Simple Morning Routine For A Successful Day

by Online Business Mum

Healthy morning habits that will help you wake up early and happy. This simple morning routine is easy to do and can be adjusted to fit around your kids, partner and busy mum life.

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Why do you need a morning routine?

A morning routine is, simply put, a combination of activities you do every morning. Like getting out of bed, brushing your teeth, getting dressed, making coffee etc. So pretty much every person has their own morning routine, whether they realise it or not. All these things you do first thing every morning condition your brain and set you up for your day. Either in a positive, energetic, productive way or in a less favourable ‘I’m late and I’m tired’ way.

So the question is not if you need a morning routine, but rather ‘How should your morning routine look like to set yourself up for a perfect day - with purpose and in line with your goals and dreams?

What should be part of your morning routine?

It has been reported again and again that certain habits, especially if done first thing in the morning, have a tremendous impact on your day. That’s why so many highly successful people, top performers and celebrities swear by their morning routine. Hal Elrod has taken all of these effective habits and combined them in one book - his bestseller The Miracle Morning. He calls them the S.A.V.E.R.S which is an acronym for:

S - Silence (e.g. praying, meditating, mindfulness exercises, deep breathing etc.)

A - Affirmations (e.g. saying your goals, top priorities or statements for self-confidence etc.)

V - Visualisation (visualising reaching your goals, short term and long term)

E - Exercise (e.g. yoga, walking, running, push-ups etc. anything to get your body moving)

R - Reading (something you want to learn about or that will help your self-development)

S - Scribing (journaling, e.g. things you are grateful for, learnings, challenges etc.)

Doing all of these 6 habits in the morning, even if it’s just for as little as 1 minute each, will help you start your day with energy, confidence and a positive mindset which will have a great impact on your whole day.

Hal Elrod typically recommends putting aside 1 hour for your whole morning routine, but it can be as long or as short as you want it to be. And let’s face it, as busy mums it can be very hard to carve out a whole hour for yourself, so I’d like to show you how I’ve adapted Hal’s morning routine to fit into my day and around my family’s needs.

If you are looking for tips and tricks specifically on how to create your own personal morning routine that works around your kids, check out my other blog post here: How To Build An Effective Morning Routine Around Your Kids

My morning routine

Getting up - 5 minutes: At 6:25am my alarm goes off. I have a daylight alarm (a Lumie body clock) to wake me up gently. And an alarm on my phone on the other side of the bedroom which forces me to get up and not hit the snooze button instead. I get up, make my bed, put on my running clothes, drink a glass of water, go to the loo, brush my teeth and splash cold water in my face to help me wake up and quietly sneak downstairs to start my morning practice.

Exercise - 5 minutes: I take out my yoga mat (I use the IUGA Pro which I absolutely love!) and start with a short yoga sequence (usually a few sun salutations) to stretch my body and get my blood flowing. After that I feel properly awake.

Silence - 15-20 minutes: Then I sit down on my yoga mat and medidate for 15 minutes. Sometimes it’s a bit more, sometimes a bit less. But I find that I usually come out of my meditation naturally after 15 - 20 minutes at the latest. I tried different meditation methods in the past - guided, unguided, using a mantra etc. But most of the times I prefer to just be still and empty my mind until I am in a deeply calm and relaxed state.

Scribing - 5 minutes: After my meditation I write out my goals in my journal and any ideas that popped into my head while meditating or anything else I want to bring on paper.

Affirmations & Visualisation - 10 minutes: Then I say my goals out aloud and visualise with my eyes closed how I feel when I have achieved them and the steps I need to take in order to get there. I focus on tasks I’m doing, people I’m interacting with and how I show up when working towards this goal - e.g. motivated, joyful, proactive, of service etc. I start the visualisation process with my daily goals - the 3 most important things I want to get done that day. And then I move on to my long term goals.

By then (about 40 minutes later) my son is awake. My husband takes care of him first thing in the morning so I can finish my morning routine. So at around 7:10am I take over so my partner can have some time for himself too, and I get the little one dressed and ready for nursery.

