10 Tips on How To Create a Morning Routine and Become a Morning Person

 In today's episode, I'm sharing my top 10 practical tips on how to transform into a morning person. Conquering the morning is your ultimate key to success - and if you follow even just 2-3 of the tips I share in today's episode, you are going to unlock so much potential! 

Listen to the full episode, but tip #3 is my favorite - inspired by Mel Robbins.  

I recommend starting with 2-3 (of the 10 wellness tips) I share throughout the episode and committing to yourself. Let's go squad! 

LINKS:

• Newsletter: https://summer-wind-96365.myflodesk.com/fvg9sal7up 
• Subscribe to the show: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-squad-podcast/id1622854421
• Instagram: thesquad_co

Rise and shine with purpose! Today's solo flight on the Squad podcast is all about transforming those daunting early hours into a vibrant launch pad for your day. Imagine conquering the morning slump with a toolkit that not only gets you out of bed but also sets you on a path to owning your day, every day. I'm Danielle Donovan, here to guide you through my top ten strategies for morning mastery, from Mel Robbins' five-second game-changer to practical morning movement, mindfulness, and journaling. It's time to leave behind the snooze button and embrace the day with a clear, focused mind.

Do you often find yourself promising to make the most of your mornings only to be derailed by the comfort of your bed? This episode provides a blueprint to break that cycle and foster a routine that infuses your mornings with gratitude, creativity, and peak performance. We'll talk hydration, healthy eating habits, and how a tech-free zone can enhance your mental well-being. By the time you finish listening, you'll have a morning plan that not only fits into your lifestyle but also empowers you to leap into your passion projects and side hustles with newfound energy.

Remember, you don't have to go it alone. Tune in as I share how asking for help can unlock personal time, ensuring your mornings are yours to command. Whether you're rallying support from your partner or reaching out to the Squad community on Instagram, it's about creating a supportive ecosystem that cheers you on. So grab your earbuds, and let's take this journey together. It's not just about seizing the day; it's about reshaping your life, one sunrise at a time.

Don't forget to leave a review! We love to read them -- THANK YOU!

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

So commit to yourself, do the things you say you're going to do. When you say you're going to do them, get out of bed instead of hitting snooze, and fulfill the promise you made to yourself, because you're worth it, you deserve it. You deserve to have the mornings to set yourself up for success. Hey, squad, I'm your host, danielle Donovan, and welcome to episode 77 of the Squad podcast, a Fitness and Wellness Focus podcast for all of our go-getters out there looking to unlock their full potential. Here in the squad, we know that anything is possible when you have the right support system, which is why each week, we are sitting down with everyone from industry CEOs, mindset and career experts, fit pros and beauty experts to share their best tips and advice on how to follow your passion and crush your biggest dreams. Consider each episode your weekly pep talk, with the support of community cheering you on along the way.

Speaker 1: 1:02

And today I'm coming at you solo with top 10 tips to help you become a morning workout person, something so many of us strive for but unfortunately, isn't something that comes naturally, or we all have the best intentions in the world of getting up early in the morning and then life right, whether your kids wake you up in the middle of the night, or you're up late finishing a project or working on your side hustle, because it's the only time you have for yourself. Before you know it, it's super late. You go to sleep, you're hitting snooze and missing your opportunity to get up early and own your morning, which actually contributes to your whole mood and outlook for the day. So before we dive in, I want to first give you a caveat that, depending on the stage of life you're in, your mornings are going to look different. So figure out what of the 10 tips work best for you. I have two little kids at home and, honestly, without fail, every time I set my alarm to get up just an hour earlier and have some time for myself. My kids just they somehow know and they decide they too are going to wake up earlier that day. So I've had to be creative in my morning routines, which looks a bit different every day, and know if you're there too. That's okay. So today I'm going to share my top 10 tips that help me own my mornings, and I want to help you as well, and I want you to pick two to three tips that work best for you. Ideally, sure, we'd love to take on all 10 tips and move peacefully throughout our morning without a care in the world. But, guys, that's not realistic and if we aren't setting realistic goals, then we're just setting ourselves up for failure. So let's not do that. Alright, so if you want to feel productive and energized all day and you want to finally become a morning person instead of lying to yourself that you're going to get up early tomorrow, this episode is the pep talk you need to own your mornings, which are your best shot at changing how you show up in life. Let that sink in and let's dive into our top 10 tips.

