A good morning routine will help you get your day started on the right foot. Follow these tips and you’ll be a morning person in no time.

Why Make a Morning Routine?

Don’t you wish you could wake up each morning, ready to go and feeling rested? I’ve talked about the importance of sleep and how to get it in this post, but sleep is only part of the equation. You have to actually get out of bed the next morning.

Having a morning routine will make waking up easier, and you’ll feel more fulfilled when you complete your tasks to prep for your day. Knowing you’ve already completed a few tasks will get you going, and you can capitalize on that momentum for the rest of the day.

How To Get Up In The Morning

First things first, you have to start with sleep. I’ll say it until I’m blue in the face, but without a good night’s sleep you won’t meet your goals for the next day. Once you have the sleep part down, there’s just a few steps that will help you wake up when you want to.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, and waking up consistently won’t happen overnight. Give yourself time to adjust, and be realistic about your goals.

Follow these steps and you’ll get there soon enough, just be patient.

Set Your Intentions The Night Before

This sounds cheesy, but I have found it to be immensely helpful for waking up in the morning. Set your intention the night before. Your mind is a powerful tool. That might sound a bit woo woo, but it’s true!

Have you ever had to wake up for an early flight? You know that if you don’t get up by X time, you’ll be running late and possibly miss your flight. Going to bed, you run over everything you’ve packed, what time you need to leave your house, etc. Then the next morning you spring out of bed right on time. It’s strange how that works!

Most of the time that scenario is driven by anxiety, but I promise you can harness the same process for your daily routine. Even if you don’t believe me, just give it a shot.

Tonight, as you’re lying in bed, close your eyes, and say, “Tomorrow I’m going to wake up at 6:00 am, when my alarm goes off, I’m going to feel rested, and I’m going to get out of bed and get going.” You’ll be surprised at how well it works.

Set your intentions and your mind will follow through in the morning.

Don’t Snooze Your Alarm

This one is tough to get used to at first: Don’t snooze your alarm. You do not get any meaningful sleep in the 9 minutes between your alarm and snoozing. You might think you do, but you really don’t. Tell yourself that it’s time to get up, and do it.

The key here is actually getting out of bed. If you decide not to snooze, but you lay in bed and think “5 more minutes”, you’ll quickly go back to sleep. Now you don’t have any alarm, so you’ll oversleep and be late to work.

How To Set Your Alarm

Now that you can’t snooze, it’s important to set your alarm the right way. You might be thinking “I just pick a time on my phone, right? How complicated is that?” It’s not complicated, but it does require a bit more thought.

Pick your time thoughtfully.

When you’re wanting to start a new morning routine it can be tempting to go all out and try to get up at 5 am. Sorry to burst your bubble, but if you typically wake up at 7 am, 5 am isn’t going to happen.

Pick a time that’s realistic for you, but still pushing yourself a bit. Let’s say you do get up at 7 am but you want more time in the morning. Try 6:45 am for the first couple of days, then when that gets easy try 6:30 am. Keep gradually waking up earlier, and soon enough you’ll be waking up at 5 am like you want.

Make sure you’re going to bed with enough time to get your sleep in. Waking up earlier is going to be incredibly difficult if you didn’t go to bed at a good time. I made this post that explains why you need sleep and how to get it.

You’ve picked your time, now pick your alarm.

I like to wake up to music, and in particular I like something that starts with a bang. I Love It by Icona Pop was my go-to wakeup song for a long time. It starts LOUD and has a great energy to it.

If you don’t like waking up to music, you can always pick a preset from your phone. I would advise going with something louder rather than soft. I don’t know about you, but windchimes won’t wake me up in the morning.

There’s also a multitude of apps that you can use to wake yourself up. Some make you do puzzles or math problems before dismissing them. This would be a good option if you know you’re just going to dismiss it and roll over.

There’s also the good ole standby, an alarm clock. Some people prefer setting their alarm clock (or phone) across the room from where they sleep. That way they have to get up to turn it off.

Try a few different methods and find what works for you.

Get Out of Bed

Next step: get out of bed. Seems easy enough, but this is the hardest step of them all. When you feel snug as a bug in a rug, sleepy, and warm, you don’t want to get out of bed! Cue Veruca Salt stomping her foot.

