How to Create a Morning Routine for Burnout Prevention and Recovery
Create a burnout-busting morning routine
6AM. Your alarm goes off. You hit snooze. Repeatedly. Soon enough, you’re rushing out of bed and around the house, flying out the door in a frantic whirlwind. No breakfast, only a mocha latte to fuel you through the morning.
Sound familiar?
For many women, this is the typical morning routine. It’s a “routine” we fall back on when we’re stressed out, time poor, and just trying to survive each day intact. It’s also a routine that sends us further into the burnout spiral.
But there’s another way.
The most successful women among us have a different kind of morning routine- one that fuels them in mind, body, and spirit, and sets them up for a productive and ease-ful day. Wouldn’t that be nice? To feel relaxed at work, your creative juices flowing, and your productivity so high that you no longer feel compelled to work nights or weekends?
It can be yours: when you control your morning, you control your day. So let’s explore what an energizing, burnout-busting morning routine could like like for you.
What is a morning routine?
Stated simply, a morning routine is a series of activities that you engage in from the minute you wake up, every morning or almost every morning (‘cuz we’re not perfect). It’s usually not rushed- and by that I mean, it’s not ‘get up, jump in shower, drink coffee, leave to go to work’. More like the opposite. A morning routine that boosts your energy and sets a positive tone for your day is one that carves out space for YOU and your needs. It’s an essential part of self-care.
Some kind of tasty beverage (like this golden milk latte) is always part of my morning routine.
an example from my life
My morning routine changes from time to time, depending on the season or what my goals are. But here’s what it looked like when I first published this blog post in 2021.
On an ideal day, I’d wake up at 6:30am, immediately make the bed, pee, and drink the glass of water on my nightstand. I’d do 5-10 minutes of meditation or breathwork. Then, I’d feed my cat (so she’ll stop meowing!) and get outside for a brief walk while listening to a favorite podcast. If it’s rainy, I might’ve saved my walk for the gym and instead read a few pages from whatever book I’m into. And many days, I’d take a few minutes to write in my journal.
This was my basic routine, after which I’d move onto the things I “have” to do in the morning: shower, eat breakfast (always!), and have a non-caffeinated hot beverage- yup, that’s a necessity! Next up? Work. And I’d feel good because I’ve already accomplished so much.
(By the way, I didn’t always have this morning routine. But it’s been a key ingredient in my own burnout recovery journey.)
Why a morning routine is essential to your Burnout Recovery
One of the reasons women find themselves burnt out is that they’ve put self-care- in all its various shapes and sizes- onto the back burner for too long. So how do you get it back? One of the simplest ways is by starting your day off with self-care. And that’s essentially what a morning routine does. With a solid morning routine, here’s what you can look forward to:
You’ll feel more at ease in the morning when you have a regular routine that you follow like clockwork, because it cuts down on decision-fatigue. No more scrambling around or wondering what to do.
Having a standard morning routine ensures you have some “me time”, regardless of whatever else happens during the day.
A morning routine creates separation between work and life, and adds more structure to your day- making you feel more organized. If you work from home, this becomes even more crucial.
When you include time outside as part of your morning routine (like a walk or just sitting to sip your coffee), it helps reset your circadian rhythm- giving you more energy during the day, and helping you fall asleep at night.
In sum, having a solid morning routine sets the tone for the rest of your day. Have a good morning, and you’re more likely to have a good day. Once you have a morning routine in place, on the days that you can’t do it, observe how you feel that day and how your day goes. I bet you’ll see the difference.
What should be in your morning routine?
There are a lot of opinions on the question of what should be in your morning routine. But if you want a routine that’s YOURS and that you can stick to, then the answer really is: anything you want! Do what you LOVE and what will make you feel good.
Philosophies about morning routines abound. There’s the “5AM Club” routine that starts with 20 minutes of exercise, then 20 minutes of learning (reading, listening to a podcast, etc) and 20 minutes of reflection. Personally I’m trying to put this into practice. But you might not have that much time in the morning, especially if you’ve got a commute or need to get kids ready for school.
Maybe you’re most interested in writing- getting your thoughts out of your head and onto paper. Julia Cameron calls this “morning pages,” and for many people a regular morning pages practice has been the key to unlocking creativity, hidden talents and new interests. If you’re interested, check out her bestselling book that explains this proces: The Artist’s Way.
In the end, there’s no single perfect morning routine. You need to look at how much time you can dedicate, consider your overall goals, and then decide what you’re going to do.
Here are some morning routine suggestions to get you started:
Sunlight to boost your energy
I mentioned this above but it’s SO IMPORTANT for burnout recovery that it demands a second mention here. My top morning routine tip is to get outside for around 15 minutes as soon as you wake up. The idea is to expose yourself to sunlight (and this works even if it’s cloudy or raining a little- the UV rays still come through). Sunlight sends a signal to your brain that “it’s time to wake up.” And then around 16 hours later (give or take), you’ll naturally feel ready for sleep. If you’re having problems sleeping, put this tip into action asap!
