5 Things To Do in the Morning

**Life is waking up an hour early to live an hour more**

One of my new years resolutions was to create a morning routine and stick to it. I'm addicted to watching "morning routine" videos on YouTube so it seemed easy enough to channel my inner YouTuber and design a morning routine that's easy and functional for me, but most importantly one that I could stick to. As school started back up in January I opted to wake up between 6:15 and 6:30 rather than my old 7 am. I typically leave the house at 7:35-7:40 so waking up at 7 gave me minimal time to get ready in the morning and I was constantly rushing, just to get a few extra minutes of sleep.  I realized these extra minutes just weren't worth it and that I was much more awake anyways if I woke up earlier and did the things I wanted to in the morning. 

One tip I have is be sure to set your alarm across the room. For us night owls it seems that mornings are so rough and I used to press snooze at least seven times in the morning. Now because I have to actually get out of bed to turn my alarm off I typically just wake up, but if I'm feeling extra tired I'll take those extra nine minutes my alarm snooze gives me. Here are five things to do in the morning that will make your routine much more relaxing and also kickstart your day. Stay tuned for a morning routine (video!) to come to this blog in the near future!

+1. Avoid your phone

For one, getting on your phone the first thing in the morning is super distracting just because you'll get caught up in anything you "missed" on social media while you were sleeping. Let your morning time be for you and tune everyone out for a bit. I'm sure it can wait. This also saves time in your morning because you're not occupied on your phone when you could be getting ready.

+2. Eat breakfast

This is my absolute favorite part of my morning. Every morning recently I've been making maple sugar oatmeal with vanilla almond milk and blueberries for breakfast. Literally heavenly. It's especially nice to have a hot breakfast during the cold winter months and this is the perfect way to start your morning. Not only is it filling, but also delicious & decently healthy. 

+3. Make your bed

Another resolution of mine and it seriously has changed my morning. Sometimes I'm too lazy and my mom ends up making it (thanks Cath), but it's a great way to 1. avoid getting back into your warm bed and 2. get your room looking cleaner and feel productive. It takes literally 2 minutes so just do it!

+4. Make a morning playlist

My house is full of late sleepers so waking up around 6:30 every day is actually perfect. My dad has usually left for work already and my mom and brother are still sound asleep so I get a quiet house all to myself. It's great to relaxingly get ready for school while listening to chill tunes like Jack Johnson & John Mayer.

+5. Work out/get outside

Although I can't say I do this it is something I'd love to do once the weather warms up. I seriously wish I had a dog so I could walk my dog in the morning just to get outside, but sadly I have no pets. Once spring comes around I plan on going on a quick jog around the block or just walking and soaking in the morning sun. It's a great and peaceful way to start your morning.

What are the things you like to do in the morning?

Xoxo