Well you have to. This goes back to setting your intentions, but once that alarm goes off you’ve got to will yourself to get up.

There’s not a lot I can say on this one, because it’s all up to you. It’s straight willpower and determination. Picture Shia LeBeouf yelling “JUST DO IT” at you. Then do it, of course.

Pick Your Habits, Start Small

So now you’re up. You may not be happy about it, but you’re up. What’s next?

This part is up to you to decide. Why did you want to get up early in the first place? What habits are you wanting to form?

I would suggest picking 2-5 habits you want to do every day (or almost every day). Start small. Don’t have a whole checklist of 20 items you must do before you eat breakfast.

My routine looks like this:

Bathroom time (Wash my face, brush my teeth, etc.)
Quick stretch session
Get dressed
Take my meds
Make my coffee
Write in my planner

Pretty simple right? It’s what I’ve found works for me on an every day basis. I’m prepared for my day, and ready to get to it. After all that it’s time for me to wake up my kids, then the day really begins.

Some other ideas for your routine might include:

Exercising
Meditating
Doing a daily devotional
Journaling
Clearing your inbox

You probably have several of your own that you’re wanting to try, so start there and move forward.

A cup of coffee is a great way to start your morning routine.

Be Prepared For Your Morning Routine

If you’re planning on exercising in the morning, it’s important to put everything you need out the night before. This means having your shoes ready to go, your TV set up for the exercise video, or whatever else you might need.

Same with meditation or a devotional. Put whatever you’ll use out where you can easily get started without a lot of setup at the last minute.

Get Going

As a final note, make sure you aren’t putting too many items in your routine. Especially in the beginning. Start with one or two new ones, and go from there. As you wake up earlier, you’ll have more time, and therefore be able to do more of what you want.

Now you have several tips to help you wake up for your morning routine. It can be hard to start at first, and you’ll probably have to play around with what works for you, but it’ll be rewarding once you get the habit down.

How did you sleep last night?

How many hours did you get? Do you feel rested today?

The National Sleep Foundation says the average adult needs 7-9 hours of sleep a night. Is that what you got last night?

If not, then you are a part of the 1 in 3 Americans who get less than the optimum amount of sleep.

*Sleep is important for you to function.*

Why Does That Matter?

Sleep is important for a multitude of reasons. Lack of sleep can cause fatigue, lowered immune system, and hunger pangs, to name a few.

When you’re tired, you’re more likely to make poor decisions, like grabbing that extra donut at work. I find that it’s easier to order out when I don’t have the energy to cook, but I don’t always make the best choices when I do so.

Not resting enough can also cause hunger pangs, and you’ll find yourself grabbing a late night snack when you should be in bed.

Sleep and Weight Loss

Did you know losing sleep can also cause your metabolism to get out of whack? The University of Chicago did a study on sleep, and found that not getting enough can cause your insulin levels to go off the rails.

When your insulin isn’t regulating properly, you end up holding on to fat cells that your body would otherwise let go of. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to hold on to extra fat cells!

Sleep is also important for repairing muscles that you used while working out. And resting throughout the night is when your body works on digesting your food.

Sleep and Motivation

Ever feel super tired and you just don’t want to get that workout in? *Insert cheesy announcer voice* “Sleep can help!”

If you’re well rested, you’ll take the time to take care of your body. I mentioned eating out earlier, but if you have the energy, you’ll be more likely to cook healthy options at home.

Staying on track with your goals is much easier when you have the energy to do so.

*Tossing and turning all night? You need better sleep habits.*

So, What’s My One Big Mistake?

You aren’t getting enough sleep!

How to tell if you need more sleep:

Do you wake up feeling groggy and can’t get going throughout the day.

You just HAVE to have that morning coffee, or the lunch and afternoon one too.

Find yourself needing your afternoon nap to function into the evening.

You feel “brain fog” while trying to keep up with your daily routine.

You’re just exhausted and lacking energy.

How Do I Get Good Sleep, and How Can You?

There are a few strategies I like for getting more sleep. They’ve always worked for me, and I believe they’ll help you too.

Beds are for sleeping.

My psychiatrist has always told his patients that “Beds are for sleeping, and “extra-curricular activities” only.” What does that mean?

