I am without a doubt a morning person. I do my best work in the morning, so I try to structure my routine around this. It’s important that if you’re wanting to create a routine for yourself, that you know your strengths and weaknesses, so that you can set yourself up for success.

Today I’m sharing my morning routine and why I love the way it’s structured. I couldn’t successfully run all of the moving parts of my business without this morning routine. It’s important for me to note that the times are not always the same because I work for myself. My schedule can mean early mornings and late nights, so while the times may differ every day, the overall routine is pretty similar.

Wake up:

I usually wake up between 6:30 and 7:00 most mornings. My body is pretty terrible at sleeping in unless I’ve slept poorly the night before, or was up later than normal. As soon as I get up, I head to make coffee and then set the vibe in my living room to read. I often will tidy up the living room during this time, because it’s usually a little messy from the night day before. Next, I will either light a candle or some incense, and also either turn on the fireplace app on my TV, or turn on some quiet meditation music.

Read:

Usually at this time, my coffee is ready, so I get a nice warm mug and settle into the couch with plenty of blankets. I love starting my day with reading because I get so excited to get up and do something I love. I only spend about 15-30 minutes reading during this time and the amount of time is dependent on how busy the day ahead is.

Planning:

Once I’m done reading, I head to wherever my workspace is for that day (I rotate between the dining room, desk in my office, and couch) to plan my day. I personally like switching this up depending on what kind of work I’m doing that day because it helps keep things feeling inspiring and creative. I like to spend at least 30 minutes, preferably an hour, getting my day mapped out. Monday mornings I spend extra time making a plan for the week (focusing on time sensitive tasks), and making a weekly to do list. I find that when I do this every Monday morning, it helps me feel confident in my abilities to take on the week, and also makes the other mornings so much more efficient. If it’s not Monday, I will then look at that weekly to do list and plan, and decide what needs to get done today.

One big thing I’ve switched to for 2021 that has made the world of a difference is separating the areas of my life into separate planners. I used to try to keep everything in one place and it just got to be too confusing and overwhelming. I don’t like seeing my AFB to do list if I’m done working for the day and focusing on other things in my personal life.

Currently I have four planners! Hear me out! haha I have a personal/ home life planner, AFB business planner, financial planner, and wedding planner. I know that not everyone will need a wedding planner or even a business planner! I’m sharing this more so, so that you can see how crucial it is for me to divide these four sections of my life. I am experiencing a lot of overwhelm in my life because I have so much on my plate, but being able to stay super organized and compartmentalized is truly what is keeping me afloat.

Emails:

Once I have my day planned, I always clear my inbox. Dealing with this task feels very overwhelming right now, due to the amount of emails I receive daily. I try to get a good 30 minutes in right at the start of my day, so that I can cross it off my list and feel accomplished before I do any other work. I personally try to make sure that I can reply to emails within 24-36 hours of receiving them.

Eat breakfast:

After I have my planning and emails done, I’ll usually grab some breakfast (oatmeal or yogurt bowl) and get to work on whatever my day consists of.

My days can look like a combination of any of these things; seeing clients, writing for the blog, editing or filming for IGTV or YouTube, meal prepping for a family I cook meals for, working on my cookbook, recipe testing, thrifting, etc. There really are so many facets of my business, which is why I love it so much!

I personally love that my business gives me a flexible life where I can create differently each day. However, I cannot ignore the fact that when you live a flexible work life, you have to be able to stay organized so that you don’t miss anything. As a self-employed entrepreneur you don’t have a boss to catch errors or remind you to complete certain tasks you missed, so it’s vital that you implement some type of routine into your work days, so you can be successful.

I hope this look into my morning routine has given you some insight into what has helped me start my days off enjoyably!

What are the key aspects of your morning routine? Leave me a comment below and tell me.

Have a great day,

Andrea