We’re SO close to a new year (thank goodness), and a new year means new (& improved!) habits. What better time to commit to a better you?

If you’re planning on leveling up your morning routine this year, these are 5 life-changing habits you NEED to master:

5 Tips to Transform Your Morning Routine

1. Reverse Engineer your Bedtime

Your morning routine always begins in the evening! You can’t set yourself up for success in the morning without getting enough rest to reset your body and mind.

You usually need about 7 to 8 hours of good, restful sleep to feel awake and ready for your day. To achieve that, you need to know what time you’ll wake up, what time you’ll go to bed, and what time you’ll actually fall asleep.

I literally put my bedtime in my calendar so I never short myself on how much sleep I could be getting. Schedule your reverse-engineered bedtime, and give yourself a bit of a buffer. You don’t fall asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow — it’s gradual. Account for that time so you don’t miss one precious minute of shut-eye!

2. Tuck Your Smartphone Away

Listen — your smartphone is not your baby. You don’t need to carry it with you and make sure it’s okay every moment of the day! Tuck your phone into its own bed away from yours so you aren’t tempted to scroll when you should be snoozing. I put mine in an entirely separate room!

(Plus, when your phone isn’t sitting next to you, you have the added benefit of getting out of bed to turn off your alarm in the morning.)

3. Movement

Movement is the first of the 3 Morning M’s. These are the buckets I aim to fill every single morning to make me feel like I’ve taken care of my needs for the day.

Find a form of movement that you enjoy — mine is normally skincare, as I wake up the muscles in my face and get the blood flowing. Maybe you enjoy a quick workout before the day begins, or you take the dog on a walk around the block. Get your body moving somehow to keep your mindset right.

4. Mindfulness

The second M is mindfulness. This is where I really get in touch with how my mindset is feeling — am I anxious? Overwhelmed? Burned out? Do something every morning to check in with yourself and be mindful of how you feel.

My mindfulness habit is writing my daily morning pages. This is the practice of writing 3 pages of stream-of-consciousness thoughts and ideas to clear them out of my mind and allow myself to focus on other things. Find a practice you enjoy (meditation? journaling?) to practice mindfulness every day.

5. Mastery

Finally, the third M is mastery. Take time every morning to master your craft, whether you’re researching new ideas or techniques, working on a passion project, or starting a side hustle. Put the work into something that moves the needle for you and helps you to see results that motivate you.

Wanna learn more about the 3 Morning M’s? Click here to read all the deets!

---

Ready to REALLY level up your mornings? Plan your morning routine with the new Good Morning, Good Life: 12 Month Planner!