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We hope you enjoyed last week's post on Monica's morning routine! We find it is SO helpful to see what others do in the morning, as that is exactly how we figured out what worked best for each of us.
The important thing to remember with your routine is that even if you are a morning person who wakes up bright and cheery even without a cup of coffee...it is STILL important to have one. The goal of a successful morning routine is to establish a routine that clears your head, helps you focus your intentions for the day, and ensures you start it off positive and refreshed.
If we haven't sold you on morning routines yet...let's put it this way. Think about the chain reaction of running late to work... You feel stressed, reactive when driving in traffic, and in turn your body shows symptoms of tachycardia, hypertension, and panting. Ok, well maybe not panting...but you get the picture. That gets you to work in a "wound up" mood, and it will make little things bother you more than they normally would. Whereas having a great morning routine will allow you to enter work relaxed.
This week, Ashley is going to share her morning routine with you. Since she just started a new job as an emergency vet this month, her previous routine has changed quite a bit! For now, she is going to share with you her routine at her last job when she worked daytime general practice.
In a later post, she will share more on how she successfully transitions from day to night shift and how a flexible routine helps her to do this. Transitioning between day and night shift can add an extra complicating layer, as it is more challenging to find a rhythm. Stay tuned for a blog post soon where she will dive into how to establish a routine when you have sudden shift changes.
Ashley's Morning Routine
For me, a good morning routine is all about consistency and making myself feel good so that I can arrive at work in a good mood.
Sunday before the work week starts. So this is something I cannot give myself credit for, but I do feel it is VERY important to do now. My husband meal preps for us each week, and it is a game changer! He will make multiple meals and divide them out so we have lunches for the week. We use these containers. This ensures I get good nutrition, and not the typical frozen meals I used to eat as a bachelorette previously, and ensures I have something to eat at work if I get too busy to leave during the lunch hour. It also saves you money to do this!! Eating lunch out every day can easily add up to $50-80 per week, and that is a lot of money when you are trying to budget.
6 am: Wake up slowly over 10-15 minutes. No matter what, I ALWAYS wake up 1-1.25 hours before I need to leave for work. This is a constant, whether I work at 8 am or 10 am. It took me some trial and error to figure out the right amount of time I need to get my tasks done and hit the road without running late. I spend the first 10-15 minutes of my morning reading the news through my Daily Skimm email (Click the link to sign up! They send you abbreviated news highlights.) and Charlotte Agenda email (This gives me local news and "what is happening around town, etc."). I am guilty of a quick Insta/FB scroll as well just to check on messages, notifications, etc.
6:15 am: Make/drink Coffee and Practice Daily Gratitudes. I am a big coffee drinker. This is our current go to here that we get all the time. Something about a warm drink in the morning just gets me going! While drinking coffee, I go through 3-5 things I am grateful for in my head. Some people like to write them down, but I like to just stick it in my head and think about it. It makes me feel good and grateful for the things I do have in life, especially to ensure I appreciate the little things!
6:20 am: Make a Hearty Breakfast and Take Vitamins. I never skip this! I am a firm believer in starting your day off with a good meal, and it helps me feel energized. I often get busy up through 12-1 pm, so this helps hold me over for the morning. I rotate between overnight oats, avocado toast, scrambled eggs with salsa and toast, lox and cream cheese on an English muffin, egg and cheese bagel, or fruit with granola and yogurt. I am in love with Dave's killer bread right now...highly recommend the entire product line! Those are my main go-to's, and I know I can make each of them in under 10 minutes. Pre-pregnancy: these were my vitamin must-haves: Ashwagandha for brain health, immunity, and anxiety relief along with Mary Ruth's daily liquid multivitamin. I love the Mary Ruth liquid product because it doesn't hurt my stomach. While we were trying to conceive and while pregnant, I started taking this instead pre-natal vitamin, which also has the bonus of strengthening my hair and nails! Cha-Ching!
6:40-7:15 am: Get Ready and Hit the Road. I have become an evening shower person after my shift so in the morning, it is fairly easy to get ready! Depending on my mood or time, I will either go up-do or curl it for the day. I LOVE headbands to keep my hair out of my face and wear these ALL the time! Here are some of my favorite beauty products, as I try to keep it fairly simple. I stick to a make-up routine for work because again...the key is consistency and knowing I will be ready in time. Base: Moisturizer (favorite for the cost and how it feels!), then BB cream, eyebrows, eyelash extensions (swear by! makes you look done up without doing anything), eyebrow highlighter (I use below eyebrows and at corner of eyes to appear "awake"), and cheek tint (can use on lips and eyes too!).
7:15-8 am: Commute. Since I have a longer drive, I spend it listening to personal development podcasts. This is something new that will always become a part of my routine before work. They get me in a good mood and help me with advice for both personal and professional development where I already feel accomplished for the day. Some favorites right now are Thrive DVM podcast, Empower Her, and Be You Unapologetically.
As you can see, my focus is on feeling good through nutrition, vitamins, rest, and podcasts. I still haven't been able to grasp morning work-out yet, but that is something I may do once the baby comes. Lastly, social media does show up in my routine. However, I try to limit it so that it is not a big focus of my morning.
Definitely check out some of my linked items for things that work for me. Personally, I always love learning about new products, so I wanted to share some of my staples with you.
Do you have any products that are a must in your daily morning routine!? I would love to know!!!
Ashley
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