How many of us have scrolled through YouTube, Pinterest, or any other sites to find the best routine that isn’t too tiresome but also is productive and aesthetically pleasing?
Which feels royal but also doesn’t ask you to wake up at 4 a.m.
Which incorporates all self-care habits and yet doesn’t feel too much.
Which makes us jump out of bed and yet feels refreshing.
You get my point.
We all as humans always want perfection with the least bit of effort possible to attain it.
And spiral through the process of searching for a new type of morning routine every week.
Monday is going to be life-changing…… Maybe next month onwards, maybe tomorrow?
No matter how flexible the schedule is made by our ideals, it won’t cater to our specific needs around 80 percent of the time! And that’s also a fact, we all know.
Thus, we do adjust it to our liking, don’t we?
Then where do we go wrong?
Why do we quit after a few days? Why does it feel like an additional chore that we add our to do list? Why does it not make us feel productive, fulfilled, energetic, etc.?
LETS TAKE MY EXAMPLE:
Just like you all, every time I get super energetic or am in a good mood, wanting to change my entire life completely.. over a night, I watch all sorts of “MY MORNING ROUTINE” videos on YouTube. By today I would have seen thousands of different routines, only to wake up half an hour before time and rush to work.
So, I wondered if I was alone in this.
Obviously no, people advertising their morning routines also don’t follow it to the “T” every day. It is just a thought, reality molds it accordingly.
My ideal routine would look like this:
Waking up at 5 am, maintaining a dream journal and a regular journal, exercising for an hour, studying for 2 hours, meditating, reading a self-help book or anything to my liking for a while, cooking my favorite healthy breakfast, working on the side hustle for a while, enjoying a cup of tea (with no hurry or rush), getting ready lavishly and going off to work.
As you can see, it is possible, doable, looks productive, and pleasing. However, we can also see why it might become a chore for every morning.
I would wake up, wanting to tick all these boxes before my actual morning starts. Or what If I couldn’t sleep for whatever reason the previous night, on time? Waking at 5, in that scenario would just make it worse.
So, what is the solution you ask?
Here are some practical tips to make yourself a beautiful morning routine and stick to it without much strain: ( Don’t worry it won’t take more than 5 minutes to do 😉 )
- Start by asking your BIG WHY’s
No, no… It ain’t the typical advice you hear on reels these days! It is important to know why you want a morning routine – yes, but most times the answers are pretty simple. I want more time, productivity, a slow enjoyable start, self-care time, etc, etc..
The important part is what are your 3 or 4 non-compromisable habits that you want to incorporate in your mornings, without fail, AND WHY?
For example: I want to include exercise, meditation, and reading to be my noncompromisable habits, no matter when or how I wake up – 5 am or 10 am.. For you it could be as simple as, making your bed as soon as you wake up, listening to your favourite songs or affirmations, spending time with your family, working on your side hustle, dancing, etc.
If you are like me, you might have an endless list of things to incorporate into your daily morning routine, habits, or rituals. But choose 3 to 4, wisely, and know your reasons. If you simply pick these habits without knowing why you chose them in the first place, you WILL lose interest soon.
I am not saying, we would only be doing these 3 or 4 things, I mean to say that we will do these without fail, and if time/mood/health permits, we do the rest of the things on our list at our own accord.
- ROUTINE SOUNDS BORING
Now, that you know your non – negotiables, let’s move on to the next part.
Again, speaking for myself – Routines bore me, they scare me. They sound too monotonous and feel like a chore to do as soon as you leave your bed. And if it is just an extra fancy add-on to my long TO DO list of the day, I might as well not do it and sleep extra hours, isn’t it?
So how to make your routines fun?
Because let’s be honest, nothing seems more fun than sleeping in, in this fast-paced world, isn’t it?
- The first thing I want us all to do, is change its name – Call it whatever sounds fun to you; A habit, ritual, style, favourite time of day, me time, self-love, etc. Get more creative than I could right now, if you want! Have fun! (This little step will help you change your attitude towards your mornings and you might look forward to it, rather than dreading it! Mindset is everything guys!)
