Lately, I have been all about my morning routines. But I started realizing that there was more to it than just what I did in the mornings! 

So…why routines? What is so special about them? Routines allow you to quickly move through items that need to be done with very little brain power. Let me explain. In the morning when you take a shower, do you think about each thing you are about to do before you do it? No! By now, you have  routine. You do it without thinking. And when you need to, you can do this very quickly. 

You see, this isn’t just about a list of things to do every night before bed, this about doing this EVERY night so that it becomes a routine and then you aren’t expending any brain power and honestly, really any physical energy doing them as well. 
For me, I have some practical things in my routine that help me better prepare for the next day. Others on the list help prepare me to go to sleep. I believe that both are important. 

1. Set up coffee for in the morning
2. Prepare meals for tomorrow (lunch and dinner) – this also includes putting dog food in their bowls and ready to go!
3. Clean sink – Fun fact – it makes me angry to walk out first thing in the morning to a counter and sink full of dished. What it tells me is that I am already behind for the day. So…having a clean sink and dishes done helps me start the day well. 
4. Clean House – Turn “Peanut” on – that is our robotic vacuum cleaner (I REALLY like to wake up to a clean house)
5. Set out outfit for my run and for work – one of the biggest wastes of time in the morning is having to pick out clothes. I like to pick out a week’s worth of clothes over the weekend and then I just pick out each day which one I will wear in the morning. This includes shoes and jewelry. Also, since my goal has been to run more this year, I make a point to go ahead and lay out my running clothes. It is kinda my way of holding myself accountable (plus my husband then calls me out on it when I don’t run). 
6. Check calendar for tomorrow – my calendar tends to change a good bit so I like to look at it and just make sure I know what all is happening. This helps me know if I need to shoot for an evening workout instead of first thing in the morning. It also helps me double check with my husband about the plans with the kiddos. 
7. Review to do list for tomorrow – I just like to glance at this and make sure that I am not missing anything. Right now I use my Day Designer Planner for this but if you aren’t a pen and paper kind of person, check out how I used Trello for my to-do list. I did a post HERE about it. I have realized that I change back and forth depending on the season I am in on if I use a planner or an app. I will say this – JUST DO SOMETHING THAT WORKS FOR YOU! Don’t be afraid to try different ways of doing things to find what works best for you!
8. Put oils in the diffuser for in the morning (this is out in my living room) – every morning, I turn on my coffee pot (see #1 because it is all ready to go) and then my diffuser. I want to set the tone for the morning. Calm. Peaceful. Essential oils help with this! 
9. Oils for tonight – in diffuser and on me for sleep (in my bedroom). This starts my winding down part of my routine. I usually put Lavender and Cedarwood in my diffuser!
10. Read – not on a device – this is HUGE. This is to help me wind down at night. Doing the same thing right before falling asleep allows you body to realize that it needs to start getting tired. For those that struggle to sleep at night, I would highly recommend no screen time for at least an hour before you want to fall asleep. 

Figure out what 10 things you can do every night to establish an evening routine. What things need to be done and should be done in order for you to better prepare for the next day? Write them down and then make them happen. They will only become a routine when you do them over and over again consistently!