I listen to a ton of business-related podcasts and one thing that almost all successful entrepreneurs have in common is that they have a morning routine. And I think it’s suuuper interesting to hear what people’s routines look like. I have always been someone who thrived off on routine and structure. I feel like this isn’t as common for creatives, who tend to be more type-B personalities, but I know that in order for me to stay focused, a morning routine is crucial.

One misconception that I think a lot of people have about morning routines — I certainly did — is that it means you get up at the crack of dawn. But it’s so much more than that. To me, having a morning routine is just a set of things you do to keep yourself motivated, organized, and ready to take on the day. If the first part of my morning goes “according to plan”, I already feel like the rest of my day will just run smoother. So, here’s what I do every day.

I wake up at the same time every day, or within the same ½ hour. I struggled with sleep for years. Like I could do a whole separate blog post on my evening routine too, trust me. But a huge factor of getting a good night’s sleep is staying on somewhat of a schedule. Yeah, sure, I’ll deviate from it a bit on the weekends or when I need extra sleep, but for the most part I stick to the same time. The time? 7:30 am. To some, that’s early; to others, that’s late! But that’s what works for me.

I go to the gym. I aim to be at the gym by 8am the latest. It’s about a 4-minute walk from my house, so I’m usually in and out within an hour and back home by 9. Without getting too much into the actual workout, I will say that I run every single time I go to the gym. Most days I do some form of strength training too, but running/sprints is always in the plan. It immediately wakes me up, gets my heart racing, and really makes me feel energized.

I walk Marty. As soon as I get back from the gym, I walk Marty. Often times it ends up being a nice little cool down from my workout too. He’s his happiest in the morning, so it always puts me in a good mood right away. The dood really loves life!

I eat the same thing for breakfast every day. As a business owner, you’re forced to make decisions all day long. Where I can eliminate unnecessary decisions, I sure will. Breakfast is one of them. Every now and then I’ll have something different (like brunch with friends, on vacation, etc) but at home, it’s the same thing every day. An RXBar + fruit or a protein shake. I rotate RXBar flavors (my go-to’s are Chocolate Sea Salt, Banana Chocolate Walnut, and Mint Chocolate) as well as fruit (usually an orange, banana, or berries).

I DO NOT drink caffeine. People are always surprised by this. Sometimes baffled. Caffeine and I do not get along. It makes me extremely anxious and irritable. I feel like my skin is crawling and everything is annoying. I was drinking half caff for a while but even that was too much and really triggered my anxiety. If you’re prone to panic attacks (I’ve suffered for years) caffeine is literally the worst thing. I still like a warm drink with breakfast, so I just drink tea. The Yogi brand is my #1 and my favorites are Lemon Ginger, Honey Lavender, and Honey Chai Turmeric.

I start work right away. Pretty much as soon as I get back from walking the dog and showering, I sit down to start working. To be blunt, I don’t dick around. The first thing I do is go through any emails that I didn’t get to during my walk to and from the gym. The second thing I do is check all the social media accounts I cover, making sure all scheduled posts went up and everything is running smoothly. At the time of writing this, I’m working with 18 different brands, so do you see why putting this at the top of the to-do list is a must? 😉

I always listen to podcasts. I usually start listening during my walk with Marty and throughout the first part of the day. But in reality, I listen to podcasts nonstop — when I’m driving, cleaning, cooking — all the time. But I’m sure you’re wondering why I consider this part of my morning routine. A lot of the podcasts I listen to have a purpose. They’re either to deliver me daily news, inspire and motivate me, or teach me something. I think it’s super important to always be learning, and I get a ton of useful information from podcasts. I plan to do a separate post on my favorite podcasts, don’t worry!

Other things worth mentioning:

  • The night before, I write out my to-do list for the day and use it to stay on track.
  • I time block as much as possible, focusing on one task at at time rather than jumping around.
  • I work in energy waves. I take breaks to reset my mind rather than sit in overdrive for hours on end.
  • If I feel like I’m in a temporary work rut, I either go for a walk or read a couple chapters of whatever book I’m reading.

What does your morning routine look like? I’d love to know!