Morning Routine Toolkit

Mornings can be brutal—but these 10 things will get you excited to jump out of bed.

Bonjour, everyone. It’s our last day in Paris, and I can’t wait to share everything we saw / did / ate during our short trip. I’ve decided that Paris is my favorite city—there’s a beauty and energy here that’s unlike anywhere else, and I always leave feeling incredibly inspired.

It’s technically still the new year, so it feels like a good time to talk about morning routines. This is a topic I bring up a lot because I’m completely devoted to my own. Let’s just say that if I don’t have time to engage in my AM ritual, my husband and kids know to steer clear that day. I hear from a lot of readers that they want to establish better morning routines / force themselves to wake up earlier, but when you find the right morning routine for you, it’ll start to feel like a gift to yourself that you won’t want to miss.

I find so much comfort in those first rituals of the day: a splash of water on my face, my coffeemaker sputtering to life, the rays of morning light peeking over the hills outside my window. Their repetition brings calm and comfort no matter what’s in store for the day ahead.

I first began cultivating a morning routine back in college—I found solace in creating structure during such a transitional season. While my housing, roommates, jobs, and school schedules were ever-changing, my morning rituals were a grounding force that kept me in tune with myself. Looking back, this was my first step toward actively seeking wellness in my life, and over the years, my morning routine has become the heart of my journey toward personal growth.

Throughout this month, I’ve been sharing how I create a vision for the year and set goals to bring it to life. Within my morning routine lies the secret to making progress on those goals. It’s the small steps, done every day, that add up to something bigger.

Before we dive in, a few things I wanted to share:

🎧 Podcast episode I loved: This conversation between Jay Shetty and Rick Rubin really inspired me. It’s about overcoming creative hurdles and doing truly great work.

🥬 Recipe to make: This Kale & White Bean Salad (inspired by the one at Erewhon) has been in rotation lately. I like to make a big batch since it keeps great in the fridge for a couple days. Top it with some salmon for extra protein.

Okay, let’s get to it. Read on for:

• The drink I chug first thing, even before coffee.

• My unconventional journaling process.

• How I organize my calendar for the day ahead.

My Morning Routine Essentials

Oura ring

Adam and I got each other Oura rings for Christmas, and I’m very into mine. The first thing I do when I wake up is look at the sleep stats that my Oura ring logged—it shows how much deep sleep and REM sleep you got, if you’re body recovered well overnight, etc.

Morning skincare:

Then I head into the bathroom to do my skincare. I’ve narrowed it down to a streamlined process of cleanser, resurfacing compound, serum, and moisturizer. (I linked it all here.)

AG1

I go into the kitchen, hit the brew button on my coffeemaker, then shake up my AG1. Many of you know that AG1 has been part of my morning routine for years, and I love that it simplifies my supplement routine by packing 75 whole food nutrients, probiotics, prebiotics, and adaptogens all into one delicious morning drink. Most of us are prioritizing our health as we enter the new year, and this is one easy action step we can take to boost our mood, energy levels, and gut health all day.

🌿 If you want to give AG1 a try, you can click here for a FREE one-year supply of Vitamin D3+K2, plus five AG1 Travel Packs with your first purchase.

Solstice Mug

I pour my coffee into my favorite mug—sometimes I drink it black, sometimes I steam up some whole milk or oat milk depending on how I’m feeling. Confession: I often look forward to my morning coffee when I’m going to bed at night.

Casa Zuma Daybreak Candle

Next, I light the candle that I keep in a cozy spot in our living room. I like to sit on a yoga block on the floor and journal on the coffee table.

Air pods & iPad

I pop in my air pods and turn on a chill Spotify playlist, then get out my iPad to journal—I love this method because I can combine handwriting and sketching with the Apple Pencil, and typing on the keyboard. I use the Evernote app so that it’s all searchable (even my handwriting) since I often go back and revisit my journal for newsletter ideas or quotes I’ve jotted down.

My journaling is a combo of creative free-writing, prayer, and recording things from the previous day that I want to remember later. If I’m experiencing writer’s block, I just put pencil to iPad and start writing—anything, even if it makes no sense, it usually sparks something I want to dive deeper into.

Vision Board and Workbook:

The power of a vision board lies in how often we revisit it. Every morning, I review my intention for the year and my goals for each of my life spaces (ICYMI, I deep dive into those here.) It may sound repetitive to read these goals every morning, but trust me: there’s something about getting clear on what matters to you every morning that changes everything.

An inspiring book

I also use this time to read something inspiring, which helps me get in a positive headspace for the day and grounds me in what’s important. Right now, I’m re-visiting The Creative Act, an all-time favorite. I always write down one quote or takeaway to help synthesize what I’ve read.

My calendar

After reviewing my goals, I take a look at my calendar for the day to see if it feels aligned with my priorities. For example, if one of my goals is to be a better listener with my kids, I can see where I can add in time that day for undistracted conversation with each of them. If I’ve committed to doing pilates 2x per week, I can see if that’s on my calendar—and if it’s not, find a place for it! Yes, you might have to cancel or move something else that’s on your calendar to make room for these priorities. You’ve got to say “no” to some things so you can say “yes” to what’s important.

Life is crazy busy, and for me, I have to be super intentional about making time for the important stuff, or else my schedule will easily crowd them out.

The final step is writing down the 3 most important tasks for me to get done that day. They can be work-related or personal, but this is a way to make sure that my top priorities don’t get crowded out by the many small to-do’s that pop up during the day. When I know my Top 3, I can make sure that even when things are crazy busy, I still get the most important things done.

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I’d love to hear from you in the comments: What’s in your morning routine toolkit? Are there certain books, supplements, journals, or habits you can’t live without?

Presented by AG1