Morning Routine Ideas and Trends That Make You Want to Wake Up

Ok, so your alarm goes off and the first thing you do…is start negotiating with yourself.

Five more minutes.

Alright, ten.

Maybe I can skip breakfast and buy myself another fifteen.

(This is me nodding even though you can’t see me…)

That used to be me! UNTIL…

Until I stopped trying to establish this crazy, unrealistic morning routine and started creating one that was workable. One that made me want to get out of bed because something nice was waiting for me on the other side of the covers.

And I highly recommend it!

Now, if you’re looking for 4:00am green smoothies and cold plunges, sorry I can’t help you with that.

My preference is to go with ideas that light you up and leave the rest. It’s your morning after all!

Yup, I get it. You came here for morning ideas. But it’ll all make sense! Because a little bit of night-before prep makes your morning so much smoother.

Lay out something comfortable you're happy to wake up in. Prep your coffee stuff (iced or hot, either one is fine by me!) so it's basically grab-and-go. Put your phone on the charger somewhere that isn't right next to your pillow (this one is annoying at first but it works).

And before you close your eyes, jot down three things you want tomorrow to include. It’s not the same thing as a to-do list. Rather, these are three intentions, like "move my body," "drink more water," or "don't check email before 9."

Oh, and I recommend swapping your alarm tone to something that doesn't make your heart rate spike the second it goes off. Seriously!

We’re going to take it slow and simple. What if, before you look at a single screen, you gave yourself ten minutes of just... being a person? If ten minutes is too long, find an amount of time that works for you.

Stretch in bed like a cat. Arms overhead, point your toes, take up every inch of space. Drink a full glass of water before anything else (I like to keep one on my nightstand so it's right there).

You can even open a window or step outside for a few seconds to get some natural light on your face. Take five slow breaths. And say one nice thing to yourself, like “today's going to be a good one!" Either out loud or in your head, both work.

A few minutes is so low effort but can completely change the energy of the rest of your morning.

The magic isn’t in what you drink, it’s in how you drink it. And that’s why I’m giving it its own section!

Make it an experience. Use your favorite mug, not just whichever one is closest. Try a new seasonal creamer or make yourself a little homemade latte with cinnamon and honey.

If you're a matcha fan, make the whisking your ritual. Tea lovers, pick a blend based on your mood rather than grabbing whatever's in the front of the cabinet.

And the most important part is to sit down while you drink it. At the table. On the couch. On your porch. Wherever…just sit down.

I get that it sounds almost too simple, but when you sit and enjoy your coffee (instead of gulping it while packing a bag and looking for your keys)...you’re adding to the experience of your morning drink.

I’m sure you knew this was coming. But stay with me because I'm talking about EASY movement here.

A 10-minute yoga flow on YouTube (search "gentle morning yoga" and you'll have thousands of options). A quick walk around the block with no headphones. Dance to two songs in your kitchen while your coffee brews. Or try stretching while you wait for your toast to pop.

The idea here is to wake your body up so your brain follows along. Pick whatever sounds fun and skip anything that sounds like punishment.

Speaking from personal experience, this is where a lot of morning routines go off the rails. It’s because they try to pack in waaaaay too much. So here's my rule. Pick ONE thing from this list. Yuppers, only one.

Read five pages of a book or listen to a podcast while you get ready. Write three things you're grateful for. And yes, being grateful for caffeine absolutely counts!

Pull up a daily devotional or affirmation app. Journal for five minutes, stream of consciousness style. Or flip through a magazine you’ve been holding onto.

It’s so invigorating to start your day with something that feeds your brain instead of draining it.

Try spending a few minutes doing something that makes you feel like yourself. Put on real clothes that you enjoy, even if you work from home and nobody's going to see you.

Do your skincare routine with a little extra love. Light a candle or turn on your diffuser (mine’s almost out!). Put on a playlist that matches the vibe you want for the day.

Spend a few minutes on your hair or makeup.

All these tiny things add up. And they reinforce that you're a valued person before the day starts pulling you in tons of different directions.

I can’t pretend to know what your breakfast preferences are, so I’m not even going to try. But just know that according to the experts out there, breakfast is usually considered to be the most important meal of the day.

What you eat and when you eat it? Totally up to you, but here are some ideas.

Overnight oats you prepped the night before, or a smoothie with whatever fruit you have plus some spinach (you won’t even notice it’s in there!).

A yogurt parfait with granola and berries, then drizzled with honey and cinnamon, looks fancy but hardly takes any time.

Eggs any way you like them, eaten sitting down. In a time crunch? Try the microwave for some quick scrambled eggs!

Or even a banana with peanut butter on a graham cracker. Even if the bar here is that you fed yourself before noon, know that that's a perfectly fine bar.

I recommend having at least two or three easy options ready to go. That way you're not wasting time in front of your fridge first thing in the morning trying to decide what grand feast you have to prepare before work.

It’s time to level-set. If you try to do ALL of these things tomorrow morning, it’s quite likely that you’re going to burn out in a few days. So let’s not go down that path!

Pick one or two things from this list. Do those for a couple of weeks until they start feeling natural.

Then (and only then) add something else…if you want to.

Your routine on a Tuesday is probably going to look completely different from your Saturday version, and it should!

If something starts to become more like a chore, swap it out. Give any new routine about two weeks before you decide whether it's working. And write your ideal morning down on a sticky note and put it somewhere you'll see it before bed.

The goal is for consistency. Three good mornings out of five is still three more good mornings than you had before.

I hope you now have some great ideas on how to make a fabulous morning routine that’s workable.

So why not start tomorrow? And hey, if you sleep through your alarm, you can always start the day after that. No guilt required!