Morning Routine Checklist – 7 Steps To A Happy And Productive Day

Morning Routine Checklist – 7 Steps To A Happy And Productive Day

Set yourself up for success with the ultimate morning routine checklist featuring 7 simple and effective steps to a happy and productive day.

---

---

Key takeouts

• How you start your day sets the tone for the rest of your day. If you start your day feeling stressed and rushed, there is a high chance that the rest of the day feels the same.
• A consistent morning routine can enhance your physical and mental well-being and improve the quality of your life in different ways: reduced stress, increased productivity, better sleep quality, etc.
• A morning routine checklist is a strategic guide or template that helps you develop a healthy morning routine that sticks.
• Learn how to develop a morning routine checklist tailored to your needs, desires and lifestyle in 7 simple and efficient steps. Set yourself up for success and kickstart your day with purpose boosting your happiness and productivity.

---

For many people, mornings are the most stressful time of the day. But how you start your day sets the tone for the rest of your day. And if you start your day feeling stressed and rushed, there is a high chance that the rest of the day feels the same.

I never thought I would say this, but these days, the mornings are the best time of my day. I love my mornings and I love taking the time that I need to set myself up for a happy and productive day.

What makes my morning routine checklist the ultimate morning routine checklist? You decide for yourself, but I promise you no fluff and a healthy morning routine that sticks.

We will keep it short and sweet and with your commitment and my morning routine checklist template, you will be able to create a morning routine with a purpose, that you will look forward to every morning.

Benefits of a morning routine

A consistent morning routine can enhance your physical and mental well-being and improve the quality of your life in different ways.

The benefits of a morning routine are:

• Reduced stress – starting your day slow and with intention can ease stress levels and bring back a sense of control
• Increased productivity – a structured morning sets the tone for the rest of the day; it allows you to get clear about your tasks and set your priorities for the day ahead which will allow for more focus and efficiency during the day
• Better sleep quality – a consistent morning routine often allows a more consistent sleep schedule which helps to improve your sleep quality overall
• Develop a more positive mindset – having a consistent morning routine that allows space for morning rituals that engage in positivity and gratitude helps to develop a more positive mindset toward life overall
• Improved physical health – engaging in morning exercises can boost your energy levels during the day but it also promotes physical health and well-being overall
• Personal growth – a morning routine can include activities for personal growth such as journaling, reading, personal reflection, etc. which can lead to self-improvement and personal growth
• Increased self-discipline – sticking to a morning routine helps you to develop self-discipline and you learn to resist distractions that might pop up along the way which can also have a positive impact on your overall life goals

We are all different and you might feel some benefits more than others. However, the benefits of a morning routine generally show quickly within a few days or weeks.

The biggest change in having a healthy morning routine that I felt, was how having a morning routine helped me ease stress and anxiety. Apart from that, the additional time in the morning allowed me to be more productive in building my side hustle.

What is a morning routine checklist?

A morning routine checklist is a strategic guide or template designed to kickstart your day with productivity and positivity in mind. It begins with waking up early, setting yourself up for success, and allowing you to maximize your day in the best possible way.

A morning routine checklist allows you to focus on the areas in life that matter most to you, and keep track of your overall life goals and physical and mental well-being.

7-Step morning routine checklist

Creating a routine is personal. Consider the 7-step morning routine checklist below as a template to create your personal morning routine tailored to your needs, desires and lifestyle.

The more you tailor your morning routine checklist to your needs, desires and lifestyle, the more likely you will stick with your morning routine. And the more consistent you are with your morning routine, the more benefits you will feel.

1. Define your intention

Behind every action is an intention, your personal/emotional hook, the reason ‘why’ you want something.

The first step in developing your morning routine checklist is getting clear about ‘why’ you want a morning routine.

Contemplation questions:

• What is your main reason for starting a morning routine? Are you looking to start a healthy lifestyle? Do you need more time for yourself? Etc.
• List three benefits that you are hoping to achieve with your morning routine.
• List three challenges you think you might face along the way of establishing a morning routine.
• What can you do to avoid these challenges?
• Visualize your ideal morning:
  • How would you like to start your day?
  • What does your ideal morning look like?
  • What is one must-have activity that needs to be included in your morning routine checklist?
  • What emotions are coming up for you when you visualize your ideal morning?

Being clear about your ‘why’ is key as this will define what activities to put into your morning routine checklist.

Apart from that, your ‘why’ will give you the reason that motivates you to stick with your morning routine in the long run.

2. Define your key activity

Your key activity is closely linked to your ‘why’.

If you aim to start a healthier lifestyle, consider running, going to the gym, doing morning yoga, etc. as a key activity.

If you aim to spend more time on personal development, consider starting a journal, listening to an inspiring podcast, doing more self-care activities, self-love exercises, etc.

For example, my intention to start a morning routine was to help me ease stress and anxiety and to have more time for my side hustle. Hence I added yoga and meditation to my morning routine checklist and blocked some additional time to work on my side hustle.

3. Create a flow

Next to nailing your key activity for your morning routine checklist, creating a flow will be the second important thing.

The better the flow of your morning routine checklist, the easier it will be to go with it in real life.

Firstly, work out how much additional time you can create for yourself in the morning. Be realistic with this and yes, this implies getting up earlier.

Once you know how much additional time you can create for yourself, define how much time you would like to spend on your key activity. Your key activity should be the focus point of your morning routine checklist.

In my case, I planned 30 min for yoga and meditation and 30 minutes to spend on my side hustle. Yes, I went all in when creating my morning routine checklist. See what is right for you, this is just an example and you can always start small and add more time later.

