How To Create a Realistic Morning Routine

Deadline season is well and truly upon us and as a final year university student who has 16,000 words due in the next two months, even just getting out of bed feels like a chore. As for a morning routine, it's practically non-existent. I can't count how many times I've read or watched a morning routine and felt like a failure for not getting up at 5.30am, going for a jog and having a flawless skin care routine done all before 8. Don't get me wrong, if that's what works best for you I'm jealous! But as a student who has to convince herself that she's a morning person on the daily, that's just not for me. 

My routine has changed countless times over the years but this is what I've learned works best for me: 

1. First thing's first, I use the word 'routine' VERY loosely. Each day is different and I've often struggled with writing my day off before it's even started if I haven't had a productive morning. It's so important to listen to your body and what it needs. At the end of the day you know yourself best and don't be so hard on yourself if you don't stick to what you plan to do. 

2. We're starting off in the night time. I know it sounds condescending but the key to a good morning routine is what you do the night before. Before you get into bed spend 5 minutes tidying your space, just putting things away and making sure that that chair at your desk is free of clothes that you can't be bothered putting away. 

3. Falling asleep can be a struggle if you're like me and have a million things racing through your mind even when you're absolutely shattered. But what's helped me the most are audiobooks, yes audiobooks. I set a sleep timer of 15-30 minutes every night and I can't remember the last time I heard the book stop, I'm always asleep by the time it finishes. I know that subscriptions can get expensive so my top tip is if you have a Spotify account they have a lot of classics on there (Jane Eyre, Great Expectations etc.) for free as well as my teenage favourite of The Hunger Games Trilogy. 

4. If you have an iPhone, the wake up alarm is a godsend. You can set a bedtime reminder which automatically puts your phone on do not disturb and night shift until you wake up. The best perk of this setting is the alarm sound itself, there's no violent beeping dragging you out of your dreams but instead a melody that gradually gets louder. However, once you turn it off that's it, it doesn't sound again. So if you're like me and you almost automatically fall back to sleep, make sure you set a few extra alarms afterwards just to make sure you're definitely up. 

5. I know we'd all like to live in an ideal world where you don't scroll on your phone for at least 30 minutes before you get out of bed, but let's face it we all do it. Set a 20 minute timer once you're awake to catch up on your socials/watch tik toks/check emails. But only 20 minutes, once that's over get out of bed. I promise it's a game-changer.  

6. Make (and I cannot stress this enough) your bed. Making my bed, putting my throw over it and sorting the pillows really squashes the temptation to crawl back in after I've had a shower and end up lying on my bed for at least 20 minutes afterwards in my towel. My theory is that lying on top of a made bed is much better than actually being in it, I somehow still manage to move and actually get ready. 

7. I know you've heard it a million times but I do think that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Fuelling your body ready for the day ahead is the best thing that you can do. I like to put fruit, seeds and nuts on top of my cereal for a little bit of extra iron for my energy levels. I used to think that coffee in the morning was a good enough substitute before I exercised but turns out it's really not enough. 

8. Onto the topic of exercising. Exercising in the morning isn't for everyone, so instead of saying that it's exercise I just say it's something for me. So whether that's 10 minutes of meditation, journalling, painting your nails, styling your hair in a way that makes you feel good. My go-to at the moment has been pilates or yoga depending on how my body is feeling that day. If my energy levels are dipping just a quick meditation through Headspace on Netflix, Spotify podcasts or Youtube videos still feels like I've exercised my body and took some time to check in with myself. 

9. Organisation is sometimes really difficult, especially if like me you like to visually see what you plan to do that day and end up not getting round to any of it. I used to hold myself accountable to my diary, struggling to fit the unrealistic to-do list into one day as well as looking after myself, socialising with friends and getting a good night's sleep. So instead I've moved towards a weekly to-do list, not setting certain times for certain things but instead spreading them out over the whole week and judging how I feel on the day.  

10. Don't be scared to stray from your plan throughout the day. Go with how you feel and just use your plan as an outline of things you think you'd like to do that day. Take a more forgiving approach to a routine instead of a strict plan of what you need to do, think of it as a guide. Be kind to yourself, not every day goes perfectly to plan. 

This won't work for everyone but just changing a few things about your routine can make your start to the day a lot more positive and relaxing. You can always restart your day at any point, never let a bad morning dictate a whole 24 hours. Even if you make your bed at 10pm before you get in it, you're still doing amazing. 

If you have anymore tips and suggestions I'd love to hear them! Please leave a comment or come discuss on my instagram post. I hope you all have a lovely day!