6 Morning Habits I Do Every Day {+ something new I’m trying}

Alright, today I’m talking all about morning habits, because we all have them. Maybe your morning routine is 10 minutes long because you enjoy any extra sleep you can get. Maybe you’re a morning person and love waking up before the sun and crossing things off your to-do list before even getting out of bed. Either way, I think we can all agree that how your morning starts is a good indication on how the rest of the day is going to play out. Start out absolutely frazzled? It’s going to take a lot more work to calm yourself down and get things back on track for the rest of the day. 

Here are the six things I do every morning before I head to my full-time job {+ something new I’m trying}. I left out things like brushing my teeth, getting dressed, and doing my hair because that’s duh, that’s obvious and really boring to read. We all do that. I hope you get inspired when you go through this post and maybe start implementing some of these morning habits into your own routine. 

1. Hour of relaxation

My dog Pete likes to wake up at 5am every morning to eat his breakfast. This super early alarm isn’t my favorite thing, but I’ve grown to just accept it and make the best of it. {Plus, it’s prepping me for the crazy sleep schedules once baby comes.} After Pete has his food, he’ll typically fall back to sleep. Depending on the day, I spend this hour {5-6am} in bed getting some extra sleep, cuddling with Pete, reading the news, checking social media or catching up on my Youtube subscriptions. If you’re looking for some new channels to follow, below are some of my fav Youtubers:

• Our Tiny Tribe – a couple’s daily lifestyle vlog channel
• Alex and Michael – a beauty guru and her husband’s daily lifestyle vlog channel
• A Bowl Full of Lemons – organization/home decor
• ttSandra – beauty and style
• Vasseur Beauty – beauty, home organization, and lifestyle hacks

No matter what day it is though, I make sure to wake up slow and enjoy an hour of complete downtime before I get on with the rest of my morning routine. 

2. Catch up on emails

Since I work full-time at a job not related to my blog, I don’t always have free time to answer blog or personal emails throughout the day. I know many of you are in the same boat. Instead, I catch up in the early mornings, which honestly works out better for everyone. My mind is much clearer in the AM, so this is my favorite time to respond back to PR teams and brands, pitch new ideas, and clean out my inbox. I’m a huge proponent of Inbox Zero! If you’re interested in reading about how I organize my inbox, check out this post I wrote a few years back. I still follow the same rules! Another perk of sending emails early in the day is that you’re more likely to get to the top of people’s inboxes – as opposed to later in the afternoon when they are being flooded with messages. 

3. Make a to-do list

I’m a creature of habit and I’ve been making paper to-do lists for as long as I can remember. Although I’ve almost 100% made the switch to a digital calendar, I can’t keep a digital to-do list. I like writing everything down, and I get super happy when I cross something off. But I don’t create paper lists for no reason – they are great for increasing productivity and organization! 

4. Drink at least 16oz of water

Of course I can’t live without my cup of coffee or tea in the morning, but before I have that I try to drink a huge glass of water. I have to take my thyroid medication first thing each day, so I’m pretty much forced to pour myself a glass anyway to take my pill. If you’ve read Simply Nicole for a while, you know that I’m not a big water drinker. I just don’t like the taste. Weird? Well, since becoming pregnant, I’m always thirsty and water does the trick. Two other great reasons to drink water in the morning on an empty stomach? Well, for one… it helps your body get rid of toxins and speeds along digestion. And two… drinking water can actually help alleviate heartburn {which I’ve been dealing with on and off during this second trimester}. 

5. Finish and promote blog posts

Right now, it’s 6:32am and I’m finishing up this blog post. I had a lot of this post mapped out last night, but I got tired and fell asleep. This happens more often than I’d like to admit, but whatever. If I was a full-time blogger maybe I’d have more normal business hours, but I don’t so I have to work with what I’ve got. Sometimes I’ll write and schedule posts a few days in advance, but more often than not… I’m finishing the morning that it goes live. The quiet time in the morning is the perfect environment for me to buckle down and check a post off of my to-do list. You might not work this way at all, so just figure out what is most convenient for you. Maybe you are a better writer at night, so you do that and then schedule social media posts in the morning. You do you. 

6. Pitch brands/apply for new campaigns

I talked about answering brands via email in #2, but I want to elaborate a bit. Sure, I pitch brands on my own directly, but I also use blogger networks to apply for new campaigns. One of my favorites is Social Fabric. They post new campaigns almost every single day with details about how the brand wants to work with bloggers, their expectations for the sponsorship, and of course compensation. It’s really easy to apply. There’s a short form for each campaign with questions like: 

• Tell us why you’re interested in this opportunity and why we should select you to participate.
• Which item from this brand would you like to purchase?
• What creative idea do you have to showcase this product to your readers?
• What store will you be purchasing the item at?
• Provide a few links that showcase your writing style and photography.

It doesn’t take long to apply for campaigns, maybe like 5-10 minutes. But since my work days are typically jam-packed, I forget to put myself out there and submit new applications. Getting this task done in the mornings has been really beneficial for me. On average if you’re wondering, I aim to apply for at least 1 or 2 per week. 

+ Something new – meditation

I’ve been a huge fan of meditation for years now, but I’ve never really been able to fully integrate it into my morning routine. I try it for a few weeks, take a couple days off and then I fall off the bandwagon. Story of my life. Does this happen to you too? However… since I’m prepping myself to have a child in the coming months, I’ve definitely been a lot of anxious. Will I have everything ready in time? Should I start buying diapers now or wait a few more weeks? When should I wash the baby’s clothes? Oh, and don’t even get me started on the actual labor and delivery. I’m terrified. Prenatal yoga once a week has been helping with my overall anxiety about all things baby, but I’d like to start meditating each morning too. As you probably know, meditation is a GREAT way to clear your mind, relieve stress, force yourself to be present, and slow things down a bit. 

I downloaded a few meditation apps to try out: Headspace, Simple Habit and Calm. I haven’t used them enough yet to give a full review. Would you guys be interested in learning more about them and hearing my thoughts? If so, I’ll definitely write a post in the near future all about it. Also – if you have a favorite meditation app or technique that works best for you, PLEASE let me know in the comments below or tweet me. I need all the help I can get!