So we’ve all seen the influencers waking up at 5am and living through an entire day before breakfast, right? Well, I’ve never been the type of girl to wake up that early unless I reallyyy had to. Can you relate?
My take on the morning routine includes ridiculously simple steps that anyone can do, no matter how busy you might be. And not only that, I have come up with ways to actually motivate yourself to do those tasks.
I swear, it sounds incredibly simple but it will boost your productivity and change how you feel throughout the day. How do I know this? Because this is the format I use almost (let’s be real) every morning and let me tell you – I feel the best and most productive when I actually follow it.
Now, if you’re the type of person who wants to go to the gym right out of bed and run a 10k on the treadmill, props to you! That is amazing, and you should do what feels best for your mind and body.
On the other hand, if you’re like me and like a slower morning, You want to feel refreshed and awake without it feeling overwhelming or making you feel too tired to work the rest of the day. You also probably want something that you know you can stay consistent with.
So, with that in mind, I created this easy 7 step morning ritual a few years ago, and have been following it since.
Here’s my simple morning ritual to set a good rhythm for your day:
1. Quick stretch
Listen, I personally believe that there’s a difference between waking up and getting up. You can wake up naturally but one way to actually get yourself out of bed is by putting your feet on the ground and moving your body.
I like spending 5 minutes doing simple stretches in my room to wake myself up and get my blood flowing. I like to think of stretching from head to toe:
- Start with head rolls to relax your neck. I do 4 on each side, but feel free to adjust based on how you feel.
- Next, roll your shoulders to the back and to the front, 4 times each. Add your arms and make big circles to the back and to the front, 4 times each.
- Then, reach down to your toes and relax your body to let gravity lengthen your spine. There’s no need to strain yourself with this. Make sure you’re breathing, and bend your knees twice with your body down, then roll up, one vertebrae at a time until you’re back to standing straight.
- To finish it off, stretch your arms, legs, and whatever else you feel you need.
2. Water
Ok, so this is practically common knowledge at this point – you need to drink water when you wake up. After 6 to 8 (or however many hours) of sleeping, dreaming about conversations that you wish you could’ve had a better comeback to, and not drinking any water, our bodies are most likely dehydrated. But a lot of people (including myself) can sometimes forget, unless there is something to trigger your mind to actually drink the water.
My tip: I keep a glass of water on my nightstand the night before, so that I can get my stretching in and hydrate before I even leave my bedroom. I recommend getting this pitcher and glass because it’s cute and functional!
3. Skincare and brush teeth
Skincare is one of my favorite rituals and such a nice way to feel awake and refreshed! My go-to cleanser is this fresh soy gel cleanser. You can check out my full skincare routine and my favorite go-to products here.
While you’re at it, keep those teeth clean! Brushing your teeth is also a way to wake you up so two birds, one stone!
4. Morning vitamin
This step can involve taking your vitamins, any medications you need to take, or for some of you ladies, take that birth control as part of your daily routine.
I usually take an iron supplement and sip on water with lemon for this step!
5. Plan and review
You know who says “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail”? Yes, Taylor Swift! Along with many other entrepreneurs and successful adults.
I 100% believe that planning out your day can significantly boost your productivity and reduce anxiety throughout your day. My checklist includes:
- Open your planner and scan through what you wrote yesterday
- Make a list of tasks you need to complete that day.
- Plan out the day including tasks that you wrote down in the second step. Block out the time to do important things, even if you think you can just do them “when you have the time” Because let’s face it – “the time” usually comes later than you want it to.
6. Get coffee (obvi)
Every morning is a different kind of caffeine morning so sometimes I’d have a simple iced latte, other times I’d have tea with milk, and on occasion, I’ll have a nice chai latte!
Recently, I’ve been drinking this collagen coffee and have been LOVING IT! Not only does it make your skin glow and your hair stronger, it tastes like nothing so it’s an insanely easy way to add a little boost to your daily coffee. Try it out for yourself here.
7. Aaand get to work!
Whether you’re still in school, have a 9-5 job, or working on your own schedule, these steps are sooo simple, you can implement them into your schedule starting tomorrow.
And if you’re completely lost in life right now, or feel like the universe is working against you, making sure that you at least complete these steps can help you feel a sense of accomplishment and maybe even motivate you to get out and do something productive.
Here on The Caffeine Canvas, I’m here to give you my personal tips and tricks to get your sh*t organized and live a happier, healthier life. I believe in you!
With love,
your caffeinated friend