- Secondly, you don’t have to stick to the same non-negotiable throughout your entire life, get flexible, and give yourselves some room to breathe. Don’t be too harsh on yourself. Treat yourself like you treat a cute child! By this I mean, either keep some backup non-negotiables on days when you feel bored or not up to doing those things you chose before, or keep switching those non-negotiables every few weeks, months, etc. Doing so will help you be excited about a new thing every day and also make you feel productive, happy, and proud of yourself for making the most out of your mornings.
- Lastly, do not copy. Please, it is a gentle reminder to all, do not copy someone’s routine or habits, in the exact same manner. Pick what resonates with you and mold it your way accordingly. That’s the way to get creative and have fun, so you can enjoy these non-negotiables and your self-care list. For example, if I like to incorporate exercise into my routine, it doesn’t have to be yoga, just because the video or a blog says it so… it could be going to the gym, or a Zumba class, or running in the open, dancing, swimming and the list goes on… Choose what your body, mind and soul resonates with and what benefits you the most. Just like weightlifting during your periods won’t be a wise thing, but a light yoga or a walk could do the trick!
- Make it TANGIBLE
SO, we chose our habits, we made it fun, now what?
Now is the time to make it tangible and find ways to stick with it!
Now is the time to bring out your planner, a piece of paper, or your phone/laptop, whichever sounds convenient. And yes, please write your goals, lists, rituals, habits, whatever you chose to call it – in that paper, planner or your phone app. Make it tangible. Make it something you can see, touch or feel. You don’t necessarily have to tick those things every single day. But have it where you can see it. Make It real. This helps you to be clear about what you want and also holds you accountable.
Now that your routine is fixed – and – flexible.
Time to stick to it.
- Ways to Stick to your routine
We all know very well how to feel guilty or punish ourselves or all together give everything up if something goes wrong.
But I want us to forgive, try and repeat!
That’s gonna be your mantra – Forgive, Try & Repeat!
Forgive yourself if you miss a day, don’t quit, see what didn’t work, make changes and try to stick. Repeat the same, even if you fail every single day. See what goes wrong, and make the next morning better.
Mistakes/Failures are the only things that will help you figure out what your IDEAL routine should look like!! No video or advice can do the same, it’s this – trial and error method.
Now, I’m not asking you to make this a boring, tedious job to do, every morning. It would hardly take you 2 minutes to figure out what went wrong and fix it by either deleting or adding something in that planner. And you are good to go..
Here are few pointers that might help you along the way:
- Your morning depends on what time you go to bed the previous night, try making a commitment to go to bed around the same time on most days – doesn’t matter if its 12 am.
- Sticking to your morning routines must be made enjoyable – download some pretty, cute or fun apps that might help you stick to these goals.
- Have One Particular goal or task, that makes you jump out of the bed in excitement. I recently discovered that – writing these blogs is that one thing for me.
- Make your “work to do list” post your morning self care, this way you might wake up just for your mornings alone and not for that meeting or a presentation you have later that day.
- Make it fancy or something you admire, buy that fancy coffee mug or a yoga mat or simply a new book pdf to read the following morning. Keep that inner child excitement at its peak! Remember how we woke up on the days we had a School picnic or a trip with our parents, without any alarm or help?
- My final advice would be to set an Intention, like I said, mindset is everything. Right before going to bed, tell yourself, God, universe, or anyone you believe in, to wake you up on time and to help you achieve your goal – get your mornings right! Start your mornings on a happy, positive, and delightful note for the rest of the day to follow the same!
- Give yourself time, love, and peace. You Got this!
LASTLY,
DON’T GET ME WRONG, I STILL LOVE TO WATCH MORNING ROUTINE VIDEOS.. It’s one of the motivating things I do before going to bed on days I am trying to restart my mornings with a new routine or style or habits!
I hope, all your mornings turn out to be as beautiful as you all are! Thank you for reading so far! I hope this blog helps you get that nudge you require to either restart or keep on going with your morning intentions!!
See you in my next blog! I have a lot more to say on this topic, do let me know if you want to read more on it…
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