At 8 am I do the nursery run. It only takes us 5 minutes on the bike to get there. So at 8:15 am I’m back home.

Exercise & Reading - 15 minutes: Remember, I’m still in my running clothes I put on this morning. So I pop in my earbuds (I've been gifted these Soundcore Spirit Sports Earphones by my husband which are not too expensive and work great!) and go for a quick 10-15 minutes run whilst listening to an audiobook about a topic I want to learn about.

I’m back around 8:30 am, take a shower and get ready for work.

At 9 am I make myself a cup of tea, sit down at my desk and start work.

My evening routine

To make sure I get enough sleep and to be well rested for my morning routine and my day, my evening routine is actually equally as important as my morning routine. Even though it’s super short. This is how it goes:

I set myself a bedtime alarm and - same as in the morning - put my phone across the room so I have to get up. In this case from the comforts of my couch which can be a real struggle for me to abandon in order to go to bed. So at 9:30pm my bedtime alarm goes off, I get up and start to get myself ready for bed.

Scribing - 10 minutes: At 10pm I’m in bed, writing in my journal about how my day went. - My greatest successes, my learnings and the things I’m grateful for. I also write down the 3 most important tasks I want to get done on the next day.

If you want to find out more about the journal I'm using, I've done a whole blog post about it here: RETHiNK Planner Review: The Daily Planner to Help You Achieve Your Goals

By 10:30pm I’m asleep. :)

This daily routine, even though it’s divided over different times in my day to make it work with my family, really sets me up for success each day. Don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t always work out as planned, depending on when my little one wakes up in the morning or if he gets up throughout the night when he is unwell. Or simply when my bedtime gets delayed for various reasons like having friends over for example. So I might have to cut it short on some days or even skip some parts. But it’s my ideal routine I’m striving for every day. And every time I manage to do it, or even just parts of it, I can definitely feel the difference it makes to my mood and productivity on that day. Basically, a day that starts with my morning routine is usually a very positive and successful day for me!


Do you have your own morning routine? If so, what does it include? If not, why don’t you try your own routine for a few mornings? I would love to hear how it goes for you and what difference it makes to your days. Let me know in the comments! :)

How To Build An Effective Morning Routine Around Your Kids

by Online Business Mum

Tips on how to create a morning routine when you have kids that help you be more relaxed, focussed and successful in your business and as a mum.

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Having a morning routine has been one of the most helpful practises for me to be more calm, relaxed and focussed. Which has a positive knock-on effect on all areas of my life, especially my family and my online business. But doing a morning routine around your kids can be challenging to say the least. I've been interrupted during my meditation, reading or yoga many times and had to cut it short or even skip it completely on more than one occasion. The benefits of having a morning practice for yourself are too great though to give up. So stick with me and learn some tips and tricks on how you can fit your routine around your kids so you can still get those amazing benefits that will help you boost your success in any area you want.

My morning routine is based on Hal Elrod's book The Miracle Morning by the way. If you are interested in creating your own routine, I would definitely recommend you check it out. 

If you want to learn more about the journal I'm using for my morning routine which is also my daily, weekly, monthly and yearly planner, I've written a blog post about it here: 

RETHiNK Planner Review: The Daily Planner to Help You Achieve Your Goals

#1. Get Up Early

Getting up before your kids will give you the best chances of getting some undisturbed me-time which will give you the cool and strength to face the craziness of the day ahead. I know it sounds hard. But what I found is, that getting up on my own terms at a time I choose is actually very empowering and therefore easier for me, rather than getting woken up by my toddler at whatever time he sees fit. On the days I get up early by myself I definitely feel more in charge, I am calmer and less stressed. I feel like I can control how the day goes rather than having to react to whatever is thrown at me. 

#2. Go To Bed Early

For me, the number one thing to help me get up early is going to bed on time. I really need my 8 hours of sleep to fully function throughout the day. This one is actually my biggest challenge. Once my little one is asleep, it's just so tempting and nice to chill on the sofa with my husband watching movies, interesting things on YouTube or playing video games. I absolutely LOVE these relaxing evenings with him. So much so that I've been really struggling to go to bed at a reasonable time. But there is a little hack that helps me to overcome this. 