Only use your bed for sleeping or sex. A lot of people like to wind down with a bit of TV time in the bedroom, but that can confuse your body. We don’t even have a TV in our bedroom!

When my body lays in bed it knows it’s time to sleep. Now this isn’t an option for everyone (some use their bedroom as the hub of the house), but I’ve found it immensely helpful to get the TV out and designate the bed for sleeping.

It’s also a good idea to make sure you enjoy your bed. Get yourself a nice pillow that’s comfortable, a set of good sheets, and darken the room as much as you can.

Put down the electronics.

This is one I still struggle with, but almost everyone will tell you to not use any electronics for the last hour before you sleep.

The blue light is stimulating for your mind. That stimulation makes it hard to shut down after you get wound up. It’s also been show to inhibit melatonin, which is the hormone that helps you sleep.

Some ways around this are to put your phone into a night mode (iPhones call it Night Shift and Androids call it Night Light), or buy blue light blocking glasses. I have a pair that I love, and I do remember to wear them most nights.

Watch your caffeine intake.

This one is not fun, but you have to watch how many of those tasty lattes you’re having. I try to limit myself to one 8 oz cup of coffee a day (I have a weakness for cold brew), but sometimes I need some pep in the afternoon and I’ll have another.

If you decide to have coffee in the afternoon, make sure you cut it off several hours before bed. I go down at 9:30 pm, so I make sure I don’t have caffeine later than 4 pm. Sodas and some teas count for caffeine as well, so be mindful of those.

Limiting your caffeine intake is a great way to drink more water!

Make yourself a sleep schedule.

This is the most important piece of advice I can give: set a schedule and stick to it.

For the past 10 years I have stuck to a fairly strict sleep schedule. Excluding a few variations, my schedule has stayed the same.

I go to bed every night at 9:30 pm. No matter what (within reason). There have been times I’ve peaced out on game nights just to get in bed at the right time. All of our friend’s just expect it now.

Going to bed at the same time each night almost guarantees that I wake up at 6:30 am. That’s a consistent 9 hours of sleep, which is my sweet spot.

I wake up feeling rested and refreshed, usually a couple minutes before my alarm. Some days I might wake up a bit slower than others. After a long day that’s to be expected.

Why?

My psychiatrist is the one who suggested a sleep schedule, and it’s a small part of Social Rhythm therapy. This therapy has been proven extremely effective for bipolar patients. The rest of the therapy is centered around taking your medications at the same times (I do) and eating meals at the same times (I can’t quite get that one down).

Even if you’re not bipolar, I can say with certainty that your body can benefit from a schedule. Humans are creatures of habit, and our circadian rhythm works best when it’s actually a rhythm!

I’ve had my kids on strict sleep schedules from almost birth, and they were both consistently sleeping through the night before 6 months old (my daughter at 10 weeks!). Bodies need a schedule, then they naturally know what to do.

You won’t get on a schedule overnight, and it might even take a while to adjust. There are also a few factors that can make a routine difficult (jobs, kids, social engagements), but trying to set one can be very beneficial in your journey.

*Scheduling sleep will help you achieve your goals.*

Setting A Schedule

Pick your times.

It’s easy to know what time you need to wake up, so count back from there and pick a time to go down. You might have to play around with how long you’ll need to sleep, but just feel it out and find out what works.

Start your routine with enough time to stay on schedule.

It takes me about 30 minutes to get ready for bed, so I start it at 9 pm. If you don’t leave yourself enough time for your routine, then you won’t get to sleep on time.

Get in bed and stay in bed.

The first few night of trying to fall asleep (and stay asleep) will probably be difficult. If you wake up in the middle of the night make sure you don’t turn to your phone or a book. You’ll just stimulate your mind further and have trouble falling back to sleep. If you really must do either of those, then make sure you get out of bed to do so. Bed = sleep only

Stay with it ALL the time.

This means no sleeping in on the weekends, I know it’s a bummer. You have to consistently follow the routine if you want your body to adjust. Soon enough you’ll find yourself popping out of bed on Sunday morning with no problem!

Go Forth and Sleep

So, we talked about the importance of sleep, we talked about how it can benefit you, and how to achieve it. I hope this post will help you out, and I hope you’ll feel more rested.

How To Wake Up Early For Your Morning Routine