Tag: morningroutine

How to Make Mornings feel less cruddy

~ Brooke F. ~ 2 Comments

Ladies and Gents, I have a confession to make- I am not a morning person. This early bird finds no joy in catching the worm. I may be up, but I am very rarely at ’em. My carpe diem is a little rusty.

What I’m trying to say is mornings are sort of a hard time for me. My soul is really that of night owl if I’m being honest. Its quiet and dark out with the exception of crickets and maybe a few frogs chirping. I’m all cozy in bed reading or doing whatever else I want to before I drift off to sleep. The day is over and I am very okay with that.

And then there are mornings.

I got a weighted blanket for Christmas and let me tell you, I thought it was hard to get out of bed before. I feel like the blankets are all but pulling me back into my warm little burrow and that fact that it is now winter and its getting cold out makes it even worse.

All that being said, I do have a few tricks up my sleeve that help improve my mornings even though they shall never truly replace my first love (being the evening). Because even though getting out of bed is something I rarely revel in, once I get going, things are significantly less hard and a few fun little morning habits will do nothing but make that part of the morning a little less hard.

★ Start your morning off with a little splash of water

In more way than one. I recommend washing your face and moisturizing before you start your day. It always helps to feel clean and refreshed. But I also mean this in the sense that you should definitely try and drink at least one glass of water before you start your day. For me personally, this tends to prevent me from sucking down a cup of coffee as soon as my eyes pop open. Coffee is terrible for me straightaway in the morning as it suppresses my appetite (so I’m tempted to have a small breakfast or skimp out on the meal entirely) as well as my desire to drink water for the next few hours which leaves me feeling shaky by 10 AM. This could just be a me thing but I figured I put the recommendation out there.

★Skip glancing at your phone first thing

This is a bad habit of mine that I want to improve as I find myself way more sluggish when getting out of bed. I also feel a little spacey or groggy for a bit longer than normal throughout the morning, as if I still haven’t fully woken up. Not to mention checking the news a bit too often can depress anyone. I just find my mind to be much more clearer when I wait about a half hour before checking my phone after waking up.

★Make a breakfast you like

It doesn’t have to be a feast but if you like boiled eggs, try and make one. If you like avocado toast, maybe have a slice with fruit. You don’t have to make a whole spread (as I’m sure few people have time for that), but something is always better than nothing and why not make it enjoyable as well?

★If you can, jot down what you need to do that day

This helps gets you brain into the zone to complete tasks and be productive. It also helps organize your thoughts and gives you a clear list of tasks to complete throughout the day.

★Fill Up a Water Bottle

I feel like this list is just me yelling at myself to remember these things, but really this is important (and something I sometimes neglect on hectic mornings). A water bottle that you can have on hand can really help keeping you drinking water through the day which, in turn, can help you concentrate better.

★If going somewhere, make sure you have everything you need

If you have devices, check and make sure they’re charged and that you have their charging chords on hand. Don’t forget deodorant or whatever else you’ll need throughout your day. This may seem like an obvious thing to do but its also good to have another reminder.

★Listen to Music that makes you happy to be alive

Music is the best medicine sometimes. And a playlist that helps me feel pumped for the day works wonders.

★Move around a little if you have the time

A quick 5 or 10 minutes exercise definitely helps me get going in the morning. Sometimes I have time for a quick walk , other times only a few stretches. But again, something is always better than nothing. Exercising a little also helps kickstart your brain and prepares you for the day to come.

And that’s all for now! Seize the day, lovelies!

A Writer’s Morning Routine to get Writing Done

~ Brooke F. ~ 1 Comment

Routines are are hard thing for me to keep. But I’ve found when I write what I’m going to do down, I’m more likely to stick to it. So, here is my routine that I tend to have on my “writing days” when I have a day off work to simply go at whatever writing project I’m working on. One thing that’s nice about this routine is I get a lot of writing done before the day really starts. By 10:00, sometimes I already have 1,000 words which is great progress for me. And then I have the rest of day to do with what I wish (whether that means more writing or other fun things, it entirely depends on the day).

Now I’m not going to guarantee this routine would work for you. Everyone writes differently and has different writing habits that work for them. But I figured I’d post it anyways not only as a reminder to myself to stick with it, but in hopes that maybe someone else can draw some inspiration from it for their own routine.

6:30am – Wake up

It usually takes me a second to prepare myself for the day and simply getting out of bed so sometimes I set my alarm to 6:20 just to make sure I’m actually getting started by 6:30.

6:40am – Drink a glass of water

Hydration is really important. I find my brain wakes up quicker when I drink a glass of water right when I wake up so I definitely recommend this.

6:50am – Eat Breakfast

I have been a breakfast skipper before in the past, I’ll admit it. But I have found that I’m more foggy mentally if I do skip. So if you want to get lots of writing done, I definitely recommend not only grabbing breakfast, but a substantial one. (But even a protein bar is better than nothing).

7:15am – Start Writing

Now its time to just sit down, and WRITE. No overthinking-just do it!

8:00am – 5 minute water break

Like I said, hydration is important. Give your brain a rest too. If you need to take longer break, that’s fine too. I’ve stretched this window of time out to 20 minutes when I’ve really needed it.

8:05am – Write some more

You’re on a roll!

9:00am – Half hour break and Midmorning Power Snack

Again, I feel foggy if I don’t have food or water and that doesn’t help me write in the slightest. So if you’re hungry again by this point, grab a power snack before pushing forward.

9:30am – Take a walk/Just move a little

Physical activity also tends to boost my creativity. It doesn’t have to be intensive either. A leisurely walk or some light stretches do the trick for me.

10:30am – Return to Writing for an hour or so.

And one last push! Here is where I sometimes edit instead of write before I go about my other duties I have scheduled for the day!