Speaker 1: 3:09

First tip set yourself up for success the night before. Prioritize your sleep. You need sleep first. So if you're not going to get at least six to seven hours of sleep, don't bother setting your alarm in the morning extra early, because that's just setting you up for failure. So, prioritize your sleep. Try going to sleep a little earlier and if that can't work, you are up later that night, whether you're finishing a work project or you're working on your side hustle, because it's the only time that you can get an hour in to work on it, or your kids are waking you up two to three times in the middle of the night. Don't set your alarm early for that next day, because that's just setting you up for failure. You're most likely going to be turning it off. So again, focus on prioritizing your sleep. So tip number one sleep first and if you're not staying up late, prioritize your sleep. Go to sleep a little earlier, you know couple minutes each day, so that you do have a full at least six to seven hours, ideally eight to nine.

Speaker 1: 4:03

Tip number two is decide you're going to wake up early and commit. Don't say I'll see how I feel in the morning when the alarm goes off, because that does not give you the confidence to own it. That just sets you up for failure. And try giving yourself like an hour before everyone gets up and own it and commit to it, because 10 times out of 10, when you're gonna say I'll see how I feel in the morning, you're just gonna hit the snooze, you're gonna roll over because we are tired. It doesn't get easier, but it's honestly so rewarding to give yourself that hour of me time in the morning, or however long that looks like, to own your mornings, to get those creative juices flowing, to get into your routine, to feel energized and alive, instead of rolling over, rushing around tending to the screaming kids, running around getting dressed, running out the door. It's a lot. So try and to give yourself that time in the morning. But tip number two is that you've got to own it. You've got to decide and you've got to commit. You can't just get the alarm day in, day out with all the intentions in the world and then not commit to it.

Speaker 1: 5:04

Tip number three is I took this tip from Mel Robbins and what she said really hit home to me is that hitting the snooze sets you up for failure, because it's the first decision of the day that you make and that's the most important decision. And by making that first decision in the morning to hit snooze and not follow through on your commitment to yourself, you're setting yourself up for failure. Right, that's the first thing in the morning you're disappointing yourself and you're not following through on your commitment to yourself, and that's the mindset that does not set you up for success. That's the mindset that's gonna drag you down and just lead to that disappointment and not feeling fulfilled because you didn't fulfill that first promise you made to yourself. So that one really really hit home for me and I really try to be intentional one on when I am setting my alarm to wake up early, because I'm committing to myself and if I roll over and I hit snooze which I've done here and there, but it really hits me now like wow, this is the first decision I'm making of the day and I'm disappointing myself Again. Take it with a green assault. If your kids are waking you up a couple of times throughout the night and you have to prioritize your sleep, that's important. But really focus on you know if you are able to wake up and have that time for yourself, versus sitting, hitting snooze and just going back to sleep for another 20 minutes and then rolling over and hitting snooze again, what's gonna be more effective? So make that promise to yourself and follow through with it, because by hitting snooze you are setting yourself up for failure, because you are disappointing yourself in the very first decision of the day that you're making and that just follows through with how you're gonna play out for the rest of the day. So that one really hit home for me and I hope that kind of sinks in for you guys as well, because, again, it doesn't get easier. But if you have a why, you have a drive you're committing to yourself, you're putting yourself more important than anything, because you are most important. Let that be your why and let that drive you to not turn this news button on, actually get up out of bed and take on the day.

Speaker 1: 7:03

Now, a tip that Mel Robbins talks about which I love as far as getting out of bed is the five second rule. So once you hear that alarm going off, instead of rolling over and turning it off, give yourself the five second rule. Give yourself a countdown five, four, three, two, one. Jump out of bed, boom, you're good. Don't even think about it, don't even second guess. It Don't be like should I get up, should I not? I'm tired. Five second rule because it just gives you that countdown and that mindset prep of like, okay, we're doing this, we're getting up, let's go. And you just count down five, four, three, two, one, get out of bed and you're onto the day.

Speaker 1: 7:38

Because that's the hardest part, right, it's just that, getting out of bed. We all know that it's going to be so much more just. We're going to feel so much better, right, when we get out and get into that routine than if we hit snooze. But for some reason it's like working out every day. It's a constant reminder. And so five second rule has truly helped me. I love it. It's from Mel Robbins, she's famous for it and I just love that. You can apply it, honestly, to everything. But in the mornings, getting out of bed, it's such a game changer. So that's tip number four is to apply the five second rule when you hear your alarm and get out of bed, to keep that commitment to yourself because you're not disappointing yourself, you're following through on your promise to yourself, because that's going to set you up for success for the entire day and change your mindset and empower those around you.