Once you nailed down the time for your key activity, plan the rest of your morning around it, coffee, breakfast, getting ready for work, etc.

Ensure a natural and logical flow that works for you to avoid hopping around between tasks on your morning routine checklist.

4. Plan ahead

A successful morning routine is all about planning, hence your morning routine checklist already starts the night before.

If you are for example going to the gym in the morning, pack your gym bag ready to go. Or if you are doing yoga at home, pick your yoga flow in advance.

If you are spending time doing your hobby, prep all you need the night before, etc.

This way you are all set for the next day and can spend all the allocated time on your key activity without compromising.

Further productivity tips to help improve the efficiency of your morning routine checklist:

• consider meal prepping for breakfast, lunch, dinner etc. during the week
• write your to-do list for the day the night before
• set weekly goals and consider working with a weekly planner
• block time for your life admin tasks in your weekly calendar
• go to bed at a decent time, consider an evening routine

5. Don’t hit snooze

I know this is tempting but stay away from the snooze button.

If you find yourself reaching for the snooze button remind yourself about your intention to start a morning routine and think of all the benefits a morning routine can bring to your life.

Be strong and remember, your morning routine checklist stands and falls with how you show up for yourself.

For extra motivation, change your alarm tone to a song that makes you wanna get up e.g. ‘Walking on Sunshine’, ‘Are you gonna be my girl’, ‘Could you be loved’, etc.

6. Stay away from your phone

Make your mornings a mobile-free zone.

The first thing people tend to do in the mornings is to reach for their phones and start checking messages, social media, notifications, etc.

All this stimulates the mind and within seconds it takes you back where you left it the night before.

Allow yourself a break and let yourself enjoy your morning. Create space for yourself, free from any distractions focusing on yourself and your life goals only.

7. Make time for breakfast

A healthy and nutritious breakfast is a must-have item on your morning routine checklist.

A balanced and nutritious breakfast sets a positive tone for the rest of the day, contributing to overall well-being and productivity.

Apart from that, a healthy breakfast boosts your energy levels, improves your concentration and performance, kickstarts your metabolism, etc.

Tips for a healthy breakfast:

• Include protein – eggs, yoghurt, nuts, etc.
• Add fibre – whole grains, fruits, vegetables, etc.
• Consider healthy fats – avocado, nuts, seeds, etc.
• Limit sugars – opt for natural sweeteners such as honey, fruits, etc.

Inspiration for your morning routine key activity

Below are a few morning routine checklist ideas or inspiration for your key activities. All ideas evolve around your physical and mental well-being and personal development.

Practice gratitude

Practising gratitude is a great self-care activity to include in your morning routine checklist as it helps you to create a more positive mindset.

Apart from that, the top 5 benefits of a regular gratitude practice are improved mental health, enhanced physical health, improved relationships, higher self-esteem and living more in the present moment.

Self-love activities

Self-love is the conscious practice of nurturing your physical, emotional and mental well-being, acknowledging that you are worthy of love, respect and happiness in all areas of your life.

Self-love exercises can be a great addition to your morning routine checklist to help you cultivate self-love and self-worth from within; helping you transform the relationship with yourself and create more joy and happiness in your life long-term.

Journaling

Journaling is regularly writing down your thoughts, feelings, experiences, and reflections in a journal or notebook.

The benefits of journaling on your mental well-being are increased self-awareness, helping to manage stress and ease anxiety, allowing for more clarity and focus, greater feelings of gratitude, etc.

Journaling is another tool that helped me to ease my anxiety and if you are into personal development, journaling is an activity to consider for your morning routine checklist.

Spend time doing your hobby

By dedicating time to a hobby, you invest in your mental, emotional, and physical well-being, making it an essential part of a balanced and fulfilling life.

Doing your hobby can be a great key activity on your morning routine checklist. It can help reduce stress, spark creativity, support your work-life balance, etc.

In short: hobbies bring joy and fulfillment. Doing something you love regularly can lead to a more satisfying and enriched life.

Start doing yoga

If you are looking to include movement into your morning routine checklist, consider starting yoga.

Yoga is very accessible and not much equipment is needed to start a home yoga practice.

I know, as a yoga teacher I am always a bit biased, but starting a regular home yoga practice is a great way to get movement into your daily routine without leaving the house in the morning.

There are a lot of benefits of yoga in the morning such as boosting your energy levels, starting your day with intention, creating happiness from within, starting your day with self-love, etc.

---

If you are ready to kick-start your yoga practice, join me for a beginner-friendly yoga flow in beautiful Nicaragua.

---

Final thoughts

Starting a morning routine requires a bit of thinking and planning until your morning routine checklist is in place, but most importantly it requires your commitment to get started.

Consistency is key in the process of starting a new healthy habit. Keep in mind that every minute you invest in yourself will pay off.

Stay open to changing your morning routine checklist if you feel that it doesn’t flow or if your intention has changed. Change is normal (and healthy) for a successful morning routine checklist.

---

In case you have any questions about your morning routine checklist or about any of the morning routine checklist ideas we talked about, feel free to leave a comment below. It is always great to hear from you guys.

Keep me posted on how you are getting on with your morning routine checklist.

Below are a few more resources I think you might enjoy:

• Ignite Your Wellness Journey: 5 Steps to a Healthy Lifestyle and How to Stick with It
• 7 Ways to Overcome Procrastination – Unleash Your Potential
• From Couch to Lotus: 7 Proven Hacks on How to Start a Home Yoga Practice

Stay wild,

Nicolle

Featured image: Photo by allison christine on Unsplash