What do you do first thing in the morning? Do you grab your phone? Doomscroll for a few minutes? Compare yourself to people before your feet have even touched the ground? These are things we all can find ourselves doing, but you can train yourself to choose better choices when starting your morning. Choosing to start your morning with an activity or practice that is good for you is key to staying on track of your tasks for the duration of the day.

Your brain likes habits because they’re efficient. Automating common actions frees up mental resources for other tasks.Your brain likes habits because they’re efficient. Automating common actions frees up mental resources for other tasks. Healthline.com

I have been trying to find the perfect morning routine for myself. One that I can do when I only have 5 minutes in the morning and one I can do when I have an hour. It took a lot of trial and error. Some days I couldn’t get myself to do anything at all and other days I had a list of 10 things I needed to do first thing in the morning. I now have a simple 3 step system for an ideal morning routine. I have broken the steps down into 3 categories:

1. Good for the soul

2. Good for the body

3. Get to do

I guess we could call this the 3 G’s? These categories are broad enough for you to find the right activity or practice that is perfect for your ideal morning. In this next portion, I am going to break down the 3 G’s, tell you what I like to do, and give additional ideas.

✿ Good for the Soul

An activity or practice that is beneficial overall for your mental wellbeing. I like this step to be for reading my Bible, prayer time, journaling, or reading a chapter of a book.

additional ideas

• 5-10 minutes of prayer or meditation

• enjoy the sunrise

• gratitude journaling

• call a loved one

• start a new book

• diy your favorite coffee shop drink

• read saved Substack articles

✿ Good for the Body

A physical practice to get yourself ready for the day. If you’re a gym person, you could go to the gym or do an at home workout routine. I like to prioritize stretching during this time. My cats typically walk on my yoga mat so it’s fun for the whole family!

additional ideas

• take a short walk in your neighborhood or a treadmill if you have one

• follow a guided pilates or yoga workout on Youtube

• learn a dance routine (I recently saw a TikTok of a woman learning the Michael Jackson “Beat It” dance and said it was the best workout she’s done in a while)

• do a quick 5 minute full-body stretch if you don’t have a of time

✿ Get to Do

An enjoyable task that gets you excited for the day/week ahead. I like to use this time to work on scripts I’ve been meaning to write or recently, the book nook kit I got for Christmas (yes, I know that was 5 months ago). Think of this step as a little reward for starting your morning off without your phone. Something fun before the work day begins.

additional ideas

• junk journal

• sketching

• have an extra long skincare routine

• watch an old episode of a favorite show (I love watching The O.C. while having breakfast)

• enjoy a printable activity if you want to enjoy a screen free morning (I have one for you at the end of this post)

This 3-step-system is designed to be mixed and matched at any length of time. There’s some days where I have all morning to do these things. There’s other days where I really only have time to get ready for work. That’s when a quick devotional read comes in handy or sometimes I listen to a podcast on the way to work. It’s important to remind yourself that everyone needs something different in a routine. This is the system that works for me most days but that came with time and practice. Trying new things. Learning what works for me and what doesn’t. You may have to try different systems in order to find what works for you. The bottom line is this: don’t let your devices control you. There’s a reason so many people say to keep your phone on the other side of the room while you sleep. Start your morning off technology free (as best as you can) and the rest of your day will fall into place.

Now it’s time to turn off your device that you find yourself reading this from. Write down the writing prompts, click the playlist link, download the puzzle, and unplug from digital life.

PROMPTS OF THE WEEK

✿ Think about the last few mornings you’ve had. What habits have you already formed that you want to change?

✿ Are there any new habits you want to start?

✿ Consider what you prioritize throughout the day, would you feel more productive if you had a stable morning routine?

PLAYLIST OF THE WEEK

PUZZLE OF THE WEEK

Download this screen free activity! Fill in the puzzle, then, color it in!

Morning Routine Crossword

318KB ∙ PDF file

Download

Download

Letter from the Editor

Thank you for tuning in to the first Monday Issue of Morning Bloom Magazine! I’m so excited to see where this magazine. I hope you find this to be a nice break from the hustle and bustle of corporate life and enjoy a nice little social media break. I’ve been listening to the morning routine playlist for last week anytime I do creative work and I honestly have been so much more productive! I make sure to silence all my notifications and lock in to my creative tasks. I hope you find the playlist and crossword puzzle to be a nice edition to your morning routine.

-Sincerely, Alexis

💌 let’s be friends on Instagram & Pinterest 💌

I want to personally invite you to opening your heart, setting your personal & creative goals, and experience joy in the little things.

The first issue will be published on June 1st!!

This magazine is for you if…

1. you desire to live a more intentional life, without dependency on your phone

2. you have a lot of big dreams but don’t subscribe to hustle culture

3. you love all things writing and creating

What you can expect from Morning Bloom

The Monday Issue:

✿ A weekly issue straight to your inbox on Monday morning’s

✿ Deep dives on intentional living, productivity, soft ambition, and the little things that spark joy

✿ A curated playlist of 10 songs that fit perfectly with each week’s topic

✿ Journal prompts

✿ Printable activities for a digital escape

Meet the Editor

Hi, I’m Alexis! I’m starting Morning Bloom Magazine because I’m trying to live a more intentional and slow life. I’ve always been a creative at heart. I learned how to make polymer clay charms in Elementary School and then tried to write a book at 12-years-old. I’ve tasked myself to try new things since I was a kid, but started to lose that childhood whimsy and replaced it with constant worry. Building this magazine is my venture at getting that creative spark back. I hope you stick around!

The first issue of Morning Bloom Magazine will be published on June 1st!