Speaker 1: 8:26

Okay, so now, once you're up, have a plan whether that's movement. Honestly, movement is so helpful and beneficial in the mornings. It's going to get that blood flowing. It's going to get that energy circulating. It's going to get those vibes you know raising and everything, just feeling alive, right, you're coming to life, your body is moving and you're just letting that flow. So movement is so important Journaling, meditating, creative work. We're our most creative in the morning and that's the best time, instead of at night, to give yourself that one hour. Give yourself that hour in the morning to be creative. That's the best time to get those creative juices flowing.

Speaker 1: 9:02

But you need to have a plan. You're not going to get all those things done in one in one morning, so plan out. Am I going to focus on movement? If you're focusing on movement and working out, know how long you're going to be doing a workout for. Is that 10 minutes? Is that 30 minutes? Is that 60 minutes? And have a plan for your workout. Know what workout you're doing. Don't waste time, precious time in the morning scrolling through or blogging in or trying to come up with a workout Plan that the night before. Okay, I'm going to do upper body and core today. This is the workout I'm going to follow. This is the class I'm going to take. Follow through with that. Or even if it's just a 10 minute or two minutes of stretching, like, just give yourself some time, but know what that looks like. So have a plan, movement definitely being one of them.

Speaker 1: 9:47

Another option mindfulness, breath work, meditation, being mindful, being grateful is so important and just sets your tone for the entire day. As far as mindfulness two apps that I love is open. That focuses a lot. We've got a couple of different options, but I love doing it for breath work and breathwork is so interesting to me. It really just resets your entire nervous system and gives you the space and the just peace of mind, and especially in the morning, that's most important because that's gonna set your tone for the day. Also, as far as the meditation aspect, I love the Insight app totally free, and you can set your meditation for five minutes, 20 minutes, 35 minutes, whatever that looks like. There's hundreds of different ones to choose from. So those are two apps that I really love from mindfulness, which again just gives you that present moment. You appreciate that moment Instead of thinking, oh my gosh, I have all these things to do, da, da, da, da and just jump into it like a crazy person. Give yourself that present moment, appreciate where you're at and focus on mindfulness and breathwork, and that's gonna set the tone for the entire day.

Speaker 1: 10:54

Another option journaling I love journaling and a couple options for that for you guys is stream of consciousness. So literally just set your alarm for 10 minutes and write down whatever comes to mind. It's a perfect way to start your day because it's just streaming out all those thoughts in your head. It's great for ending the day as well, but it's just streaming out all the thoughts in your head so that they're not taking up space. You can start the day with a clear perspective and a clear outlook and a clear mindset, because you did your stream of consciousness and it's only set your alarm 10 minutes. You could either do like a 10 minute or fill three pages, whatever you prefer, and you don't have to fix spelling. You don't have to worry about how you're writing, just literally scribble whatever comes to mind. And sometimes I either do a stream of consciousness or I write a question and then answer it with whatever comes to mind. Again, don't second guess it, just let the pen flow and that's gonna create so much space and perfect, perfect thing to do in the morning.

Speaker 1: 11:52

If you don't have that much time, write 10 things that you're grateful for, again, just setting the tone and setting the space in your head and your mentality to take on the day in a better perspective and a better mindset. Focus on the 10 things you're grateful for. That takes two minutes and it's gonna give you that peace of mind to carry with you into the entire day. Or just journaling you know a topic that you want to work through or unblock. That's really helpful as well, but that does take a little bit more time, hey squad, taking a quick minute from our episode to remind you to go sign up for our newsletter. This is where we take your squad experience to the next level. Yep, we're talking bestie status, because in each newsletter, you are going to get the inside scoop on all things the squad. Every other week, we share a roundup of top recommended resources favorite brands, beauty products, gear, favorite workouts, recipes and more and it's a go-to place to keep updated on squad updates, irl meetups which I can't wait for and community events. Think of the newsletter like a much needed pep talk delivered straight to your inbox. So, before we dive back into the show, hit pause, click the link in the show notes and sign up for the newsletter today. I can't wait to keep connected.

Speaker 1: 13:10

Another option in the morning is the creative work. Again, we are our most creative in the morning, so plan out where you're going to work on. Are you going to record a podcast? Are you going to focus on a strategy? Are you going to mock up a design? Are you going to create artwork or something along those lines or something that flows For me? I love business strategy. I love creating like sponsorship decks or recording podcasts. So that's my creative outlook.

