How to Create the Perfect Fall Morning Routine
It’s finally Fall. One day, I am enjoying the cooler weather. The sun is bright yet my cheeks are cold because of the breeze and the temperature. I walk outside with Timber, enjoying the colors of the leaves. I love seeing the different fall colors and seeing pumpkin everywhere and anywhere. Suddenly, I blink and I am sad and cannot figure out why.
Seasonal affective disorder (or SAD, as it’s ironically called) comes at me quickly every fall/winter. Normally, it’s hard for me to catch the transition from enjoying all things fall to feeling incredibly sad, low energy, and dare I say depressed?
After some thought, I realize that I usually notice the change in my moods after some time between MLK day and the beginning of February (for those of us in the United States). When you think about it, this makes sense. We spend October, November, and December celebrating various holidays. The mood is typically festive and bright, filled with great food, company, and memories. Then, we start off the year strong with great hopes and dreams, capitalizing on the feelings that come with having a “new start” and resolutions. Some of us go back to work but we quickly have our first day of PTO with MLK day. After that, it’s a slick downward spiral if you are not careful. The bright and festive moods quickly become somber, cloudy days with tons of snow (for those of us in the North)!
Enough is enough.
Well, I’ve had enough.
Usually, I’m reactive to this change in mood and will then implement all the measures I’ve read about it. This year will be different for me and I’m inviting you to join me! I’m being proactive this year by creating a fall (and really winter) routine that will help get me focused, relaxed, and content. Of course we’re using planners and stationery to help us with this journey. Grab a notebook from your stash and your favorite pen and let’s get started.
Think about what is important to you.
Before we commit to any one routine, take the time to pause and truly think about what is important to you. Do you value activities or goals that will help you create the perfect morning mindset? Maybe you want to prioritize your physical health (because physical and mental health are linked). Or, maybe you need to have a morning routine that helps you focus on your hobbies.
Journaling may help as well because the key here is to know yourself and know what you need. For me, I know I need a morning routine that helps me cultivate the right mind to get through the work day (ESPECIALLY during the colder and less sunny months). There are so many things that I can do, and WANT to do, to create the perfect morning routine. Ideally, I’d wake up, pray, complete a yoga or stretching routine, read the Bible or practice spiritual self-care while drinking the perfect cup of coffee, reading, then showering. Yes - my goals are lofty, but more on that later in Step 2!
Use your journal or notebook to write down some activities or goals you have to create that perfect morning routine.
Decide what is important to you.
If everything is important and a priority, then nothing is a priority.
Sorry to say it, but it’s a hard lesson I’m learning to accept as well.
Take a look at the list you created in the first step. You probably have a great list of activities and goals that you believe will create the perfect fall morning routine for you. Unfortunately, I hate to tell you this…but you can’t do it all. You cannot achieve each and every item that you have on that list. In fact, overplanning and unrealistic expectations leads to burn out. Having a long list of things to do in a morning routine for the sake of achieving everything sucks the fun and beauty out of a routine.
So take another look at the list you created in the first step. Do you notice any patterns? For example, maybe you like to feel cozy during fall mornings so most or all of the items on your list are ways to cultivate coziness. Is there a way you can combine or narrow down the coziness? Which activity/goal can you not live without?
Are there some things you can remove from your list as well? Do you really need to make the perfect latte every morning? (If you say yes, then of course go for it! This is merely an example.) Whatever your morning routine needs are, make sure that it fills your cup, helps you practice self-care, and allows you to achieve whatever goal you need to help you with your day.
Don’t leave this step without really narrowing down what you believe is important to you for the perfect fall morning routine. Ideally, I’d say have 2-3 things that you have to include in your routine. Leave the rest behind for those PTO or self-care days.
Plan what is important to you.
Okay seriously. If you made it this far and still have 7-10 things on your list that you want to do to create that perfect fall routine, stop reading. Go back. Truly challenge yourself to pick out what is most important to you for the fall morning routine.
Once you’ve narrowed down your list to have 2-3 “must haves” in your perfect morning routine, it’s time to plan it out. Personally, I like to work backwards. I start by knowing that I want to leave the house at 8:15AM for work during the fall and winter seasons. This means that I need to be showered, dressed, and have walked Timber by that time. I know how long it takes me to complete these tasks, so I know that in order to wake up and complete my 2-3 morning routine steps, I have to wake up no later than 6:15AM. Early? Yes. Easier said than done? Absolutely and especially during this time of the year when it’s cold and I just want to stay under the covers. But again, this year we are being proactive instead of reactive to really try hard to fight SAD.
Also, give some thought to what your nightly routine should include to ensure that you have the perfect morning routine. If you want to start the morning with spiritual self-care by reading religious texts or a self-help book, take a few minutes during the night before to set up the area that you will read the following morning. Grab the book/text, any pens or highlighters, and anything else you might need to wake up and get started with the least amount of distractions or steps necessary.
The key here is to use your planner to help you plan out the things you need to complete, delegate, or move, in order to have your perfect fall morning.
Follow-through on what is important to you.
I just completed another module of leadership training at work and one of the important lessons we learned during this module was the importance of feedback. When you are having candid conversations at work, you can’t just stop at having the conversation. Dig deeper. Where is the feedback? What is the follow-through to ensure that any takeaways from the conversation are implemented? Do you need to check in daily or weekly? Do you need to use a to-do list to ensure that the steps are completed?
The same thing goes for creating the perfect fall morning routine.
Think about how you may need to review or provide feedback for yourself to actually follow-through on your perfect fall morning routine. If a morning walk is part of your must-haves but you keep running out of time, is there anything you can do to help alleviate the distractions?
Don’t just pick your 2-3 morning routine tasks and keep it moving. Test, change, and test again until you find the right tasks and flow to help you have that perfect fall morning routine.
Multiple routines
Also, don’t be afraid to have multiple variations of your perfect fall morning routine! The original point of this post was to help you create a shorter version of a routine that is somewhat low commitment and won’t take long for you to complete. (There’s only so much sunlight we get during the fall and winter months!) However, the perfect fall morning routine might look different for you during the work week vs. the weekends/non-working days. In fact, it SHOULD look different because we deserve to spoil ourselves during the weekend!
Please share!
What are your “must-haves” for the perfect fall morning routine? Share the knowledge - let us know in the comments below!