Morning routine: How to develop one that ACTUALLY works

Let’s get something straight: there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to creating morning routines. Actually, there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to anything but today we’re talking about morning routines. 

You might be able to adopt the morning routine of someone you follow, or you might not. And that’s completely fine. Quite frankly, it’s perfectly alright that you can’t stick to a dedicated rigid routine either. 

As a busy mom of two boys, trust me, I know how difficult it is to stick to a routine. However, it is important for you to try and develop some sort of morning routine as a mom because it does make your life easier and it does make some things flow much more smoothly.

Related read: What Is A Routine? Why Are Routines Important?

Plus it saves you a lot of screaming sessions with your kids if they have some sort of an idea of what happens next. Hurray for sanity!

Read UnitedCuties’ article on 10 Best Morning Routines for Success for some ideas to work into your own morning routine.

When trying to develop a morning routine, there are a few things that are imperative. Today I’ll share a few tips with you for how to develop a morning routine that works for YOU. 

Tip #1: Be realistic with your expectations

I know I am guilty of this one – having unrealistic expectations. I go on Pinterest or Youtube and I watch all these other super productive moms share their “#1 tip” or their “secret” to creating a morning routine. 

I  read the blogs and watch the videos of moms showing their routines and I get super pumped and motivated to try it. I manage to stick to it for a day or two and then I’m back to where I started: chaotic mornings. 

Everyone is stressed because I’m stressed because we’re running out of time and I need to set up for class now, but Skai’s still not ready for school and Josh still hasn’t had breakfast, and Tee is still asleep because he worked late but I have to wake him if I’m gonna pull off getting the kids ready before teaching my first class at 8:00 a.m. DEEP BREATH — EXHALE…

Of course, I start feeling bad about myself because I really want to develop some sort of structure and some sort of order in my mornings. This is why it is important to understand that there is no one-size-fits-all. My family dynamic, circumstances, and needs are very different from other mothers. We are all unique in one way or another. 

When you set your expectations unrealistically, you are bound to be disappointed. So instead of setting your expectations to “do like [insert mom here] does”, try setting it to “just ensure [insert realistic thing here] gets done”. 

In my case, it’s to pack Skai’s bag and get him ready for school by 7:30.  In a future post, I will share my morning routine with you in case you can draw inspiration from it so keep an eye out for that.

Tip #2: Understand that it takes time to develop a routine that works for your family

Again, I was guilty here. Piggybacking off tip number 1, my expectations were very unrealistic in the past: thinking that I could just develop a new morning routine that would stick in just a few days or in a week or two. Surprise, surprise! You cannot change years of habit – or lack thereof – in just a couple of weeks. 

Also, in my case, it’s multiple people. It’s easy to think “I’m just developing my morning routine”, but in reality, mine is a family of four so I’m trying to change the morning habits of four people all at once! 

Naturally, that is going to take time. Synchronizing everyone’s rhythm – especially when this wasn’t established from day one – is an arduous task. It takes time.

Tip #3: Understand that your life is constantly changing and as a result, you must be constantly adapting

This is probably the Achilles heel of most women trying to develop a new morning routine. A “routine” assumes you’ll be doing a set list of tasks in a certain order day after day right? That in itself is the paradox. With our busy lives constantly changing, our routines should also do the same. 

If you have young kids, for example, you might be able to successfully do certain things: brush your teeth, make your bed, wake everyone up.

But sadly, you won’t always get to do everything you set as part of your routine and as your life continuously changes, your needs will change too. 

Changing needs equals changing habits. Changing habits equals changing routines. I can’t tell you how many times over the past year my morning routine has changed. Thankfully, now I finally have a routine that gets everyone off to a smooth-ish start in the mornings. A smooth-ish start equals positive energies. Positive energies equal the right start to the day.

Morning routine tip #4: Be flexible

Naturally – piggybacking on the previous point – things won’t always go as smoothly as planned. And that’s okay. Sometimes you’re gonna have to skip breakfast, or skip that morning shower.

Just be sure to take that shower at some point during the day, or before going to bed. Remember in my post about maintaining vaginal health and keeping the vagina clean, I talked about the importance of washing daily.

You might have to settle for an on-the-go breakfast, like a breakfast smoothie, instead of a sit-down breakfast. But that’s okay as long as you get your nutrients in.

Back to the point at hand.  Flexibility is a necessary part of developing a morning routine that works for you.  If your routine is too rigid, you’re going to drive yourself nuts when you inevitably miss one item on the agenda or when you have to move an item or two around.

Each day comes with its own challenges. Being flexible allows us to bravely take them on without crumbling to a million pieces.

Last but not least, Tip #5: Identity what’s important to you

Last but not least, you have to identify what’s most important to you. Is it meditating for five minutes? Reading your Bible? Ten minutes of yoga? Twenty minutes of cardio? Or is it just getting the kids out the door by a certain time?

If you want to develop a morning routine that is realistic and that actually works for you – one you can actually stick to – then you have to identify the key element in the routine.  Everything else should be planned around that. 

For me, my number one goal is getting my toddler out the door and off to daycare by 7:30 so if I wake at 7:00 guess what my focus will be? Hair, getting dressed – even making breakfast – everything else waits until he’s out the door. Once he’s off to daycare, I can do the other things over the course of the day.

When you’ve identified what’s the most important part of your morning for you – the one thing that if it’s not done can throw off your whole day – then it becomes a lot easier for you to realistically create and stick to a routine.

All in all…

Morning routines are great. They help us to set up our days. If you get your morning off to a great start, chances are, you’re gonna have a much more positive attitude throughout your day. But we have to ensure that we are realistic about our expectations while choosing what’s most important and remembering to be flexible.

What is your morning like? What tips would you share for developing a morning routine? How did you develop your current routine? Share your thoughts in the comments below. I love to hear from my readers?. 

You can also join the discussion in my Facebook group of other amazing women! Remember sharing is caring so pin it, tweet it, whatever you do just share this post.

Thanks all for your support!

-Cheers! ✌