Teachers hit the ground running every morning. It’s super important to have some kind of morning routine so that you take care of yourself before you get to school and take care of everyone else’s needs.
Here are 15 ideas to consider.
1 – get enough sleep the night before! This is one of the simplest ways to get a good morning routine started. This is very individual, but the general recommendation is to get 7 – 9 hours of sleep every night. You may need more or slightly less. Experiment to find the right amount of sleep for you and prioritize getting that sleep every night.
2 – get up 15 minutes earlier than your current wake-up time. This will give you some quiet time to yourself for some of the activities listed below. Even if this sounds awful now, once you start adding some of these ideas to your morning routine, you may find yourself getting up earlier to give yourself even more time!
3 – enjoy some silence in the morning. Teachers are bombarded with voices and noise all day long. Use at least a few minutes of your morning routine to just sit in silence. You might use this time for prayer or meditation.
4 – other than texts from family members, try to NOT scroll through your phone before you’ve done some of the following activities. Starting the day by checking your email or social media gets you focused on other people and their needs or their activities rather than focusing on your own needs. Be a little selfish here and look out for your own mindful start to the day.
5 – write in a journal. This can take whatever form you want, but think about doing “morning pages” writing. Created by Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way, morning pages are a great way to clear your mind of whatever is causing you anxiety or is something you are trying to resolve. You can learn more about morning pages HERE.
6 – as part of your journal (or as a separate thing), list 3-5 things that make you feel grateful. These don’t have to be big things. Listing small things that make you happy will make you even more mindful of all the good things going on, even on your worst days. Some of the most recent items from my gratitude list: the quietness of the morning, my dog’s sweet face, good coffee. Of course, the big things count too: good health, your family, your students.
7 – read something inspirational or positive to start your day. It could be a short devotional or any book that inspires you and helps you to see the good in your life and the world. (By the way: watching the news in the morning, other than to catch the weather, might not be the most positive or inspiring way to start the day!)
8 – hydrate! Drink half your body weight in ounces of water every day. Try to get started on that by drinking 2 – 3 cups of water in the morning. You’re slightly dehydrated when you first wake up, so drinking some water wakes you up, gives you energy, and it’s good for every part of your body, especially your skin.
9 – Move your body. This doesn’t have to mean going to the gym in the morning unless that’s your thing. But try to do some kind of exercise in the morning to get your body moving and give yourself more energy for the day. Try some yoga or stretching videos on YouTube. Go for a morning walk or jog outside. Try this 6-Minute Workout. Stream a short workout from Beachbody. Check out Amanda Tress’s FASTer Way to Fat Loss program and workouts.
10 – Prep a healthy breakfast or lunch. Some easy options are smoothies, overnight oats, or a simple salad.
11 – Straighten up your space. This doesn’t mean doing a deep cleaning of everything. But simple things like making your bed, starting a load of laundry, and wiping off surfaces will make you feel on top of things when you get home.
12 – Make a “things to do” list. But try to keep from listing 8,000 things. Stick to listing your three or four “must do” items for the day. This keeps you focused on what really has to get done today. Everything else can fit around your “must do’s”.
13 – Think about what makes you happy during your morning commute. Listening to music? Listening to a news station? Listening to a podcast or a book on Audible? Stopping at Starbuck’s? Whatever makes you look forward to your commute, do that!
14 – Think about what kind of time you want for yourself in the morning once you get to school. Some teachers love to get to school early, before anyone else and do some parts of their morning routine at school (reading or listening to something inspirational or making a “things to do” list, for example). Other people don’t need as much time. Either way – try to get to school a good 15 minutes before your students walk in the door. This allows you to get your room set up in whatever way you want for the morning, take a sip of coffee, look at your plans for the morning, whatever makes you feel ready for the day.
And finally:
15 – Consider making some decisions the night before. Make your to-do list for home, make your to-do list for school, select your outfit for the next day, pack your lunch, decide what you’re cooking for dinner. Whatever needs to be done the next day, make that decision the night before. This reduces your “decision fatigue” in the morning. (To consolidate your decision-making even more, plan your outfits and your meals once a week.)
What do you need to have in your morning routine?