I am not a morning person, but I am also not a night owl. Basically, I just like to sleep. A lot.
Waking up early on the weekday to make my life a smidge easier was never something I could accomplish. I would stick with my routine for maybe two days, and then completely go back on my promise to myself.
Finally, I came to the realization that I don’t treat myself well. I will bend over backwards and go out of my way for anyone, but never for myself. I hurt myself sometimes trying to fulfill my promises to other people, but here I am, breaking promises to myself every other day.
This realization was a wake-up call. Especially because my stress levels are actually deteriorating my health.
How am I supposed to value myself when I treat myself like garbage?
I finally sat down and thought about what I want to accomplish in the mornings, and how much time I need for those tasks.
On a weekday, I want to be out by 8:15 a.m., and I want to give myself time to do my hair and makeup. Since blogging is my second, I want to be able to work on my blog some in the morning.
In my opinion, you need to start your day with some mindfulness and cleanliness. If you start the day taking care of yourself, you will have more power to take care of other people.
In addition to what I wanted, I had to be honest about why I was having such a problem in the morning.
For starters, I didn’t feel rested. I chalk that up to sleeping with the TV on and having my phone out before bed. Immediately, I knew this was something I had to stop. My nighttime routine has changed due to this.
I also knew I didn’t feel prepared in the mornings. I added some nightly prep work to help me get through my morning.
And lastly, it was me. I was dreading the day, and I needed to seek a positive outlook despite my depression and anxiety. This I did by adopting this mantra, “Say Yikes and Move On.” Seriously, when something irritates me, I internally make myself say “yikes” and then move on.
This isn’t a skill I have perfected, but I must say, I have made some progress.
So without further ado here is my morning routine:
The Prep Work
Before I go to bed every night, I make sure I have my bag ready for the next day. I make sure I have my gym bag packed, book, laptop and anything else I need for the next day ready to go. I also pick out my work clothes for the next day and wear something comfortable to work out in the morning.
6:15 a.m. Wake Up and Work Out
I wanted to bake in some exercise to my morning routine. Before I moved to my house, I would wake up in the morning and go on a walk. In Texas, it would get too hot to do this, and I would end up giving up on the idea altogether.
My sister bought an exercise bike, so I like to bike for 15 minutes on one day, and the next day do a total body workout. I like to do some squats, crunches and other fun stuff to get my heart rate up.
6:30 a.m. Shower and Self Care
After working out, I take a quick shower and take care of my skin. I use a gentle cleanser, toner, eye filler, serum and a light moisturizer with SPF in the mornings.
6:50 a.m. Makeup
I put on my makeup so quickly with my current routine, so this only takes about 10 minutes.
7 a.m. Get Dressed
This is a quick one, but before I start focusing on blog stuff, I like to be dressed for the day.
7:10 a.m. Meditate
Okay, it took me a long time to get on board meditating. I like to meditate at night before sleep, but it was so hard for me to get out of my own head during the day. Dedicating 5 minutes of my day to breath has changed my life!
7:15 a.m. Plan the Day’s Social
Before I go to my TV job, I like to make sure all of my social posts are ready for the day. I try to post 1-2 times on Instagram a day, and I like to make sure I am active on Facebook.
On Wednesdays (or post days), I make sure everything is ready to go live for the blog.
7:45 a.m. Look Over My Agenda and Drink Some Water
I am an actual girl boss, so there are days where I am in meetings all day. I like to dedicate some time to take in what I will be doing for the day, and I take a big gulp of water at the same time.
Nothing like mentally preparing for the day while hydrating.
Conclusion
With this routine, I lost an hour and a half of sleep, but I gained some footing to start my day. Once I realized the value of setting myself straight before I walked out the door, it was easier for me to get up early.
The main thing here is if you make a promise to yourself, keep it.
