I first learned about the concept of a “morning routine” from the book The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod. Since then, I’ve seen morning routine checklists everywhere.  From The Most Successful People’s Morning routine to Marie Kondo’s morning routine, it seems everyone is creating one.

It’s more popular now as more people learn the benefit of creating and sticking to a morning routine. The good news is, you don’t have to copy someone else’s. You can create your own based on your lifestyle, season in life, and personal goals. 

It also doesn’t have to be complicated.

Any tasks you perform first thing in the morning before going to work, school, or taking care of your family are part of your morning routine. It can be as simple as drinking a glass of water first thing in the morning to a very structured schedule. You make the rules!

The point is that you do something beneficial each morning to better your day or life.

My Ultimate Guide to Creating a Morning Routine 

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I would recommend getting the book “Miracle Morning“ if you don’t already have it. It’s worth the read. But here’s a little taste to see if it’s something you’d be interested in. I’ll then share how I’ve tailored it to my life as a mom, Christian, and how you can create your own morning routine based on YOUR life. 

The Miracle Morning breaks a morning routine down into what the author calls S.A.V.E.R.S.

S is for Silence 

A is for Affirmations.

V is for visualization 

E is for exercise. 

R is for reading. 

S is for scribing 

Here is how I tailored the Miracle Morning to my morning routine for about a month. After that, I pared down to better fit my lifestyle. 

S is for Silence (Prayer)

Since my faith is important to me I tailored this step to fit in with my morning devotions. I used the S in Silence to start my day with prayer. Every morning, I’d wake up and thank God for specific blessings in my life. 

A is for Affirmations (Meditation)

I used the affirmation portion to meditate on a different verse. I found it helpful to work my way through Proverbs and reflect on a new verse each morning. I could easily pull it up on my phone even before I got out of bed. 

V is for Visualization (Prayer Requests)

I then used the Visualization step to pray over my to-do list, asking God to bless what was in His plan and cut out what wasn’t. I find this a helpful tip whether you have a morning routine or not.

E is for Exercise

I’d then do a 15-20 minute workout before breakfast – if possible. I tried to keep them short because my toddler would likely be getting into some cupboard and making a mess. 😉

R is for Reading (Devotions)

Either before or after exercise I’d read a couple of chapters in the Bible. I read it along with either the commentary in my Bible or try this Bible commentary for further insight. 

S is for Scribing

While it might be nice to use this time to write in my prayer journal, I ended up using it to work on my book. I try to do 30 minutes a day as I peck away at it. If I do not schedule a time to write guest posts and work on my work, I would never make progress. I have to find the time – even a few minutes – each day to work on it. 

As I said, I did this for several weeks and felt accomplished at first! 

“Wow, it’s 10 am and I’ve already worked out, worked on my book, and did my devotions!”

But as the weeks went on, this schedule started to wear on me. I understand the author’s point, if we don’t get the hardest tasks done first thing – especially exercise – we’re not likely to do them at all.

But that’s not the case for me in my life right now. 

How I Created a Stay-At-Home-Mom Morning Routine

While I was working full-time, I had to exercise before work otherwise I’d never do it. But as a stay-at-home mom now I have more flexibility in my day. Now, I take a walk almost every day with my toddler around my town. I usually do it after her nap when she starts to get cranky and I’m starting to get brain fog. It’s a good pick-me-up for both of us.

While I still do most of the items in the Miracle Morning, I space them out in the day. I find this works a lot better for my lifestyle. 

Here is my current Morning Routine:

Wake up between 7:00 am and 7:30 am.

I say a quick prayer over my day, asking God to direct the day. I tell him my plans and ask him to change them.  I loved this time during my “Miracle Morning” routine and will continue to keep it. 

I then drink a bottle of water.

During the night we become dehydrated so I like to replenish any lost fluids right away. I keep the bottle on my nightstand so I can drink it before I get out of bed. Check out My Exact Night Routine for a Better Morning post here. 

I get up when my toddler wakes up. I know once we have more kids I’ll need to wake up before them but this works best for me right now.

Feed My Toddler/Devotions

While I give my toddler a bottle of Pediasure I read two chapters in my Bible. She’s busy and I can read it in peace! Unfortunately, she usually finishes before I’m done but I try to encourage her to play a bit. 

Plus, although she’s young, I hope her seeing my make my Bible reading a priority instills in her how important it is. One day soon, I’ll be able to read with her.

Quick Chore

After that, I feed our cat and then try to finish one quick morning chore. I may throw a load of laundry in, unload the dishwasher, or dust. 

Make Breakfast

After that, I make us both breakfast and we sit down together to eat. 

Get Dressed/Ready for the Day

Finally, we go upstairs and both change for the day. I put her in her room with some toys while I wash my face (a skincare routine is very important to me!), brush my teeth, and then get her dressed.

It’s simple. It’s easy. And it makes me feel like I ready for the day. 

Ready to create your own?

How to Create a Morning Routine Checklist

1. Create a list of what you currently do every morning. To improve it, you have to know what you’re working with first!
2. Make a list of all the activities that could improve your morning. To help create this list, think of ways to improve your mind, body, and soul. (For instance: going for a run, doing your devotions, or drinking a cup of tea.)
3. Put them in order from highest priority to lowest.
4. Estimate how much each activity will take and then how much time you have before you need to be out the door for work or your kids wake up.
5. Use your priority list to figure out how many items you have time you actually have available. Make sure to keep in mind doing at least one item each for your mind, body, and soul (as a homemaker I added in “home” too!)
6. Test out your items and adjust accordingly. Chances are your morning routine checklist won’t be perfect at first and that’s part of the process.

And if you’re short on time make sure to check out this quick morning routine for busy days or weekends!

What does your morning routine look like? 

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