Speaker 1: 13:37

But whatever that looks like for you, where are most creative in the morning? But, circling back, you have to have a plan. You can't just sit at your desk and be like, okay, it's my time to be creative, let me try to be creative, because that just stresses you out. But if you have a plan, today I'm going to work on X. Today I'm going to work on the sponsorship deck to get X sponsors for the podcast. That gets me excited. And then I have a plan so that when I sit down in the morning I can just let those creative juices flow. Or if you need to do research, you know the night before, so that you can set yourself up for the morning. If it's recording a podcast, I'm going to plan out what I want to record. I'm not going to sit down and be frantic and try to record off the top of my head. I'm going to have it planned out so that when I have those creative juices ready to go, I can just jump into it. So tip number six is to have a plan, whether that's movement, journaling, meditating or creative work.

Speaker 1: 14:26

How are we feeling on these, you guys? All right, let's move into tip number seven hydrate, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. It's so good for you and, honestly, ideally I would love to do lemon and hot water in the morning, but that's just not realistic for me, because if my kids hear me going downstairs to heat up water and hear the microwave go off, we're done Right, that's not happening. So I just have water and that still feels great. So focus on hydrating. Another thing hydrating eating. They go hand in hand.

Speaker 1: 14:55

Some people talk about the 12 hour fast, you know. Then there's also the intermittent fasting, which is 16 hours. You could do a 12 hour fast which is basically from, you know, let's say, after dinner to when you wake up, let's say it's seven to seven, and you give yourself that 12 hour fast. If that works for you, it definitely resets your gut health, it helps you not feel bloated, it helps just reset your systems. But I mean for me, I wake up for breakfast, but I do start off with a healthy breakfast. So I try to do the, you know, movement or journaling or creative work beforehand, because making breakfast takes time and I don't want to take away that precious time in the mornings that I have just myself. But when I am, you know, ready to eat breakfast. I make it a healthier breakfast, whether it's avocado toast, whether it's a veggie omelet with if I'm ambitious or something easy like overnight oats right, just make it on the healthier side.

Speaker 1: 15:46

So you're going to fuel yourself feeling good, feeling energized. You're not going to feel bloated or sluggish. That's not the tone that you want to set to kick off your mornings. So tip seven is to hydrate. Tip eight is to fuel yourself with a good breakfast, right, or to do the 12 hour fast and then fuel yourself with a good breakfast afterwards. Tip number nine is to be tech-free.

Speaker 1: 16:10

So you wanna focus on not looking at your phone at least 30 to 16 minutes before you go to sleep. So this is gonna set yourself up for success in the night before and when you wake up, the first thing you do do not go and open your phone and look at the Instagram and the emails and the texts and whatever came through that night. I swear it's gonna be okay and you're gonna feel so energized, because when you turn around and look at your phone, it puts you in fight or flight mode, right, you're just getting frantic and you're just jumping into things where that's not gonna be effective and then, as you're doing your mindful work, you're gonna be thinking of the email that you have to answer. So let's not go there, right? Let's just not look at our phones 30 to 60 minutes before going to sleep. Stop the scroll and just honestly put on a meditation app and close your eyes and go to sleep and then, when you wake up, give yourself at least 30 to 60 minutes of not looking at your phone. This is a non-negotiable. This is going to change so much because again, when you look at that email and you realize you have to answer it, then that's all you're gonna be thinking about and you're gonna derail your entire morning routine that you worked so hard. You turned the alarm off, you did the five second rule, you got out of bed. Now you look at your email and you're gonna just derail all of that and not set yourself up for success, not give yourself that hour to yourself that you deserve and you need to be in that right state of mind to open up to the opportunities to be a great mom, to be an awesome employee, to work on your goals and your dreams, to be present in your relationships. Don't let that derail you. So be tech-free. That's non-negotiable.

