How to create your own slow morning routine

A routine that can change your life...

Hello, I’m Molly and I write about my slow and simple life in the Scottish Highlands. Please subscribe to support my work and if you want to read more of my stories. You can also find me on YouTube and shop my Slow Scottish Store and sustainable Teemill Clothing.

---

Its no exaggeration when I say that my morning routine has changed my life.

This routine has changed radically over the years. In my early 20’s it was essentially non-existent. At university, it was all I could do to crawl out of bed at 8am and have a mad scramble so I could make my 9am lectures.

The pivotal point came when I was 25. This is when I got my current job as a wildlife conservationist. To my initial horror, part of this role involved getting up at 4am for our bird surveys.

Although this was a mildly horrendous shock to the system, I was amazed at how much I could get done in these early hours.

Now, I’m not saying you need to get up at 4 or even 5am to have a fully functioning morning routine. The key is that you create something that is actually realistic for your life. Otherwise it will never stick long term.

The point of this routine is to give you the best start to the day. Its a time to prioritise what’s really important to you.

I’ve honed my slow morning routine over the years and its now my favourite time of day. My favourite morning rituals include journaling, reading, exercising and, of course, getting outside. You can watch my full 5am summer morning routine HERE.

I thought I’d share a few tips I’ve learnt along the way, so you can start planning your own routine today…

P.S. If you want extra help with your routine, you could check out my Slow Living Planner on my Etsy Store, which has a section dedicated to crafting a morning (and evening) routine that works for you.

Find your motivation

Why do you want to put in place a morning routine?

Take some time to think about this. The answer should feel right to you.

It could be that you have a specific goal in mind that you want to dedicate some time to work towards. Or perhaps you just want to have a calmer start to the day. Or maybe both!

Write this down, keep it close, and you’re far more likely to make this routine a daily habit.

Prepare the evening before

The key to a successful morning routine comes down to the preparation.

You want to make this as easy for yourself as possible. Putting things in place the evening before means you don’t have to make groggy decisions in the morning.

One of the most important factors is ensuring you get a good night’s sleep, so make sure you go to bed at a reasonable hour.

If you want to incorporate exercise in your morning routine, then put out your workout clothes the evening before. Same goes for your journal or book. If you want a healthy breakfast, you could prepare this in the evening, such as overnight oats or a smoothie, to save you time in the morning.

Trust me, these steps will make your life far easier!

Give yourself more time

Although you don’t have to get up at 5am to have a slow morning routine, you may want to consider giving yourself some extra time. Even setting your alarm 10 minutes earlier can make all the difference.

If you are just starting out, it could be useful to set times for how long you want to complete certain activities, then work back from there to decide when to get up.

It might be that you don’t need to get up earlier at all. Instead, you could take time from another activity. For instance, if you usually scroll social media whilst having your morning coffee, why don’t you switch that to reading a few pages of a book instead?

The goal is to intentionally move through your routine without feeling rushed.

Make it fun

Your morning routine is just that. Its yours.

It can be tempting to be influenced by others when creating your morning routine. Although it can be useful to get some inspiration from these resources, such as the numerous YouTube morning routine videos out there, you shouldn’t feel the need to copy them.

Your routine should be something to look forward too.

I’ve put little things in place to make mine enjoyable. Such as picking easy comfort books to read. Treating myself to a beautiful new journal for my morning pages. And leaving exercise to last, so I can work up to it, which suits me better.

Remember, you can be productive and have fun!

Stay flexible

Its unrealistic to think that we can have the same idealised morning routine every day. Life just doesn’t work that way.

That’s why its important to stay flexible.

It can be handy to have different versions of your routine, for when you have more or less time. For instance, you could have a different weekday and weekend routine, which is what I’ve suggested in my Slow Living Planner .

Also, feel free to alter these routines on the day. If you didn’t sleep well, consider skipping the cardio and enjoying some gentle yoga instead.

This flexibility means you can enjoy a version of your morning routine every day.

Review often

My morning routine never remains static. I often tweak it to suit what’s going on in my life.

The changing seasons are often a key factor. I love to change my routine with them, so I stay more in tune with nature.

If you are just starting out with your routine, I recommend reviewing it regularly and don’t be afraid to make changes. Its all about making the most of these precious hours.

That’s it! I’d love to hear about some of your morning rituals, so please do share them in the comments below.

Until next week,

Molly xx