Having daily routines is not only beneficial for your overall productivity, but it also adds so much happiness to your life when you’re actively doing things that bring you joy!

Starting your morning slowly, intentionally and with purpose helps you really zone in on your goals and set your intentions for what you want to accomplish that day.

My favorite mornings include:

Turning off my alarm and putting my phone away for at least 30 minutes.

When we start our day by checking our email & social media for things we “missed”, we automatically start the day feeling behind. Give yourself time to be present before checking into your other to-do’s.

Reading 10 pages of a personal development book.

I know you’re probably thinking “I don’t need a personal growth book — but let me tell you, reading something everyday that is intentionally designed to inspire, motivate and empower you is ACTUALLY life changing! If you’re looking for a good starter book, I highly recommend High Performance Habits, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People or Everything is Figureoutable.

Practicing positive affirmations and creative visualizations.

Positive affirmations are so helpful for remind ourselves of how capable we are. I like to pick a few powerful “I AM” statements and repeat them for a couple of minutes so I can recall them again later on in the day. If you’re not familiar with creative visualization, it’s the process of getting into a relaxed state, and clearly visualizing yourself achieving that goal (both what it will look like, what you will feel like once you accomplish it, etc.). This revolves around the idea that things have to happen in your mind before they happen in real life.

Journaling/Writing 5-10 gratitudes.

There’s no better way to start your day than to train your brain to find the positive things happening in your life.

Getting in a 30 minute workout to move and challenge your body.

Is there a better way to to get your energy naturally high? I don’t think so! Focusing on cardio, strength training, or even yoga can be a great way to slow your mind, be present, and help your body prepare for the day ahead.

My favorite evenings include:

Putting away my phone 30 minutes before bed.

Choose to focus on being present, practicing meditations, and let your brain naturally slow down to allow for better sleep.

Taking a warm shower to unwind and wash away the day.

I often shower in the mornings and again at night – it’s so refreshing to get into bed feeling warm, clean, and rid of any stress that you might have carried home from the day.

Using my favorite face/skincare products.

Treat yourself to a face mask, lavender oils, and other calming products to help heal your skin and relax your body.

Reading 10 pages of my favorite book.

This can be focused on personal development book, or any genre that you enjoy – just try to keep it calming and relaxing (nothing that will stir your thoughts up too much).

Using a meditation app to help you fall asleep.

My favorite apps are Calm and Insight Timer – you can choose from guided meditations, sleep sounds, sleep stories, and many more to help you slowly drift off into sleep.