This article is not just for morning persons. It is for everyone wanting to avoid jumping off the bed, running around the house to get ready for work, and being stressed they’ll be late, even when working from home. And instead of starting the day agitated and feeling guilty, preferably choose a routine that’s easy to follow and helps you kick-start the day with a good mood and attitude. And lay the basics for a day full of energy, productivity, and good vibes. Let’s jump right in!

Put yourself first

That’s it. That sentence is the one resuming the core of everything we do, including our morning routine and the way we choose to do things over the day, at work, or during our free time. Putting ourselves first might seem an overstatement, but it really isn’t.

A chaotic lifestyle is when you put whatever comes your way first, but you never give your full attention and purpose to it. You wake up late for work, then run to still make it on time, postpone eating until you can get a break, then doing tasks as they come. Probably your inbox is full and unstructured but still dictating your schedule. When you finally reach home after a long day, you’re so drained after so much stress that you eat whatever is fast and lay in front of the TV feeling tired but not really sleepy. Again, you stay up late, not doing much, and the next day keeps repeating as the previous one. In this case, you rarely put yourself first. And no wonder you believe you are not a morning person.

Change your mindset

What if you change your mindset to put yourself first? How much time do you need every morning to take a relaxing shower, put on nice clothes, sit down, have a healthy breakfast, talk to your partner and kids, and prioritize what you want to get done during the day? And only after all that is done, leave for work (or start work if working from home), relaxed, and with a positive feeling that you are in control and doing meaningful things?

So, how much time would you need? An hour? And what if, to that hour, you add 30 min to do something that excites you, something dear to you, like a hobby you have? Maybe it’s about reading a book, collecting stamps, or traveling. Put yourself first and start the day by doing the things close to your soul. Read the book you love, look for new stamps and order the ones you found or look for new travel destinations that thrill you.

All in all that means you need to wake up 1.5 hours before the work deadline. But you wake up with intention. You wake up excited for the time you have for yourself. You don’t need to be a morning person to be able to do this. Just think about the bigger goals and do it. You’ll see, you’ll end up going to bed earlier, and as a result, you’ll sleep the same amount of hours, and you won’t feel tired because you didn’t sleep enough.

My morning routine

I wake up at 6, and my work starts at 9. I am working from home still, so I have 3 full hours for just me, every morning. My partner likes to sleep longer, but he also runs his own business and works later in the night. So, all 3 hours are me-time, putting me first.

First thing, I drink plenty of water and a cup of coffee. Using my agenda, I draw the main objectives of the day. I then start doing what’s in the plan: sometimes it is about writing on this blog, as I publish once a week, but writing the articles takes much longer. Other times am sewing a product for my handmade baby-products business. Or it can be just reading if that’s where my soul is that day – caught in a book.

I do social media for my accounts, and I absolutely eat something delicious and healthy for breakfast. And right before work, I walk my dog for 30 min. That’s the way to make sure I keep fit and avoid back pains, easy to get when sitting down all day long working in front of a computer.

This routine helps me prioritize what I want to do in life and slowly build those goals. Mornings are when your mind is fresh and awake; it’s the best time in the day to put yourself and your dreams first and make them happen. The rest of the day could be dedicated to your job, partner, kids, family, or social life. But those hours in the morning are yours only, the gift you give yourself. What’s stopping you from taking full advantage of these? I promise it is so worth it! Give it a try, and let me know how it goes! I’d be keen to find out your experience with trying this!