Morning routines are growing in popularity for many reasons, but oftentimes the advice isn’t adaptable to your lifestyle, which is why I use a Minimalist Morning Routine.
Practicing minimalism within my morning routine has given my mornings and days purpose, clarity, and freedom. The difference is honestly night and day between the lack of my morning routine to implementing a Minimalist Morning Routine.
Having a Minimalist Morning Routine is not about waking up hours before the sun or trying to get all of your work done before the day starts.
What is a Minimalist Morning Routine?
Since a Minimalist Morning Routine doesn’t focus on waking up several hours before the sun or trying to get everything done before your day even starts, what is it?
A Minimalist Morning Routine is a routine where you intentionally do things that help you wake up, nourish your mind, body, and soul, and prepare you for the amazing day at hand.
It isn’t about doing twenty things before you start work for the day or doing all the things “successful people” do in their morning routines.
Defining “successful people” is subjective anyway. It can mean thousands of things to thousands of people.
The important thing is to ensure that you do things that make you feel like a success before starting your day. When you finish your Minimalist Morning Routine, you should feel confident, grounded, and ready to take on your day.
Is a morning routine necessary? Why?
If you want to improve upon the person you are today, then yes, it is necessary.
If you don’t care whether or not you grow and improve yourself, well, yes, it is still necessary.
Why?
Because human beings want to live with purpose. We want to feel important, wanted, and cared for, but what we don’t often realize is that we can give that to ourselves first every morning.
Even with a 10-minute morning routine, we can dramatically affect how we show up every day, which results in enjoying life more.
I’m not sure about you, but regardless of whether I’m trying to improve myself or not, I want to enjoy my life. If you tell me that even 10 minutes in the morning can do that, I’m signing up for it!
The benefits of a Minimalist Morning Routine
All morning routines have benefits to them, but a Minimalist Morning Routine is extra special. This is because you are focusing on self-love before anything else.
Sometimes we have to be intentional with loving ourselves, and starting the morning off with this intention will help you continue to love yourself throughout the day.
Here are my favorite benefits of a Minimalist Morning Routine:
1 // You set the tone for your day
You get to decide what kind of day you’re going to have. If you want to feel confident or mindful, you get to decide that during your morning routine.
2 // You get to know yourself
When you focus on nourishing your mind, body, and soul, you take the time to get to know yourself. You see how you feel loved, fulfilled, rested, etc. It isn’t the same for everyone, which is what I enjoy most about my routine.
3 // Being mindful of your morning routine carries over into the rest of your day
When you start your day intentionally, the rest of the day progresses the same. You show up for yourself completely differently when you have a morning routine.
It is hard for your life to remain the same when you focus on being mindful.
4 // Build confidence
Starting your day off with a few small wins builds confidence. If you start with making your bed, you’re telling yourself that you complete things, and you continue that throughout your day.
After a while, you will be able to see the difference in yourself, and it is a great feeling!
5 // You give yourself a reason to be excited
When you create a morning routine that you’re excited about, you give yourself a reason to look forward to the next day.
You sleep better and overall experience more joy than when you aren’t excited about something in the near future.
A Minimalist Morning Routine starts the night before
That’s right! The key to any morning routine is starting the night before so that you can prepare the next day.
Here are the few things I personally do to ensure my next day is successful:
- Plan the next day’s tasks
- Clean the kitchen and schedule the dishwasher
- Plan the next day’s outfit
- Wash and moisturize my face
- Name 3 things I’m grateful for that happened that day
- Read a book for 15-20 minutes
- Listen to calming instrumental music
All of these things help me feel excited for the next day and help me rest well. If I know that I can move right into my morning routine with ease because I’ve done all of these things, I stop stressing and worrying about things.
If I miss any of these things, I won’t sleep as well and may end up skipping my morning routine, which is not an option.
My Minimalist Morning Routine
My Minimalist Morning Routine includes things that move my body, wake my mind, and nourish my soul.
Since focusing on those teachings, my routine has really taken shape and helped me grow much quicker, which I’m so thankful for achieving!
Now let’s dive into my Minimalist Morning Routine!
Wake up to a gentle alarm //
My favorite way to wake up in the morning is by the sound of birds chirping and the sun rising. However, that only happens on the weekends because I enjoy waking up right before the sun during the week.
I use the Bedtime feature within the Clock App on my phone to wake me up with gentle music that gets louder the longer it plays. It is gentle and doesn’t scare me when going off in the mornings.
Having a gentle alarm in the morning that will encourage you to wake up versus snooze is very important, which is why I use this feature.
Soft stretching //
My massage therapist says that stretching is key to feeling great, especially when you work at a desk all day. She’s totally right, too! [Not that I had any doubts.]
Doing some very light yoga first thing in the morning allows my muscles to wake up and stretch out of their rested positions that may be a little cramped or ache.
Since adding this to my morning routine, I’ve felt more flexible and not in nearly the pain I was in before focusing on stretching my muscles.
Drink a glass of water //
After 6-8 hours of sleep, the first thing my body needs to do is rehydrate. I fill a glass of water before bed so that when I wake up in the mornings and finish stretching, I can grab it and hydrate my body.
I don’t care for really cold water, so room temperature or warm water is my go-to first thing in the morning.