Behold the Bedtime Alarm! 

All I have to do is set an alarm on my phone for the time I want to or rather should go to bed. And then I put my phone far across the room. This has two benefits. First of all, without my phone by my side, it's one less distraction I have to battle before going to bed. And secondly, the most important bit - once the alarm goes off I have to get up from the couch in order to turn it off. (Pick an alarm that's too annoying and too loud to ignore.) The magic is, once I get up, I don't actually feel like sitting down anymore and think to myself that I might as well go to bed now. Problem solved! This little hack absolutely works wonders for me. Try it out and let me know in the comments if it works for too. :)

Oh and, putting your alarm across the room also works amazingly well in the mornings to get out of bed! :)

#3. Prepare Everything For Your Routine The Night Before

This will set you up for success right from the start of the day. Have a glass of water next to your bed that you can drink right after getting up. This will help you wake up and re-hydrate your body. Have your workout clothes, your yoga mat or anything else you need easily accessible so you don't have to roam around the house. Have your journal, your diary or the book you want to read in next to you. Have everything you need laid out so you don't wake up your family unintentionally before you can finish or even start your routine. 

#4. Be Flexible

Our kids can be quite unpredictable at times. So even if we've prepped everything, gone to bed early, set our morning alarm, our kids might just decide to get up early. Or maybe they are sick and neither your kid nor you are getting any sleep that night. Just remember, your morning routine is not just another task on your to-do list. It's a habit that helps you feel better, be calm and ultimately be a better parent. If your baby or your kids need you, be there for them. You can try to do your practice or part of it later, maybe when the baby is napping. Or you might decide to just skip it for that day and try again the next day. Which is totally fine too. You could even do a mini routine for days when you don't have time or when you are just starting out and struggling to find any time at all. 

Example for a mini morning routine:

• 1 minute of silence/meditation/reflection
• 1 minute of journaling - write down any thoughts/ideas/challenges/wins etc. that linger in your brain. By doing that you will come up with solutions and insights you would have never thought of otherwise. It's also a great way to declutter your mind, just by writing things out on paper.
• 1 minute to say/read out your goals or affirmations
• 1 minute of visualisation practise where you envision yourself living your dream and reaching your goals
• 1 minute of workout like jumping jacks to get your heart pumping and to get oxygen in your bloodstream and to your brain
• 1 minute of reading a book you enjoy or a subject you want to learn more about. 

Usually, I would allocate 5-20 minutes for each of these habits so my morning routine would take about an hour in total. But even if you only do these habits for one minute each you will feel a difference and you can gradually increase the time as you go along or as things get better. Just don't give up because of one bad morning or a difficult week. Get back to it as soon as you can and enjoy the benefits it brings to you and your family.

#5. Involve Your Kids

This is one of my favourites as this can encourage your kids to have their own morning practice or adopt good habits for their life as they model you. Depending on your kids' age you could try sitting them next to you to play and explain to them what you are doing. They might just want to be near you and might be totally fine watching you or doing their own thing as long as they know you are there. 

When your kids are older you could actively involve them in your routine. They would probably love doing jumping jacks or a funny dance with you. My little one always wants to participate when he sees me doing yoga. Up to that point that he has pretty much memorized all the poses for sun salutations at 2 years old. 

Older kids might enjoy meditating/practising silence or doing breathing exercises with you. They could even say their own simple affirmations like "I am brave." "I believe in myself." "I have a big heart."

Instead of journaling, you could give your kids a piece of paper they can draw on.

These are just some ideas you could try. If you are looking for more tips or if you want to create a morning routine specifically for your kids, I can recommend The Miracle Morning for Parents and Families by Hal Elrod. This book is full of helpful tips and tricks on how you can implement a morning routine and a more peaceful and fulfilled life for your family and your children. It introduces daily practices specifically for kids that can help them become the best version of themselves and be better equipped for the challenges that life brings.