My Morning Routine

A simple daily routine for the things which don’t need a lot of thinking really frees up my mind and body for other stuff.

I’m a big believer in embracing the natural rhythms of the seasons, our bodies, and the world around us. Having The end of the year and the start of winter is a great time to relax and explore new routines.

Here’s the routine I adopted at the end of 2020 when – like so many of us – I really needed a break and some space in my schedule. It really hasn’t changed much since but here’s an updated version at the end of 2024.

A good morning starts with a good night so I keep a pretty rigid bedtime schedule and routine.

• 8:30 remind my kid to brush his teeth and get ready for bed
• 9:30 dim or switch off the brightest lights around the house
• 10:15 My phone shuts down most of my apps using Downtime
• 10:30 5min shower to relax the brain, feel clean & lower my core body temp
• Put on comfy PJs
• 11:00 Read a book
• Put on my eye mask and put in ear plugs
• 11:30 Lights out (okay, sometimes it’s 11:45)

The next morning I:

• Wake before the gentle alarm on my phone
• Turn off the alarm and ignore any notifications on my phone
• Take a big breath, stretch, & sit up
• Drink some water & visit the loo
• Put on a comfy jumper/sweater
• Applaud my wife for doing most of the work to get our kid out the door
• Simmer some porridge oats and set a timer for 15 minutes
• Meditate for 10 minutes with this great basic app
• Bonus: Do a few sun salutations & 2 min of Shavansana
• Optional: Fry some eggs
• Eat my porridge, drink some herbal tea, maybe read a book
• 5min shower, get dressed and carpé that diem!

Naturally, it doesn’t always go according to plan. And that’s okay! As the Prussian military commander Helmuth von Moltke famously said, “No plan survives first contact with the enemy”. But to help establish some of these things as “habits”, I use the “Don’t break the chain” technique with a physical wall chart.

Get your own habit tracker template!

The meditation, reading, and yoga are very light. My focus is on consistency but consistency does wonderful things.

What’s your morning routine? Let me know!