My Favorite Morning Rituals // Blue Floral Maxi Dress

I’ve been saying I wish I were a morning person for as long as I can remember. I’m not sure I’ll ever get there, but creating and sticking to a morning routine has gotten me pretty close. Having a routine helps me ease into my morning, stress-free, and it allows me to schedule in things like jumping jacks and a motivational Ted Talk without feeling like I’m procrastinating after I wake up. Everyone’s ideal morning rituals will look different, but the important thing is to find ones that fit within your timeframe, boost your mood, and make you feel ready to tackle the day.

My Favorite Morning Rituals:

1. Tidy up my apartment.
   The first step of my routine actually starts the night before. Waking up to a clean space is a sure way to get me ready for the day. I work better, think better, and focus better knowing that the dishes are washed and the clutter is put away. On nights my husband and I don’t get around to cleaning, I do start my day tidying up, even if it sets me back an hour, because I know the end result always puts me in a good headspace.

2. Don’t check Instagram!
   Just don’t. I hold off as long as possible since a poor performing post can affect my entire day. I do skim my email first thing in the morning though just in case I received anything time-sensitive.

3. Put on some music.
   Spotify and Google Home are my best friends in the morning since I just have to tell Google to play good morning music and Spotify finds me an awesome playlist.

4. Make some coffee.
   I’m not addicted (yet) and I really don’t rely on it to wake me up, but I love a good cup of coffee. Just the smell makes me happy and sipping on a hot drink when I wake up is so relaxing.

5. Watch a Ted Talk.
   I went through a hardcore Ted Talk phase where I didn’t miss a day watching at least three videos, but now I have to be somewhat in the mood to sit down and start sorting through all the options. My go-to are business related success stories.

6. Do 50 jumping jacks.
   Seriously, the best way to give yourself a morning boost.

7. Check on the plants, make a grocery list if needed, fill up the Brita, pay any outstanding bills…
   Taking care of some of the small everyday household chores makes me feel productive and helps me get ready to focus on whatever tasks come next.

8. Light a candle at my desk.
   I only let myself light candles when the space around me is clean. That way, I get excited to tidy up and I’m able to appreciate the candles every time. Let me know if you relate to this one!

9. Update my to-do list.
   As I mentioned in a previous post, I like to create my to-do list the night before so I have direction when I wake up, but nothing feels as good as crossing off a couple tasks right when you wake up.

10. Turn off the music and get to work.
    I generally like to work in silence until about noon when I throw on a show for background noise.

Would love to hear about your morning rituals in the comments below!

Photography: Andrea Loredo

xx Esther