Speaker 1: 17:45

And tip number 10, honestly ask for help. Ask for help If you have kids and you have a partner at home. Ask for help one to two days a week so that you can get in that full 30 to 60 minutes of morning time to yourself. I'm guilty of this. I try to do it all and I, for whatever reason, hate asking for help. I'm working on it but, honestly, the one I do. It's so much more effective and I feel so much better because I don't have to worry about oh my gosh, do I have 10 minutes? Do I have 30 minutes? Do I have 16 minutes? Are my kids gonna wake up? Right now? You don't have to worry about it, and that just clears me. So ask for help and have your partner do the same. Say like, hey, I wanted to do mornings a week to myself so that I can have a morning routine and I want to help you do the same as well, so you guys can swap or you guys can barter, whatever that looks like, but ask for help. That's truly going to be a game changer, because it is always in the back of your mind. If you have kids, you know, are they gonna wake up? Do I have 10 minutes? Do I have 20 minutes, do I have a full hour, like? And then that way, once you ask for help and you know how much time you have, you know how to prioritize what you wanna focus on Again, whether that's movement, journaling, mindset work, creative work, because you're gonna have that time block. So that just clears up that space, gives you the energy and helps you be more present. So I hope these tips have helped.

Speaker 1: 19:04

I'm gonna just recap them again for you guys. So again, I want you to take one to two tips that really align with you and start with that and let me know what tips those are that sound most helpful for you. So tip number one set yourself up the night before. You need sleep. So if you're not getting at least six to seven hours of sleep, don't bother setting your alarm in the morning. That's just gonna set you up for failure.

Speaker 1: 19:26

Tip two decide you're going to wake up and commit. Do not say I'll see how I feel in the morning when the alarm goes off, because that's not giving you the confidence to own it. Try to give yourself at least one hour before everyone gets up. Hit that alarm, commit to getting up. Don't say I'll see how I feel. Commit to getting up and that's going to get you out of bed.

Speaker 1: 19:47

Because tip number three, which I took from Mal Robbins. She says by hitting the snooze you are setting yourself up for a failure, because the first decision of the day is your most important decision and by hitting snooze you're already disappointing yourself. That really, really hit home for me. That's not the mindset you wanna be in to set yourself up for success. So, commit to yourself, do the things you say you're going to do. When you say you're going to do them, get out of bed instead of hitting snooze and fulfill the promise you made to yourself, because you're worth it. You deserve it. You deserve to have the mornings to set yourself up for success. Tip number four as far as how to get out of bed is Mal Robbins, again her five second rule, which I love Just give yourself five seconds to prep your mindset. Don't overthink it, don't say should I get up, should I not? No, five seconds, five, four, three, two, one Out of bed. Boom, alarm is off, you're ready. Now you're up.

Speaker 1: 20:43

Have a plan, movement journal, meditate, creative work. Have a plan so you don't have to waste that precious time and precious energy deciding what to do. Take out the decision fatigue. Have a plan, know what you're focusing on and get to it as you're doing that, hydrate, whether that's just water, which works for me, or lemon and hot water, which ideally is great, but you know you gotta do what works for you. Also fueling your body. So whether you're doing a 12 hour fast to help your gut health and re-regulate and help with bloating, or you're fueling your body with a healthy breakfast, you know choose healthy foods that are gonna fuel you and give you energy, not make you feel bloated and sluggish and tired. Do what works best for you. Make it convenient, make it easy, but make it something that's nourishing, fulfilling, fueling and energizing.

Speaker 1: 21:31

Tip number nine non-negotiable tech fray 30 to 60 minutes at night. No phone. 30 to 60 minutes when you first wake up no phone. Do not look at your emails, your texts, your notifications, your social media, because that's just gonna derail the entire morning routine that you set up for your success. So commit to yourself you're already up. Don't derail that by looking at your technology. I promise you if you look 60 minutes later it's gonna be okay.

Speaker 1: 21:59

And tip number 10, my favorite, which I need to work on, is to ask for help. Ask your partner. I need one to two days a week to myself in the morning, so I don't have to worry if I have five minutes or 60 minutes to myself. And I wanna do the same for you. Make a commitment, ask for help. That's going to help you. Just have the peace of mind to know you have X amount of time to devote to yourself and you've gotta just make it work and commit to yourself because, again, like Mel Robbins said, hitting snooze is the first decision you make that day, and if you start your day off by disappointing yourself, how is that going to set you up for success?

Speaker 1: 22:36

That one really stuck with me. So, squad, I wanna help you own your morning and unlock your full potential. Remember, start with one to two, two to three of these tips that work best for you. Dm me on Instagram at the squad underscore co. And let me know what tip is working best for you. I can't wait for you to unlock your full potential and own your morning. And there you guys have it another powerful episode. If you are loving this episode, come hang out with me over on Insta where we are at at the squad underscore co. And if you are loving this episode. I'd love for you to hit subscribe and share it with a friend, because we all know, success happens when you surround yourself with people who lift you up. I'll see you, guys, next time.