What a whirlwind of a year 2020 has been! I am certain we are all ready for 2021 to begin. However, before I say goodbye to 2020, I wanted to share the morning routine that I began doing this year. Everyone’s lives have changed so much in 2020 and our daily activities have become quite irregular, so having a morning routine is a nice way to create a consistent and positive habit for yourself that you can look forward to every day.

This morning routine has helped me immensely in getting through this unexpected year, and I will certainly keep up with these habits in the New Year. I have been following this morning routine every single day for the past few months and I have already felt the positive impact it has had on my life. I hope you enjoy reading about what has worked for me!

4 STEP MORNING ROUTINE

1. Drink a full glass of water – This is one of the best things you can do to start your day. Not only will it help you wake up, but it will also rehydrate your body after so many hours of sleep.
2. 20-Minute Yoga Class – I recently read Robin Sharma’s book The 5AM Club in which he discusses an easy way to incorporate daily habits that can help improve your life. One of those habits includes doing 20 minutes of exercise as soon as you wake up. I have have been doing Yoga With Adriene yoga classes on Youtube. She has many different morning yoga classes to choose from and I find that her videos always ground me and help me start my day on the right foot.
3. Journaling: The Five Minute Journal – The Five Minute Journal has been a game-changer for me. It is described as, “the simplest, most effective thing you can do every day to be happier” and I can vouch for its efficacy as it has positively impacted my life. It works by combining various proven elements of positive psychology and incorporates it into the morning pages you fill out. I love that it really does only take you five minutes to complete each morning and night, and the positive impact it has on you lasts throughout the entire day. The daily journal entries include writing down words of gratitude, affirmations, and prompts that allow you to reflect and set intentions for your day. It is such an easy and quick way to start each day on a positive note.
4. Coffee – Now that i’m hydrated, i’ve stretched my body, i’ve reflected and set my intentions for the day, it’s time to have my morning coffee! Enjoying my morning coffee is by far my favourite part of my morning routine. It’s another way to continue practicing mindfulness in the morning and focusing on on how I want my day to unfold. I usually like to make myself a cappuccino in my favourite mug and enjoy it while reading a book or reviewing my journal entry for the day.

Once I’ve completed my 4-step morning routine, I will turn on my phone and check my emails. I have made it a habit to turn my phone on only after i’ve completed my morning routine because I enjoy having that quiet, tech-free time in the morning with no distractions.

I hope this blog post helps anyone that is looking to start their own morning routine and elevate their life. I am looking forward to continuing this morning routine into the New Year.

Wishing you all the best in the New Year,

– Ema