We’ve all heard the advice of how transformative morning routines can be but sticking with one for the long run can sometimes feel impossible. Fortunately, we’ve had some luck in this area and have a few tips we can share to make a morning routine work for you.
Our advice is, first, make it a ritual, not a routine, meaning, forget productivity hacks and make it something that supports you and bolsters your mind, body, and spirit for the day.
Second: make it as doable as possible and choose something you enjoy. If it’s too complicated, too long, or it feels like a chore, chances are it won’t stick. It can even be as short as 30 seconds (seriously! Check out number 7 on the list!).
Here are 8 simple, doable morning rituals to help you start the day strong.
- Movement – An easy introduction to morning ritual is movement. Something as simple as 5 sun salutations when you first wake up and are still in your PJs. Or if you have favorite stretches that help wake up your body, then start there. Even just 2 minutes of movement in the morning can make a difference for your mindset during the day.
- Silence – The morning is a perfect time to fit in some seated meditation, before the day starts and your mind begins to race with to-do’s. For guided meditations we recommend the Insight Timer App which allows you to set your own timer with background noises or choose from free guided meditation from teachers like Thich Nhat Hanh, Sharon Salzberg, and Mooji. A 5 or 10 minute session can help you feel grounded for the day ahead.
- Mantra – If silence doesn’t work for you but you still want the benefits of meditation, mantra can be a great option, even for just 5 minutes. It gives your mind something to focus on, something to do rather than running totally wild. You can try out a simple mantra like “So hum” from Kriya Yoga or “Om Mani Padme Hum” from the Buddhist tradition. Simply repeat the phrase and allow yourself to focus on the sounds and the vibration of your voice in your chest and throat. If you prefer a more melodic version, Spotify has plenty of mantra playlists for you to sing and chant along with.
- Morning pages – For some people it’s helpful to take everything that’s in their mind and get it out before they start the day. Morning pages is a strong practice from Julia Cameron’s “The Artist’s Way” to help you do just that. Wake up, open your journal, and just start writing. Aim for three pages, longhand. It’ll help you clear your mind, process emotions, and start to unlock creativity.
- Intention setting – Intentions help us bring our values into focus and bring about the day we want to have. Before diving into the day, ask yourself what quality do you want to bring to the day, what is most important to me, how do I want to feel? Identify it and write it down. Writing it down in a dedicated notebook every morning can help solidify it for yourself and makes it more likely to stick with you throughout the day.
- Visualization – Similar to intention-setting, visualization is a powerful tool to help us influence our future. It could be visualizing how you want your day to unfold or a particular challenge (like a presentation) you know you’ll face that day. Or it could be picturing a larger life goal you have in mind. Mike Dooley has some great resources around this. A great tip from him is to limit this to 4 minutes a day for maximum effectiveness.
- Affirmations – This is one of our favorites, and honestly it’s the fastest and maybe even most effective! If you have affirmations that are important to you, find a way to say them to yourself every morning. It could be before you get out of bed, or in a quiet moment while you drink your coffee. If you’re new to affirmations, a quick search on Pinterest or Instagram can give you inspiration (and this resource from Louise Hay has some great ones). The idea is to create a positive statement about yourself or the world, such as “I am in perfect health,” or “I am whole.”
- Art – This one is a bit unique. But if you are artistically inclined – painting, music, crafting, etc. – and it’s not part of your day-to-day routine already, it can be a really nice way to start the day with something meaningful that’s just for you.
To try one of these out we recommend sticking with it for 40 days. Once the 40 days are up, take a step back and reflect. Ask yourself, is this practice serving me or am I serving it? There’s no point in sticking with something that doesn’t support you. Throw it out and try something that resonates with you more or better supports the season of life you’re in.