My 5 am Morning Routine – Things I do before 8 am
I am a morning person, mornings are the best part of the day. A fresh start and a new day to achieve more. I was never a person who woke up late in the morning but I was not a 5 am lover too. But as life progressed I would find less time for myself and I moved to a 5 am early morning routine. And this is one of the best things I could do for myself. It gives me time to nurture my mind, prioritize my wellness, and get things done to head into a productive day. In this post, I share My 5 am Morning Routine and 10 things I do before 8 am.
My Early Morning Routine for Productive Day
Before we head into my 5 am Morning Routine. I want to share that you don’t need to start your morning at 5 am if you cannot get enough sleep. Waking up at 5 am when your work hours don’t let you sleep by 9 to 10 am will be difficult. You can be productive even if you wake up at 7 am. It is based on your lifestyle and needs. I have a detailed post on how to build a morning routine based on your life. Or you can follow my routine instead of 5 am from 6 am or 7 am as you feel comfortable.
So here is my 5 am morning routine.
5: 00 – 5:15 am: Tidy Up
I wake up at 5:00 am with a gentle chime of my alarm. Most of the time it’s dark, and I quietly get out of the room without disturbing others. If you sleep alone it is good to make your bed. I freshen up, brush my teeth, wash my face, moisturize my face, and just put my hair up. Then I put on my yoga pants (even if I am not doing yoga ????). There is something about yoga pants that gets me into get things done mode.
This quick tidying up pulls me out of sleep and makes me feel fresh and ready for the day.
All this just takes 15 minutes for me as I bathe in the evening. But if you prefer a bath in the morning you may spend more time.
5:15 – 5:30 am: Quite Time Hydrate Myself and My Plants
After tidying myself I take time to enjoy the quiet morning. I just sit sipping a glass of water on the balcony with plants. I am a plant lover, this is my quality time with my plants. I just like plain, room-temperature water. For the first sip of the water, I try to be very mindful and feel the water flowing through my mouth, this makes me feel intentional. As I drink water I just have to look around, see the sunrise at times look around my plants to see if they are doing well, and take off the dry leaves. And once I am done drinking my glass of water I water my plants.
5:30 – 5:40 am: Mediate and exercise
Next, I settle into a brief meditation. Closing my eyes, I focus on the rhythm of my breath, try to calm my mind, and feel positive. I like to follow the 4-7-8 breathing technique. It helps me feel a sense of calm within, makes me feel focused, and prepares me for the day’s challenges. I absolutely love it. I switch between meditation, yoga, stretching exercises, and quick 10-minute HIIT. If you have less time to exercise or if you are someone who is not big on going gym you must try the 10-minute HIIT workout. I have shared the video below.
5:40 – 5:50 am: Prayer
Following meditation, I immediately do my prayers. I am not a very religious person but I am spiritual. A quick short prayer before the start of the day helps me feel good and positive. These moments of spirituality serve as pillars of strength, grounding me in gratitude and feeling positive. For me, prayers are being grateful to the creator and thanking for all the goodness nature has showered on us. This act of gratitude helps me feel a sense of fulfillment and not feel the negative emotion of a lack of things or being unaccomplished.
5:50 – 6:00 am: Reading or Journaling
Reading is a hobby that I love. And I find it beyond habit as a need. There are so many things about world, and life that I want to learn. I owe everything in my life to books, be it academic, work, personal life. For a few years, I have been reading nonfiction books but I occasionally get into some fiction books too. I just read for 10 minutes on weekdays but on weekends I spend more time reading. Getting a daily dose of learning is essential for me. I have tried listening to audiobooks too but reading a physical book and flipping pages is magical.
At times when I am feeling overwhelmed I skip reading and do journaling to get clarity in my thoughts and pour my mind. On days I want to have fun, I even go ahead to use some colored pens, washi tapes, and stickers. I do this mostly on weekends. You can find my favorite planning accessories here.
6:00 – 7:00 am: Work on this blog
As I work full time I find it very difficult to make time for working on this blog so I time block 1 hour of morning for writing articles for this blog and other backend work of maintaining a website. In the past, I tried to do it at night but would not feel very creative and efficient. And on days when I am tired I would skip it. So having this scheduled in the morning makes sure I am getting it done before heading in the day. This 1 hour keeps me consistent and efficient as there are fewer distractions in the morning.
7:00 – 7:45 am: House chores and breakfast
At 7 am, I transition into the practicalities of life. And get in quick working mode. I put a round of laundry. As they are washing I start making breakfast and cooking. I empty the dishwasher and do a quick cleaning while the food is cooking. I do meal planning on the weekend and some meal prep too where possible. This helps me make meals quickly in the morning. You can read my post on meal planning and check my meal planner below, this planner helps me make a weekly meal plan and grocery list in a maximum of 10 minutes.
Googlesheet meal planner with automated grocery list
7:45 am: Wake my kid and get her ready
At 7: 45 am I gently wake up my daughter. Have a few hugs and kisses and help her with morning needs. She is getting independent now and likes to brush and clean herself and dress too but I need to help and monitor her. While I monitor her I do my hair and put on my work clothes. And then comb her hair. We both be ready by 8: 00 or 8:10 am
8:00 am: Eat breakfast
Around 8 to 8:10 am, we all eat breakfast together and chat a little. This is a time when all the morning calmness turns into chatter and hustle. Once I finish eating I put things back. My daughter takes more time to eat hence my husband tries to help her to eat food. We talk about the day and things we can do in the evening.
8:30 am: Off to work
At 8: 30 am we all leave the house and gather our things. I have a command center at home from where we quickly grab our things and head into the day. I just do some last-minute checks to ensure windows are closed, lights are off, etc.
If you are looking for more ideas to make your perfect morning routine. You must read 50 Good morning routine ideas that suit everyone
Things I want to improve in my 5 am morning routine
Although this morning routine helps me meet all my needs it still has scope for improvement that I would like to include to make my morning routine better in 2024.
- I wish to include better skincare as part of my routine. I just wash my face with a face wash and moisturize it. But I am never able to prioritize skincare for me. I plan to have a weekend skincare routine. As I don’t feel I have the scope to include it on weekdays. But if you can spare some more time, you should include it.
- I don’t eat until 8 am after waking up at 5 am, I feel that’s a long time. I am planning to include a quick bite of nuts or fruits after I tidy up.
Conclusion
So this is my 5 am morning routine, I try to get most things done for myself before 8 am so that work, personal commitments, and a busy life do not stop me from having me-time and a calm morning that I like to enjoy my life.
Related posts you may like:
How to Create a Daily Routine Schedule to Organize Your Day with the 8-8-8 Rule
10 Things to Do Before Bed for Best Nighttime Routine