Activities that settle your mind
This can include meditation (which often works best in the morning when your mind is clearest), yoga, breathwork, or writing in a gratitude journal.
Activities that move your body
This doesn’t have to be your workout of the day (though it could be if that’s what you like). For me (and many other people), the idea is to just wake you up, raise your heart rate a little, and move your body. For example- jogging, walking, stretching, yoga, peloton… really any quick workout.
Activities that bring out your creativity
This can include journaling, writing morning papers, and other forms of writing (especially if you are a writer, often the best ideas come out first thing in the morning). But let’s say you enjoy other creative pursuits- music or painting, for example, could be part of your morning routine.
Activities that promote learning and personal development
Reading a book, listening to a podcast, listening to NPR, reading the newspaper… any of these can be part of your morning routine. I like to listen to a podcast while I’m on my walk and when I get home as I’m making my breakfast. I tend towards either health and wellness type podcasts (I love Dr. Mark Hyman’s) or business-type podcasts, because they get me revved up about the workday ahead.
Activities that, while banal, can set you up for a successful day
Here I’m talking about the little things. Making your bed. Drinking a glass of water when you wake up- it’s good to rehydrate first thing in the morning. Not pressing snooze on the alarm (yes, we are all guilty of that). Being sure to have a blood-sugar balancing breakfast.
Activities that you should probably avoid
Yes, there are some activities that are more likely to give you a stressful morning rather than a relaxed one. This probably won’t be much of a surprise to you: scrolling through Facebook or Instagram, checking your email (especially work emails), reading the news, and looking at screens in general. There are lots of things to check in your phone, and many of them can give you that ‘ick’ feeling, which is not a great way to start the day because- believe it or not- it’ll set off your body’s stress response. So just save it for later!
How to stick to your morning routine
A morning routine becomes most effective when you do it every day. Yes, it will likely take a while for it to become ‘habit’, and there are all sorts of things that can interrupt your morning and set you back. When those obstacles appear, instead of beating yourself up for missing all or part of your routine, take a breath and ask yourself what you can do to make things go smoother the next day. Then try, try again.
Here are some more tips that can help you stick to your morning routine:
Start small. Layer in as things become to feel easier to you. Even just getting up and making your bed everyday can boost your mental health. Once you’ve got that under control, add in something else that you think will benefit your day.
Prioritize sleep. Pretty basic: if you’re exhausted, you’re not going to want to get up! You’re going to hit snooze, and then you’ll be scrambling. You probably need to get 8 hours of sleep to function well. So go to bed early enough so you can get up on time. I love using the bedtime feature on my iPhone. It tells me when I need to start winding down, and then 30 minutes before I need to be asleep, it goes into sleep mode so I can no longer receive calls, texts or notifications.
Wake up earlier. Want time to start that morning yoga and meditation practice you always wanted but could never figure out how to work? You’re probably going to have to wake up a little earlier to make time for it so you don’t feel rushed and you’re not worrying about work and other obligations.
Prep the night before. As much as possible, prep your breakfast. Set out your exercise clothes. Have your book or notebook ready to go. Keep your yoga or meditation space clean and organized. Whatever planning and prepping needs to be done, do it.
Ask for support. Tell your husband, wife, kids, or whomever you live with what you’re doing, and ask them to support you. Make sure they know this is your “me” time, and that you need it for your well-being. Setting boundaries is a huge part of self-care. Remind family that in the end, if you have that extra time to take care of yourself, you’ll be happier and better able to care for them afterwards. (Remind yourself of that, too!)
Last words about your morning routine
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: a morning routine that you can stick to needs to be tailored to YOU and YOUR needs. So if that uber successful, super fit person you follow on Instagram has a 90 minute morning routine where they’re doing their yoga and writing their morning papers and drinking their homemade green juice… Well. If that doesn’t light you up, and if you don’t have 90 minutes in the morning, its okay! You do you.
Another thing to think about: your morning routine can evolve over time, and even with the seasons. There will likely be pieces that you want to keep, and other pieces that you decide to drop or change. For instance, in the dead of winter when I wake up it’s cold and dark. I’m not so keen on venturing outside. In those times I prefer to do yoga indoors. But when the longer days and warmer temps hit, I’m ready to get moving in the fresh air, maybe take a walk or a jog around the neighborhood.
You may even find that certain times of the year (or even certain days), no matter how early you go to bed or what other obligations you move around, you have less time to dedicate to your morning routine. And that’s ok too. The goal is to make the best use of time you’ve got available, so that you feel good about yourself and about the day ahead. No one is here to judge you.