The Power of a Purposeful Morning Routine & How I Personally Start My Day

Rise and shine, sweet friend…let’s talk about your morning routine! Even if you’re not a self-proclaimed “early bird” or go-getter kinda gal first thing in the AM, having a practice and plan in place is key to starting the day in a peaceful, productive, and dare I say perfect way. How you spend that first hour(ish) after the alarm goes off has the potential to provide powerful physical, mental, and emotional benefits, and is a special time I believe every woman should take advantage of.

Now the concept of a morning routine isn’tnew and I can assure you I’m not the first person to write a blog post on this topic. But while many other resources out there push 46-step plans, multitasking to the max, and biohacking tools that cost a small fortune, I’m more about the small & intentional & realistic & holistic actions that easily add up to those promised benefits…and more.

While I’m excited to share my personal morning routine – one that’s ever-evolving and slowly refining with time and trial and error – the goal here isn’t that you adopt mine, but rather you walk away with a little more inspiration and guidance as you create and cultivate yours. What (literally) gets me out of bed in the morning might not be your cup o’ tea, and that’s totally ok!

So no more snooze button! Grab your coffee (or bone broth hot chocolate *wink wink*) and let’s dive into everything you need to design a life-giving & soul-filling morning routine that works for you.

First, the benefits of a morning routine

If you’ve been looking for a sign to embrace the magic of a morning routine, this mayyyyyy just be your wake-up call (all the pun intended!). While the lure of your linen sheets and plush pillow might seem pretty dang strong, a well-crafted morning routine has advantages that are worth setting an alarm for…promise.

Energy boost. It might seem counterintuitive, but waking up and doing more can actually boost your energy. When you start your day in intentional self-care, filling your cup, and making space for things that bring you joy, excitement & vibrancy & enthusiasm are bound to follow.

Less stress. A purposeful morning spent resetting, reviving, and reclaiming your day is bound to lead to a little less stress. Rather than running around like a mad woman as soon as the alarm goes off, you can move through your AM with a little more slowness, peace, and alignment when you have a plan in place.

Magically more time. We all have the same 24 hours in a day, but mindfully setting aside space and energy for a morning routine magically creates a place for the things you once didn’t have time for. When you stop hitting snooze or scrolling social and actually spend this time smartly, the capacity for what can fit between that first morning pee and the rest of real-life exponentially expands.

#Noshame self-care. We all know the “put on your own oxygen mask first” saying, and that same reminder can and should apply to your day. When you dedicate your first minutes or hours to yourself, the following time in your other roles will be smoother and more successful. To ensure this, I hiiiiiighly recommend at least one (or two) #noshame self-care activity in your morning routine!

Allllll the brainpower. Productivity, focus, creativity, willpower, memory, confidence…research shows mental and emotional capacity improves with a morning routine. I don’t know about you, but I could always use more of the above, and increasing them by simply starting my day with intention is a no-brainer.

PS – None of ^^this^^ happens without adequate rest, so don’t forget those night routines too! While studies show waking up at the same time every day and starting it with a morning routine promotes better sleep (hellooooo circadian rhythm!), what you do at night also matters. The average adult needs about seven hours of sleep each night with the average woman requiring even more, so start by prioritizing your shut-eye and the rest will follow.

My ~realistic~ morning routine

Before I tell ya how I (typically) fill my morning, let me preface it with a few things about me –

I’m a morning person to the core – it’s when I have the most energy, the most creativity, and the most drive. Because I know this about myself, it feels natural and normal to take full advantage of when I feel and function my best.
I wake up every morning around 3 AM because this time is so, so sacred to me. The freedom…the peace…the alignment…the silence (!!!) when I’m the only one awake in the house is pure magic that I look forward to every day.
I’m useless after 7 PM (when my daughter goes to sleep) and am often starting my nighttime routine right behind her. Reading under the covers at 7:30 and closing my eyes at 8:00 is my ideal evening schedule and ultimately how I make those early mornings work in a healthy and maintainable way.
I’m an introvert and recharge by being alone. Most days I go straight from work to solo parenting and don’t get the space I need to reset and refresh. My enneagram eight tendencies (assertive, protective, and resourceful) will unapologetically fight for this necessary solo time.

