Tiny Ways to Romanticize Your Morning Routine

I admit that I’m someone who loves to romanticize my life. I am completely on board with embracing main-character energy, and I like the feeling that comes with fully stepping into my role as the heroine in my own story. Romanticizing your life is all about infusing a little more beauty, whimsy, and joy into the mundane and turning your everyday experiences into routines that you savor and look forward to. While that sounds like a perfectly lovely idea, as a mama–is there really a way to luxuriate in dull and tedious tasks that you don’t enjoy?

My case in point: mornings. If you are like me and the sound of your alarm makes you die a little inside and want to hide under the covers, your early morning hours may be extra challenging to romanticize. I found that by implementing a few subtle changes, I could actually change my mornings from a chaos filled zoo to more focused, intentional, rooted in gratitude. Plus, by basing them in habits and routines I actually look forward to I am setting myself up for success! The good news is that you can take small but meaningful steps toward a morning routine you actually like, without doing a complete upheaval. It doesn’t take much to make your mornings a bit more special — even if you’re not quite a morning person.

Yet. 🙂

Here are some of my favorite ways to romanticize your waking hours (whether you love mornings or don’t):

Have something in your routine you look forward to.

If your morning routine doesn’t thrill you, take some time to think about adding something you’d enjoy, or maybe if that’s hard for you, just pinpoint the parts of it you don’t mind. Is it your first sip of coffee? Your morning skincare? How about eating breakfast? Once you’ve nailed down the part of your routine you enjoy, sprinkle an extra dose of whimsy on top of it. Perhaps you treat yourself to a new coffee flavored syrup, eat breakfast on your deck, or decide to sip your coffee out of a fancy mug. Whatever you decide, make it something you truly enjoy and that will help you get out of bed.

Practice gratitude.

One of my favorite ways to romanticize my morning is gratitude practice. Bonus point–this one’s free! I think there is something powerful about shifting your mindset first thing in the AM. Take time to notice the things you love in your surroundings. Your home, your clothes, your coffee, the trees outside your window that just lost their leaves — by focusing on small, tiny, and specific things it forces your mind to keep an eye out for those little bits of gratitude throughout your day. Marveling at the small things is what romanticizing your life is all about, and practicing gratitude can be the jump-start you need to really convince yourself that your morning routine, and your life, is actually quite really lovely.

Make a morning playlist.

Nothing switches up my mood more than music. We just recently converted our front living room into a vibey-vintage music room complete with a record player so one of the things I look forward to most in the AM is putting on a record and drinking my coffee. Don’t have a record player? Create a soundtrack for your morning routine, and turn it on while you get ready for the day. Your playlist can include any kind of music that will get you up and going. I love some Norah Jones in the fall/winter time and find myself leaning towards country music in the summer.

Take your commute to the next level.

I’m a huge believer that environments play such a huge role in your overall mood and well-being. So if you are like me and have a commute, be sure the interior of your car is a welcoming and calm space. Take some time to remove trash and clutter, vacuum carpets and seats, and wipe down the dashboard. For me, my commute is the dedicated time I have to listen to audio books and podcasts so I unintentionally set myself up to actually look forward to the 45 minutes I spend in the car. My commute turns out to be the perfect time to listen to one full episode of my favorite podcasts (The Rachel Hollis Show, The Skinny Confidential Him & Her Show, The School of Greatness, Let’s Be Honest with Kristin Cavallari, The Genuis Life, and more!) so I’m not mad when I have to drive to work.

Make your work space special.

If your commute looks more like a walk from your kitchen to your home office, why not refine your space so it’s an environment you can look forward to working in? Wipe down your desk, add some framed photos of loved ones nearby (or some beautiful art), light a (non toxic) candle, and adorn the space with fresh flowers.

If the layout of your space (whether you have an entire office or just a corner of a room) just isn’t working, see if there’s a way you can make a small change. Perhaps moving your desk to face a different direction or rearranging a few things will switch things up so you can get work done more efficiently, but more importantly so you can feel more refreshed and at ease. I totally recommend moving your desk so you can see outside–the light alone is a game changer. After a romanticized morning routine, entering a workspace that feels cozy and inviting will set you up for a relaxed and ease-filled start to your day.