How To Build a Nourishing Morning and Evening Routine That Works For You
Morning and evening routines come in all shapes and sizes. it doesn’t always have to be waking up at 6.30 am, yoga or meditation before bed. Choose rituals that you enjoy and not because everyone else is doing them.
Here are 5 steps to help you build a morning & evening routine that works for you.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I hate feeling stressed!
To help me feel as relaxed as possible I treat myself to a slow morning. I hate the thought of waking up and jumping straight on to my laptop.
When I used to work a “9 to 5” I always used to wake up at the last second. I was constantly rushing to get ready in order to leave the house and get to work on time. I would always skip breakfast, simply because I didn’t have time.
It wasn’t a good way to start my day and I would always be incredibly moody and ratty when I sat down at my desk. And not to mention hungry!
The first thing I told myself when I started my own business was to allow myself an extra couple of hours in the morning to have “me-time”.
It was so important for me to wake up feeling calm and not stressed. To have time to do the things that I enjoy to help decrease overwhelm and prepare me for the day.
Within a month of having a consistent morning routine, I started to look forward to waking up.
The same thing can be said for my evening routine. If I’ve had a busy or overwhelming day then having a relaxing and chilled evening really helps me to wind down and recharge.
Sleep is so precious to me, mainly because I can’t function on less than 8-hours of sleep, so I like to spend an hour or two before bed to fully relax and unwind.
And yes that means no Social Media or screens. Detoxing just before bed helps me to feel less anxious and more positive about what I’ve achieved in the day.
My Morning and Evening Routine Makes Me Happy
As it stands, my morning routine consists of waking up at 8 am*, reading for half an hour, having a hot shower to wake me up and then spending time cooking a healthy breakfast while listening to calming music.
*I struggle to wake up early in winter so I don’t push myself to wake up any earlier than 7.30 am. If you’re not an early riser either then that’s ok! Nurture your late mornings and make them work for you.
I try and shut down at 7 pm every night but sometimes this rolls over. I have dinner and watch an hour of Netflix before heading upstairs. This is when my evening routine officially begins.
First, I change into my pyjamas and get into bed.
I then plan for tomorrow by writing down all of my tasks and prioritising them.
I do a jigsaw puzzle (yes in bed) for about an hour while listening to piano music before brushing my hair, moisturising my hands, applying lip balm and reading a fiction book for 30-mins.
This week’s current read is The Midnight Library by Matt Haig.
These routines & rituals make me happy and I look forward to them every day. But they are also constantly changing and adapting based on my mood or situation.
5 Steps For Building a Morning and Evening Routine That Works For You
We all know that a morning routine determines the rest of your day and an evening routine sets you up for the next day.
But when it comes down to building these routines we often choose rituals based on what other people are doing rather than what is right for us.
This makes it hard for you to stick to a routine, kills motivation and puts you back at square one.
So creating a morning & evening routine that suits your personality & lifestyle is essential.
It not only makes you more likely to stick to it but starting and ending the day doing the things you love makes you feel happier & more passionate about your routine.
Here’s where to start:
1. brain dump
Map out what your ideal (but realistic) morning & evening routine would look like by writing down all the things you want to do.
Once you’ve done your brain dump, prioritise all your rituals from most important to least important into a list.
It’s up to you how many rituals you put into your routine. I recommend between 5–8 big and small rituals but you might prefer doing 3 things or even 10 things.
Try out different variations of your routine to see which one suits you best.
2. make it your own
Your morning routine doesn’t always have to be waking up at 6.30 am, yoga and then meditation. It can be lying in bed for an extra hour and watching a bit of TV or just sitting comfortably in silence.
The trick is to choose rituals that you’ll enjoy and suit your personality and lifestyle.
Like I’ve said before, if you’re not a morning person then don’t force yourself to wake up earlier if there’s no need for it as it’ll just lead to burnout quicker.
Test and rate your rituals to see whether you should include them in your routine or not.
Questions to ask yourself when trying out a new ritual are:
a. how does this make me feel?
b. does this work for me?
3. create a realistic time-frame
Estimate how long each ritual will take to complete so you have a clearer idea of how much time you can dedicate to your routines and know when to start each one.
For example, work out how much sleep you need to get each night and when you realistically need to go to sleep.
When creating your evening routine you should work backwards from this time so you know when to start your routine.
4. track progress
Write out your new morning & evening routine on a piece of paper and keep it next to your bed. You can use this to keep track of your routines and check progress.
This will help you gain the motivation you need to keep going.
5. be flexible
Although you want to be consistent with your new routine you need to understand that forming one is a big lifestyle change.
Don’t freak out if you miss a day and always be mindful of your mood. Be open to adapt your routine if needed.
Final Thoughts
Yes, a morning & evening routine sets you up for a more productive & successful day but don’t you also want to make sure you’re enjoying it and not just doing certain rituals because you feel like you should be doing them?
So stop watching what everyone else is doing and do what feels right for you!
Give these steps a try and let me know how you get on.
And let me know about your favourite morning & evening rituals.
Leave me a comment below or find me on Instagram and slide into my DMs. I would love to adopt some new ideas.
Until next week,
♡ Thalia xx