Oh, and one more thing…

Many feel pressured to fill this time with something “productive” – the chores, to-do lists, obligations kinda stuff – but that leaves people hiding under the covers, and I can’t blame ‘em. My morning routine is less about getting things “done” and more about filling my cup so I can go into the rest of my day with renewed energy, peace of mind, and clarity to accomplish both the necessities and niceties of my career, health, homesteading, motherhood, marriage, and more.

ALARM CLOCK MAGIC

How you (literally) start the day can make all the difference. We were meant to wake with the sun or our own circadian rhythm, and research shows loud and repetitive alarms raise our heart rate and blood pressure, increase adrenaline and cortisol, and simply aren’t the best for our health. I personally use an 8 Sleep mattress cover which wakes me up to a gentle vibration, but an alarm clock like this one with multiple light and sounds is also a great option.

CYCLE TRACKING

I track my menstrual cycle using the Fertility Awareness Method (FAM) – not only for family planning purposes, but also so I can eat, exercise, and enjoy my day around my hormones for the most success. Every morning as soon as my alarm goes off, I roll over and take my basal body temperature (BBT) with this thermometer then plug it into my cycle tracking app.

While this may seem like a little detail, knowing my current cycle phase makes a huge difference in my morning routine and the rest of my day. My mood, energy level, productivity, creativity, appetite, and exercise capacity all change depending on where I am in my cycle, and understanding this information has changed my life.

BONE BROTH HOT COCOA

Research shows that coffee first thing in the AM really isn’t good for gut or hormone health, but mmmmmmm…ya girl loves a warm drink during her morning routine. I’ve started making bone broth hot chocolate instead – a comforting & delicious alternative that contains the fat, protein, vitamins, and minerals my body needs when first waking up. Here’s the recipe:

BONE BROTH HOT CHOCOLATE

½ cup bone broth
½ cup milk of choice (I use whole raw milk)
1 Tbs maple syrup
1 Tbs organic cocoa powder
½ Tbs tallow
1 scoop collagen powder
½ tsp vanilla
pinch of salt

Mix all the ingredients together (I personally do so the night before) then heat it on the stove in a small saucepan until it reaches your desired temperature. Bonus if you have an immersion blender – this is extra delicious when it’s frothy!

RESIST THE BLUE LIGHT

Cortisol (the stress hormone) is naturally highest in the morning to help the body wake up, and while cortisol in itself is not a bad thing, an excess amount can tip the scales to an unhealthy level. This is one of the reasons I stopped drinking coffee first thing in the morning and also why I avoid blue light for as long as possible.

Rather than scroll my phone while my bone broth hot chocolate warms up, I use that time to feed our pets and do a few minutes of stretching instead. Then when it comes time to jump on the computer and do a little writing, I make sure I always have my blue light glasses ready to go. This level of intention can make such a difference in cortisol levels (aka physical, mental, and emotional health) through the rest of the day.

OF COURSE, JOURNALING

Once my bone broth hot chocolate is ready, I sit down and spend about five minutes journaling. I was a self-proclaimed “non-journaler” for years, then realized the people I look up to, the ones I consider successful…they all journal (!!!), so I had to give it a try. Beyond the proven benefits of journaling like reduced depression and anxiety, boosted immune function, improved memory, and better sleep, I’ve also started moving through stress easier, making big life decisions faster, and am farrrrr more awake to the blessings and beauty around me.

I love the practice & positives of journaling so much that I created The Journal Club, a text message subscription that sends daily journal prompts (had written by me with words of encouragement and affirmations added in) for increased confidence, clarity, creativity, and connection in your day. If journaling is something you’d like to add to your morning routine but that blank page is just too daunting, start your 7-day free trial in The Journal Club here and begin getting journal prompts sent straight to your phone today!

