If you are looking to have awesome days this fall season, a morning routine is a non-negotiable, especially in the fall which I consider one of the busiest seasons. As a busy wife and mother, I crave routines as routines help me get through the day in an efficient manner and help my household run smoothly. Morning routines are also essential as they can boost your energy moods, improve your productivity, and allow you to build healthy habits.
As an educator, I have summers off which includes a relaxed morning routine. School is now back in session and with the start of the new school year, I decided to adopt a new fall morning routine. I have been consistent with this fall morning routine for a month and have noticed that my stress levels have decreased which is a win!
Below are 5 tasks that I complete each fall morning that have improved my not only my mornings but my entire day.
Disclaimer: I do rise early each morning (4 a.m.), so I strive to go to bed each night at a reasonable time.
1.Exercise
Exercising and working out consistently has been a game changer for me in terms of regulating my stress levels. Exercising allows our body to release endorphins which can reduce our overall stress levels. Depending on my schedule or obligations, I either go to the gym to work out or work out at home before work. I have noticed that immediately after exercising, I experience a natural burst of energy without the help of any coffee, tea, or energy drinks. Working out 3-4 times a week seems to be my “sweet spot.” Depending on our afternoon activities and weather, I also strive to walk for 30 minutes. The fall weather makes the walks so enjoyable!
2.Meditate
While I have heard of the many benefits of mediating, I never included this practice in my morning routine. Now after working out, I now meditate using a guided mediation video. Mediation for just five minutes each morning, has allowed me to improve my ability to focus for extended periods of time. Although I don’t want to admit it, with social media and technology, my mind is often overstimulated which impacts my ability to focus. I also feel that my mind can be on auto pilot which mediation has helped! My goal is to increase the time that I meditate to ten minutes, adding on increments of time over a period of time.
I seriously didn’t know how much cognitive power goes into meditating for just five minutes!
3.Read
After meditating, I read an inspirational passage for approximately 5-10 minutes. If something really stands out as profound while I read, I jot it down on a sticky note and reflect upon it throughout the day. I usually place the sticky note on my desk at work so that I can see it throughout the day. These notes encourage me throughout the day which proves that things that you do in the morning impact you throughout the day.
I used to ask myself what order I should do things in my morning routine. I often switch or adjust the times and tasks for steps 1-3 around depending on the day of the week but do all of the steps before moving on to the next steps. On set days, I also rest and do not exercise.
4.Get Ready
After completing steps 1-3, I begin to get ready for work by taking a shower and completing my personal hygiene activities. The night before I pick my clothes out, so this process does not take long at all. Read here about the power of a night routine.
5.Hydrate
While getting ready, I begin to hydrate with water. This has been an intentional change that I did for my overall health. Previously, my first choice of beverage would be tea or coffee. While I still have tea or coffee each morning, I realize the acid levels of tea and coffee and drink a glass of water first.
I currently leave the home by 7:00 each morning. I’m never hungry at this time so I take and eat breakfast at work.
Some staple foods that enjoy in the fall season are:
Chia Pudding topped with fruit
Egg Muffins
Smoothies
6.Get the kids ready
I purposely complete the steps above before waking up my children as the silence is golden.
After showering, brushing my teeth, etc., I begin to wake up my children at staggered times. Staggered times help our household because the children share a bathroom.
Our oldest daughter wakes up first to take a shower. While she is in the shower, I wake our youngest daughter wake up. She makes her bed and by this time the bathroom is ready. After they are ready, they grab a quick breakfast and we are out the door to begin our day!
Final Thoughts
Fall is my favorite season but with it comes a lot of activities that keeps our family busy. These 5 steps have allowed me to create a fall morning routine that allows me to have overall productive day.
Do you incorporate any of these tasks while getting ready for your workday or school day during the fall season?
Read Next:
Leave a Reply