Make a cup of coffee //
The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup!
I’ll be honest. I’ve been a Folger’s fan for YEARS! It is what I look forward to most in the morning because it brings a hygge atmosphere into my home. I wouldn’t trade that cozy feeling for many other things in the early morning.
Take a shower //
For me, a shower establishes the day’s start, so it is important that I do this as early in the morning as possible. It is like starting with a blank slate, and that is empowering, especially when I dive into the exercises that will wake my mind.
Get ready for the day while listening to an empowering podcast //
I love listening to a podcast by Natalie Bacon or Brooke Castillo that is connected to how I want to approach my day. It doesn’t matter how many times I’ve listened to an episode because I always get different takeaways from them.
[If you choose to listen to anything during your morning routine, be sure it is something that will help you conquer your day. Be very selective and intentional with this because it is the first input of the day, and you need it to help you grow versus keep you where you are.]
Enjoy a cup of coffee //
As I mentioned above, having a cup of coffee in the morning feels so cozy and comforting to me. Being able to enjoy it slowly, without distractions, fills me with joy!
Sometimes I partner it with the next piece of my Minimalist Morning Routine, but oftentimes, I just sit and enjoy it all on its own.
Go through the mindful part of my Minimalist Morning Routine //
This has several layers to it, and I’ll touch on each one briefly. My focus right now is to grow my mindset and be more intentional with my self-love, so this part of my Minimalist Morning Routine heavily reflects that.
I start by focusing on my Impossible Goal. I write it out and think about how it will feel once I achieve it.
Next, I write about WHY this goal is important for me to achieve. I think about all the ways my life will change, how I will change, and why I want these things to change.
I don’t stop writing until I’ve come up with SEVEN reasons for WHY this goal is important to me.
One thing I’m still learning how to do is visualize my life once I’ve accomplished this goal. This is an important step because it shows you how things need to change in order for your goal to happen.
If you want me to go further into detail about this, let me know in the comments.
My favorite step is next, which is journaling! I have several different approaches for journaling, but my goal is to write a minimum of one page and not stop until I have written out everything on my mind.
The two most common approaches I use when journaling are asking my future self about a problem I’m facing [she’s pretty wise] and writing out my prayers to God. I find both very helpful.
Greet my husband //
After I finish journaling, I’m ready to greet my husband. [I normally rise before him unless he has a reason to wake up early.]
I love getting to spend 10-15 minutes talking with him before I start my workday. We typically discuss our plans for the day and how we slept. You know, old married couple conversations! haha!
Open blinds to let the natural light into my home //
With the sun trying to peek through the blinds, it is great to finally let it in my home. It wakes up the rest of the home and welcomes a powerful start to the day!
Of course, there are some days that it is dark and raining, but I still open the blinds. You never know if the sun will pop out or not, and I don’t want to miss it!
Sit down and get to work //
By this time, I’ve put the last of the coffee into my mug and am ready to start work for the day. I feel empowered, confident, and grounded.
Most importantly, I carry over everything from my morning routine into the rest of my day, which means I’m going to have a pretty darn good day!
I know that seems like a lot, but it all takes less than an hour to complete. If I cannot pour into myself an hour or so a day, how can I expect to pour into other people?
This is why my Minimalist Morning Routine is a non-negotiable for me.
Things I do NOT do in my Minimalist Morning Routine
With all that I do include in my Minimalist Morning Routine, you should know that I have a few things I definitely do not do.
1 // Check social media or email
I don’t want either of these to dictate the start of my day, so I don’t check them until I’ve finished my morning routine.
2 // Skimp on my routine
While I may try new things, I don’t skimp on my routine. You have to make time for the things that will set your day up for success, and my morning needs to have each of the things I listed within it.
I give myself permission to take a few extra minutes if I need them because that is how important it is to me.
Final Thoughts
A Minimalist Morning Routine is not about doing the bare minimum to get through your morning routine. It is about intentional exercises that will set you up for success each day.
You get to decide what to include in your Minimalist Morning Routine, so make sure it nourishes your mind, body, and soul.
Doing at least one thing for each of these will help you conquer your mornings and days like the amazing person you are!
Don’t be afraid to try new things, get outside of your comfort zone, and be adventurous with it! After all, great things happen when you get outside of your comfort zone.
Related Posts:
- My Nightly Routine that Sets Me Up for a Better Morning
- Minimalist Cleaning Routine to Maintain a Tidy Home
- A Simple Weekend Routine for a Stress-Free Week
- How to Become a Minimalist & Overcome Any Struggles
When I was working i had to get up at 4:30 am I would hit the snooze button until the last minute
The snooze button is my best and worst friend! I love having it available for when I am having a hard time waking up, but it also enables me to not get up and start my morning routine in the best way possible.
I am not a morning person either. My toddler wakes me up at 6:30 or 7, and that is hard for me. It is getting easier though and I like having lots of time before work.
Sounds like a relaxing morning. I love the idea of waking up a little earlier to do things more slowly. It’s nice to savor those quiet moments before you dive into a hectic day.
It definitely is, Cara! I prefer it to waking up barely on time and having to rush through my morning. I cannot stand feeling distraught or anxious while trying to get ready to leave for work.