TEN MINUTES OF READING

After I journal, it’s straight to ten minutes of reading. I always have three books going at once – one for self-development, another on a special interest topic, and finally a juicy fiction book for fun. My morning read is always the self-development book to kickstart my day with a little inspiration and guidance. Here’s a few I’ve particularly enjoyed recently:

WORK ON MY BIG GOALS

I do my best thinking in the morning, so between reading and when the clock tells me it’s time to workout, I use the remainder of my “me” time to work on my goals. I want Make + Manifest to be how I spend my days and provide for my family, so for me this time consists of writing blog posts, crafting weekly emails, planning out the next online course, and posting on social media (and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for being here and supporting that dream).

Most days I spend about an hour here before moving onto the next thing, and I used to think that “wasn’t enough” or “not worth it”. But then I did the math, and that adds up to seven hours a week…thirty hours a month…365 hours a year (give or take) devoted to something I’m passionate about and have found it’s 10000000% worth it.

EXERCISE

Once upon a time, I devoted two hours a day in the gym, then it went down to one when I discovered CrossFit, and now since becoming a mom, twenty to thirty minutes five days a week is what I can realistically commit to. But let me tell ya…I make sure those thirty minutes are well spent! Depending on where I am in my menstrual cycle, I could be doing anything from weightlifting to cycling or even some gentle yoga. I’ve learned exercise isn’t “all or nothing” and there’s no “enough” point. As long as you’re consistently moving your body in a way that feels good to you, you’re doing it right.

THE OBVIOUS

After I workout it’s onto the obvious – cleaning up, brushing teeth, hair and makeup, making the bed, protein rich breakfast (usually a smoothie), waking up Sloan somewhere in-between, enjoying a cup of coffee, packing my lunch, and snuggling my girl before I head out the door. So before you think I glide through my morning stress-free, [this] is where things can get a little chaotic. But because I’ve been the center of my attention all morning, this part still feels manageable. I know what I need to consider myself “ready” for the day and set aside just enough time to get it done.

Let’s be real here, m’kay…?

As a toddler mama, this (*waves arms frantically*) doesn’t always happen – especially in this order, all at once, or even sometimes at all, particularly on the mornings I’m ~~rocking~~ willing my toddler to sleep for one more hour or personally taking advantage of every last possible minute of rest after a long night. Life happens, and rather than stress about what I can’t get done, I focus on the one to two things I can and move on from there.

A morning routine is just the beginning of your schedule, and like the rest of the day’s plans, it’s normal for changes to happen and other things to come up. It’s an opportunity to practice flexibility, prioritization, and most of all grace. Consider this a go-to pattern or ritual, one to stick to as often as possible, but not a set of rules that must be followed or a place we bully ourselves to burnout.

Create your own realistic & sustainable morning routine

Everyone’s life seasons and circumstances are special. We all find joy and fulfillment in different things; each of us has unique goals & dreams & desires. So if you’re convinced a morning routine is worth adopting but all the ones you see on social media don’t quiiiiite speak to you, this is your permission slip (and mini road map) to customize your own!

Get specific (& realistic). I’m all about shootin’ for the moon and even a little spontaneity, but non-specific and unrealistic expectations are a recipe for disaster. Take the time to map out how much time you have for your morning routine, what you can feasibly fit in that time with zero stress, and everything you need to make it all happen. This level of planning might seem a little much, but it’s beyond helpful in the beginning if you’re committed to starting a morning routine and serious about making it worth your while.

Set yourself up for success. Even if your morning routine isn’t anything “fancy”, it likely still has a few moving parts. Set yourself up for success by checking in on the things you’ll need the night before. For example – I charge my computer, lay out my workout clothes, pre-mix my bone broth hot cocoa, and keep my book and journal right by the couch. Fewer roadblocks mean less excuses and an easier time following through.

