Morning Routine

Yesterday I read a New York Times article about the morning routines of successful people. It draws a correlation between waking up early and having a routine with being a successful and well-balanced individual. Now I am nothing if not a type-A person. I always have an internal schedule. 90% of the time it is totally made up and not based on actual time-sensitive things but if I mess up my internal schedule my day is borderline ruined. (I know, I know. I sound like a psychotic person and I’m just going to own that for now.)

After I read this article I got to thinking about my morning routine and decided that I wanted to write about it. Obviously everyone’s routine (or lack thereof) is unique to them, so I encourage you to take the time to find your own.

First thing’s first, my alarm goes off at 6:35 and I promptly turn it off and set a timer on my phone for 10 more minutes...and then another for 5 more minutes. After these 15 minutes of snoozing, I get out of bed, throw on my robe and pad to the bathroom.

Now if it’s a gym day (read: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday), my alarm goes off at 5:35 AM, I don’t snooze at all, I put on my workout clothes, weigh myself, splash some water on my face, brush my teeth, and am out the door and at the gym by 5:50.

But, this was a non-gym day, but my routine is pretty much the same. Once in the bathroom I weight myself (194.8 today!!! Weehaw! Thanks keto!) and then wash my face and brush my teeth. I have been using the Clean & Clear morning burst line since it came out. The brightening one smells like papaya and it has been my go-to for almost 6 years.

Then I moisturize with coconut oil, brush my teeth, and go wake up Nate. Once Nate is up and in the shower I throw on music (Ed Sheeran’s Divide this morning. Be still my heart) and get to hair and makeup.

Today’s hair was easy. I did a simple, but put together top knot. I recently became comfortable with not having bangs all the time, so this is new for me. Before I start make-up, I put four eggs in a pot on the stove to boil. I have been practicing intermittent fasting with keto so I take these to work and eat them around 10:30.

Makeup is the same base every work day. First I use Kiehl’s Facial Fuel Eye Depuffer (it’s magic) and then two primers: Urban Decay Primer Potion for my eyelids and Mary Kay Foundation Primer. I feel in love with Mary Kay’s primer and foundation when I had a consultation with a consultant (mine is Kristin Gerda and if you live in the Northeast Ohio area here is her website). I firmly believe that once you find a good foundation you can conquer the world.

Other consistent makeup in the routine includes e.l.f. Sheer HD powder, Rimmel Stay Matte, e.l.f. Bronzer, e.l.f. Illuminating palette, e.l.f. Studio Eyebrow Kit, and e.l.f. Beautifully Bare Total Face Palette Powder Soft & Subtle. (I recently went to Target and bought a lot of their new e.l.f. line and it is AMAZING. Highly recommended.)

After the basics, it is time for eyes. I rotate palettes depending on what I am wearing but today it was The Nudes by Maybelline palette. I finished up with Eyeko mascara and Rimmel London eyeliner.

After I get dressed, I make the bed. I always had to make my bed as a kid and I realized that if I don’t do it now, I feel like my whole day is unbalanced. Also it makes the bedroom look so much cleaner! Seriously. Make your bed.

Between face makeup and eye makeup, I grabbed my eggs off the stove to cool and now since I have some extra time, I do my two-minute meditation. I am trying to be really intentional about meditating. I need to quiet my mind a little and I am finding that this is helping. I do the “Do Nothing for Two Minutes” meditation. I literally lay on the floor of the loft area in our apartment and just try to not think about anything. (Side note: if it’s a gym day, I do this before I hop in the shower.)

After my little meditation, I grab supplements for the day. Keto and heavy lifting calls for a fair amount of supplements to help with joint soreness and getting the necessary nutrients. So I take quite a few vitamins.

My essentials include: Garden of Life Women’s multi-vitamin, Magnesium (helps with soreness and aches), Potassium, and Vitamin D (Ohio winters...seasonal depression is real guys). I also take Vitamin C, Biotin, an OTC allergy pill, and sometimes St. John’s Wort for a mood boost. Maybe it’s a placebo effect, but I swear I’ve started feeling better after getting into a regime with these.

Now its’s time for coffee.I listen to our Amazon Alexa flash briefing in the morning so I can get an idea of what’s going on in the world while I make my coffee. It was iced this morning because it is over 50 degrees in Cleveland. I made it the night before and chilled it in the fridge. I blend my iced coffee with ice and heavy whipping cream (the fat tides me over until my 10:30 breakfast). Then I am out the door by 8:10.

(Today I was out the door a little later because of this “yay finished!” selfie I took. Also my goodness do I look so different than even a month ago.)

I realize that not everyone is a morning person, but I have to say, having an hour and a half to get ready in the morning improves my day vastly. I don’t feel frantic in the morning, I can ease into the day and get a great jump start on productivity.

If you are interested in becoming an earlier riser, try waking up just 15 minutes earlier tomorrow. See how it impacts your day. It could make all the difference.