Morning and Nighttime Routines

 So many people swear by it and we have all heard about it. Establishing morning and nighttime routines are the secret to starting and ending the day with intention. 

Being honest, I’m not one who sticks well to a highly structured daily routine. But, even I desire to nail down some sort of ritual at the beginning and end of the day. To be able to accomplish a whole routine that makes you feel good and productive at minimum twice a day seems like a suitable way to ensure a decent mindset b 

I’ve seen 4:30 AM cold plunge morning routines and 16-step skincare nightly routines from influencers. And good for them for doing it! But, we are realistic here on this blog and if you are just starting to cultivate daily practices, things particularly intense or involved may not be the move. 

To ease into setting scheduled routines, I feel like habit-stacking is a great way to build them. Habit-stacking is establishing new habits by “stacking” them on top of current habits. Check out the blog post all about it if you are unfamiliar with it and what to know more. Getting up out of bed and going to bed, reaching for our phone, using the bathroom are all habits we most likely have already formed in the morning and evening. So, it’s just a matter of intentionally adding more to those. 

For me, since I have been doing a lot of content creation, I’ve been wearing make-up more often. I have a horrible habit of falling a sleep with some still on so morning and night, I am trying to make sure I really wash and moisturize my face well. I also want to practice gratitude and thankfulness morning and night. So, I stacked the face washing to when I use the bathroom and the gratitude and thankfulness when I go to get out of bed and when I go to lay down. 

In the morning, I am trying to be sure to write my blog posts while I am still snuggling my son (literally right now) and in the evening I try to read a book while my partner reads my son his books. 

Habit-stacking a morning and nighttime routine is a slow and steady way to build exactly what you want to do. 

But, it’s not a requirement by any means. If you feel like you can implement a 10-step routine morning and night suddenly in one day, do it! As always, you have to do what is right for you. 

Now, for the sake of living intentionally, realistically, I highly encourage adding a moment of mindfulness and intention morning and night to help you stay aligned with your goals. 

What are some other things you want to add to these routines?

- Dani 💚💙