Be flexible. My morning routine has changed more times than I can count, and I guarantee that by the end of the year, it will have changed again. Getting caught in feelings of obligation or pressure is the number one way to burn out quick, so once you find a general rhythm to your morning, allow the ebb and flow of life to happen with zero guilt.

Don’t be afraid to experiment. I firmly believe in the “don’t knock it ‘til ya try it” mindset, and recommend you apply it as you experiment with your morning routine. As long as the activity nourishes your body and/or feeds your soul, there are no wrong answers here. Try allllllll the things, then keep what serves you and leave what doesn’t…easy as that!

Start with quick, comfortable, & easy. As humans, we’re more likely to stick to routines and habits when there’s a positive reward at the end. In your first attempts at finding morning rituals, fill that time with actions you actually want to do, activities that produce quick wins, and things you can easily accomplish. That grueling 30-minute workout?…that can come later! Begin with the things you look forward to, then sprinkle in the hard stuff (if you like *wink wink*) as you get more consistent.

Mix it up. The whole point of a morning routine is to gain those benefits I listed above, but to some people the idea of the same repetitive activities every day can seem strict, boring, or even stressful. Don’t hesitate to do different things as the week goes on, cater to where you are in your menstrual cycle, or choose activities based on your mood or energy level to keep it exciting.

Follow your dreams. All cheesiness aside, if you don’t know where to start in the 903798234716 morning routine possibilities, try out your interests, hobbies, and pleasures first. If you find yourself saying “I wish I had more time for [insert amazing passion or project here]”, your morning may just be the perfect place to plug it in.

Not a “morning person”? Read this –

Hellooooo my night owls…I see ya! If this whole “seize the day” sentiment sounds nice but there’s no way it’s happening before 7 AM, you’re not SOL. There are ways to fit your favorites into a busy day and get these morning routine benefits without sacrificing your precious sleep.

Slow and steady. Start with just one, small thing that you can do within the first hour of waking up, whenever that is – five deep breaths, drinking a cup of water before your coffee, or keeping your phone in airplane mode for thirty minutes more. As long as you’re being intentional and making your wellness a priority, the simplest things can make up a morning routine. Just don’t be surprised when you find yourself adding activities to this life-giving practice!

Multitask. While I’ve been trying to steer away from the idea of multitasking in my everyday, combining luxurious rituals with the tasks you already do in the morning can be the perfect compromise. Try a few minutes of stretching while your coffee brews, listen to a meditation or uplifting podcast as you get ready, walk on the treadmill when you answer emails. I like to think of this strategy as “time well spent”, and there’s nothing wrong with this little life hack.

Reset > routine. Flipping the script and thinking of these actions as a regular reset can take the pressure off, feel more fluid, and make all the difference. Rather than forcing yourself to fit everything into the AM (and wind up feeling like a frustrated failure), consider what it would look like to sprinkle these “reset” moments throughout your day – taking the stairs at work, exercising at lunch, journaling before bed – and check in with or come back to yourself with each activity.

Wishing Y-O-U a goooooood morning!

I could talk about this subject forever (as you can see), because I don’t believe health is about doing complicated, time consuming, expensive, or extravagant things. Wellness is found in consistency, intention, and proactivity, and a simple yet effective morning routine is the perfect place to start…literally!

If you found this post helpful, I’d love to hear what resonated with you most! And not to sound too nosy, but if you already have a morning routine in place, I’d also like to know how you start your day! Tell me allllllll your go-to wellness rituals, because I’m always open to trying new things and finding ways to improve my productivity and manage my busy life.

– Amanda

Disclaimer: The content provided here does not constitute medical advice, nor is it a substitute for personalized healthcare. I’m a doctor, but I’m not your doctor. If you have concerns about a medical condition, diagnosis, or treatment, you should consult with a licensed healthcare professional.

Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. No pressure, but I have a feeling you’re gonna like what I’ve taken the time to put my recommendation behind.