 times.
9:00AM-Work Time
If I am working on my blog that particular day, my goal is to start working by 9AM. Or I will begin working on homemaking tasks or other things required by a mom of 4. There’s always PLENTY to do!
Four hours after waking up, my actual workday starts. By that point, I have completed those things most valuable to me. Notice I do things I WANT to do (walk & workout, time with God) and things I HAVE to do (get my kids ready and off to school).
You will enjoy your day that much more when you include things you WANT to do, things that fill your cup. A 5AM wakeup time might not be your cup of tea but figure out at least ONE THING you want to do in your morning routine.
By 9AM, I have taken care of my physical health in numerous ways, my spiritual well-being, and I feel confident in my physical appearance.
What can you do TODAY (or TOMORROW) that will set your day up for success? Try to include at least one activity from each of the four categories I explained in this blog post.
I hope you find a morning routine YOU LOVE and that it motivates you to NOT hit that snooze button!
