Last Updated on August 19, 2022 by Thalia
Morning and evening routines come in all shapes and sizes.
It doesn’t always have to be about waking up at 6:30 am and then doing yoga or meditation.
Choose rituals that you actually enjoy and not because everyone else is doing them.
Here are 5 steps to help you build a morning and evening routine that works for you. And one that you can actually stick to.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I hate feeling stressed.
I can’t deal with the overwhelm and anxious thoughts that fill up my mind.
So to help me feel as relaxed as possible I treat myself to a slow morning. Because I hate the thought of waking up and jumping straight onto my laptop.
When I used to work a 9 to 5, I always woke 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, ridiculously hungry.
So when I started my own business, the first thing I told myself 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 and to help decrease overwhelm and prepare me for the day.
And within a month of having a consistent morning routine, I started to actually 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 without less than 8-hours of sleep. So I choose to spend an hour or two before bed fully unwinding.
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 that day.
Table of Contents
- My nourishing morning routine
- My relaxing evening routine
- 5 steps to build a morning and evening routine that work for you
- Final Thoughts
My nourishing morning routine
As it stands, my morning routine consists of waking up at 8 am*, reading for half an hour and then heading on a 10,000 step walk while listening to a podcast. My go-to is currently Saturn Returns with Caggie.
Once I’m home, I then do a 15-min gentle yoga stretch followed by a hot shower and then I spend 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.
Save these morning routine ideas on Pinterest
My relaxing evening routine
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. My phone is put into bedtime mode which helps me to resist the urge of scrolling through my phone for the rest of the day.
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.
These 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.
Save these evening routine ideas on Pinterest
5 steps to build a morning and evening routine that work 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 and evening routine that suits your personality and 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 and more passionate about your routine.
Here’s where to start:
1 | Brain dump
Map out what your ideal (but realistic) morning and evening routine looks 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 and then doing yoga or 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.
If you want to dive deeper into building habits that suit you, then check out Atomic Habits by James Clear.
You can then test and rate the rituals you try to see whether you should include them in your routine or not.
Questions to ask yourself when trying out a new ritual are:
- How does this make me feel?
- Does this work for me?
Or make things easier for yourself with The Wellness Planner, which includes a done-for-you morning and evening routine builder so you can create a routine that works for you.
3 | Create a realistic time-frame
Once you’ve chosen which rituals to include in your routine, you then need to estimate how long each ritual will take to complete.
By doing this exercise, you will have a clearer idea of how much time you can dedicate to your routines in the morning and evening, and know when to start each one.
I recommend working backwards to figure this out.
For example, work out how much sleep you need to get each night and when you realistically need to go to sleep. So if you usually wake up at 8 am and need to get a solid 8-hrs sleep you want to be falling asleep at 12 am. If the estimated time of your evening routine is 2 hours, you want to be starting it at 10 pm.
Once you’ve mapped out when to start your morning or evening routine, make a note of it in your daily schedule and set an alarm to help prompt you into starting it.
4 | Track progress
Gain the motivation you need to keep going with your morning and evening routines by writing them down on a piece of paper and keeping them next to your bed.
This will help you keep track of your routine and check your progress.
And lucky for you, The Wellness Planner even includes a done-for-you morning and evening routine printable that you can fill out and keep next to your bed.
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.
And things sometimes don’t always go to plan.
So be mindful of your mood and don’t freak out if you miss a day.
Remain flexible and be ready to adapt your routine if needed.
Final Thoughts
Yes, a morning and evening routine sets you up for a more productive and 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.
Until next week,
♡ Thalia xx
“There is a version of every habit that can bring you joy and satisfaction. Find it. Habits need to be enjoyable if they are going to stick… tailoring your habits to your personality is a good start.”
James Clear | Atomic Habits
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