The Super Simple Way to Make a Morning Routine Right Now

Last month, I was reading Sarah Butterfield’s new book, Around the Clock Mom. In Chapter 9, “Why Every Mom Needs a Routine,” she discusses the importance of daily routines. She says, “By creating a routine for myself…I reduced my mental load” (p. 38). Reduce my mental load? Yes, please! I was reading as part of my wind-down before bed. On that particular night, I was planning to turn out the lights an hour earlier than usual in an attempt to wake up before my kids the next morning. I continued reading her words. “It might be helpful to write a list of tasks that need to be done every single day and tasks you want to do every day. Then map it out by putting it in an order that makes sense to you” (p. 41). Easy peasy, right? I closed the book and promised myself I’d make a list of tasks the next morning.

Maybe it was the fact that Sarah didn’t prescribe a workbook or a system, or maybe it was the fact that her words found me at just the right time in my life. Either way, I woke up motivated to make my list. I limited myself only to the items I wanted to accomplish in the morning hours and I let myself add a few new tasks that aren’t a habit right now, knowing I could adjust in the future.

The Morning Struggle is Real

Since having my daughter five years ago, I’ve tried and failed and tried again to wake up before her to carve out some quiet, alone time. I’ve heard testimonials from moms who say their whole day becomes calmer, more productive, and happier when they wake early.

From my own experiments, I’ve found no connection between what time I wake up and how pleasant or productive my day becomes. That hasn’t stopped me from trying though. I’ve heard from enough people about the benefits of waking early, so I keep trying to see what all the fuss is about.

Just a couple weeks ago, a friend and I made a pact to wake up early and text each other. Knowing she would be getting up and waiting on my message provided some much-needed accountability. The plan worked by forcing me out of bed at 6am, but when we checked in with each other later that day, we were both feeling tired and run-down.

I continued on in my efforts—some days I drug myself out of bed early at the sound of my alarm and other days I remained snug in bed and let one of my kids find me.

I’m sure you’re feeling super motivated to get up early now, right? No? Stay with me.

Finding My Why

Then, on one of the mornings I managed to make it bleary-eyed down to my Bible and journal, coffee cup in hand, a new thing happened. After a particularly busy couple of days, my energy was running low. It was a type of burn-out that extra sleep doesn’t fix. As I started to open my Bible, I felt the Holy Spirit nudge me and say, “Just sit with me.”

I was relieved, but also a little confused. Don’t I need to have my nose in the Bible? But that morning, he knew I needed healthy doses of silence, stillness, and prayer more than I needed anything else. So I sat in the glorious silence with him. And then I began to talk to him. As I talked and listened, he encouraged my heart and infused me with new strength for the day.

I can’t say that particular day was any more productive, but I can say that because I connected with God in the dark hours of the early morning, I was able to more easily connect with him throughout the rest of my day.

In all the years I’ve spent in church and around other Christians, I’ve never heard someone give this as a reason for waking up with God. I’ve been told that it’s a way to offer our first fruits to God. They’ve said it’s what we *should* do. They’re not wrong. Unfortunately for me, another to-do or obligation does not motivate me out of bed in the morning. You know what does? Reconnecting with the Father. Opening the day’s communication lines with my Creator. Finding delight and refreshment for my soul.

Another to-do item or obligation *doesn't* get me out of bed in the morning. But I've discovered what *does*—reconnecting with the Father, opening the day's communication lines with my Creator, finding delight and refreshment for my soul. Share on X

Crafting a Routine

I’m not a fan of adding systems, routines, or projects to my life just because they work for someone else. (In fact, I wrote a whole post about that.) When my alarm clock chimes at 6am, I need a desire stronger than the one urging me to close my eyes and drift away if I have any hope of getting up. I’ve found that desire.

In my January newsletter, the edit, I shared my priorities for 2021. One is to pray continually. (I tend to think a lot more than I pray.) And this is one way I’m prioritizing ongoing conversation with God.

For me, the motivation to connect with God also dictates the first few activities of my day. I pray, I read, and then I pray again. After that, I’ve decided to write out any thoughts or reflections based on my time with God. Next, it’s a quick workout before waking the kids. My routine also includes putting away the clean dishes and tidying the house. Because these tasks are part of a rhythm rather than a rigid schedule, I don’t stress if my son pulls me down on the carpet to play trucks. My routine lets me know what remains to be done for the day. I also try to plan tasks in order of importance. Getting in a workout is more important to me right now than cleaning the house, so I prioritize workouts before cleaning. This way, if I’m running short on time, the most important tasks have the greatest chance of still being completed.

Finding Freedom Within the Boundaries of Routine

But what about those mornings when everything goes haywire? For sure, I’ve not been 100% consistent in waking up early, even with my newfound motivation and thought-out routine. In those instances, I still make my first thing my first thing. Sometimes that looks like a 30 second prayer in my head before my feet hit the ground and I’m cooking breakfast for the kids. Sometimes it looks like listening to the audio Bible while I wipe down a bathroom.

Since I know what needs to be prioritized and why, I can get creative with the how even if I don’t always have lots of time.

I’ve often thought routines and schedules don’t work for me because they feel restrictive, and I want the freedom to adapt based on how I feel. Flexibility sounds great, but in practice, I put off harder tasks or projects because I never felt like accomplishing them. My feelings tell me I need Netflix and a snack. Instead, I find freedom and delight when I make space and time for my true priorities—God, family, friends—even when I don’t feel like putting in the work.

It makes me think of the verse in Romans 6:

Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?…You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

Romans 6:16, 18 NIV

I’m not saying you need a routine or an early alarm clock to be righteous. But it does remind me that freedom doesn’t look like doing what I want, when I want. Because Netflix, right? Instead, I find the freedom to live the life I want—as a slave to righteousness—when I create boundaries for my time and tasks.

Linger Longer

If you’d like help establishing your own easy peasy morning routine, be sure to download these worksheets I made just for you! It walks through the same three-step process I used to craft my own morning routine. Bonus, there’s space to think through your afternoon and nighttime routines too! (Scroll down to download.)

I’d love to hear about your morning routine (or lack of one!) in the comments. If you have a routine, tell us what you include! If not, what prevents you from making and keeping a routine?

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