Hello everyone and welcome to my blog! I hope you are all doing well!
I love reading about and watching these routines, so I thought it would be fun if I made one! Since being unemployed, I like to have a set routine to give me purpose to get out of bed and feel motivated to carry on my day. So, let’s begin!
The first thing I do is wake up and get out of bed. I get out of bed straight away because I’ve found that staying in bed, scrolling through your phone or nodding off back to sleep again, actually made me more tired and I lost much needed energy. I currently wake up at 7am. That is the time that I feel suits me, however I’m aiming to gradually start waking up at 5:30am and see how it goes!
The next thing I do is work out. I will do about 30 minutes every morning to work out, and I have just started doing the 30 day yoga challenge with ‘Yoga with Adriene’ – I will post a review after I completed the challenge as to how it went for me! By all means, I am NOT a sporty person! However, I’ve found that taking time for myself has improved my mental health as well as giving me much added energy for the day. I love pushing my boundaries and seeing myself improve. My goal is to improve my flexibility, and I would also like a flat stomach. Having goals of what you want to achieve through exercising, whether that is to gain muscle, tone up, or improve your mental health, will give you the motivation to actually get up and do it!
After my work out, I will have a shower. If I have done a particularly hard one, I will treat myself with Champney’s Summer Dreams shower gel (a full review of the product will come soon). Otherwise, I use the Avon Calming Tuscany neroli and olive shower gel. This just makes me feel fresh and clean to start the day.
Every morning I ALWAYS make my bed. I watched a speech by navy seal Admiral William. H. McRaven (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7QL6hjeNDA), and he made the point that if you make your bed each morning, it gives you the small sense of satisfaction that will motivate you to move on to your next task, and if you have a bad day, you can go home to a bed that is nicely made – that YOU made. It was so powerful that I took to doing that each morning, and I love it. It makes the room feel all that much cleaner, and it’s so nice to look at a nicely made bed and feeling a small sense of pride. If you have extra time, I would highly recommend watching it.
With this small sense of satisfaction in mind, I will continue to do other small tasks. This will usually include unloading the dishwasher, giving the lounge a tidy, putting on a load of laundry, or folding clothes ready to iron or put away. I can’t settle down for breakfast until these tasks are done, especially cleaning the living room from the night before! I will do a morning cleaning routine another time if you are interesting, please let me know!
After completing these small tasks, I am finally ready to reward myself with some breakfast! I won’t do anything fancy, just some toast or porridge, but it gives me an extra energy boost that makes me feel ready for the day ahead! I also love having fresh lemon water. It has so many health benefits such as containing vitamin C, aiding digestion, and freshening breath. I have actually REPLACED coffee with lemon water because it makes me feel so refreshed and engages my mind, that I don’t crave that caffeine boost! To make lemon water, all you need to do is squeeze half a lemon per cup. Add some sugar if you find it too sour, although I don’t recommend it. I will, however, generally have a cup of tea on a cold day to warm myself up and make me feel cosy to start my day of productivity.
Once refreshed, I write out a list of what I need to do for the day. I make the list realistic so I don’t feel overwhelmed or disappointed if I can’t finish all of the tasks. Writing a list just helps me stay focused and gives my day a purpose – something I lack sometimes, especially being unemployed.
Now I am ready to start my day. I am focused, energised, and have the strength to kick myself up the backside to have a productive day!
Thank you guys for reading! Let me know what is one thing you can’t do without in the morning? I’d love to know!
Love always,
Jodie x