What to do before 8 am? Here is my sweet and relaxing before 8 am morning routine that helps me start my day right without anxiety or pressure.
Our Morning routine sets the tone and mood for the day. When you have a good morning routine promoting self-care, wellness, and productivity, you’ll change your day and your life’s quality.
Because routines are things you repeatedly do, they become habits that form who you are.
And your habits influence how you live and where you spend the most time.
Here’s the truth: having a consistent list of things to do before 8 am may seem far-fetched and unrealistic for some people.
While for others, waking up early every day is like a fairytale.
I also hated waking up early; I would bluff about it.
I was a night owl, would spend my time working until late at night, and every day, I’d wake up at 10 to 11 am with a nagging headache.
However, deep down, I knew it had to change, if not for anything, for my health and wellness.
Slowly, I began learning to become a morning person and build a good morning routine that promotes my self-care and well-being, and in return, I became a productive person.
And this drastically improved my life.
I no longer wake up with a nagging headache.
Because I go to bed early, wake up early, accomplish my daily tasks, and, most importantly, have a list of things I do before 8 am that sets the tone for the day.
So, I got you if you’re anything like me, looking to change your morning from chaotic to organized and calming.
In this blog, you’ll learn my exact before 8 am morning routine in this blog post.
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12 Things I to do: My Before 8 am Morning Routine
Looking for a better and doable morning routine, here’s a list of things I do, my exact morning routine before 8 am.
1. Wake Up Early
I wake up at 5 am – 5:30 every day; since my list of morning routine before 8 am is not complicated, I can always adjust my time accordingly.
First, I don’t use an alarm.
I don’t like alarms; waking up to the sound of an alarm or ringing a phone gives me a headache.
Hence, I don’t use an alarm and always turn off my phone before bed.
Bedtime for me is usually 10:00 – 10:30 pm. I get at least 7 hours of sleep daily.
Now, this is my preference, and I deeply understand how my body works. So, it’s easy to adjust and fine-tune my routine to fit my body system.
Contrarily, many prefer an alarm and can’t wake up early without it. You have to understand yourself and go with what works for you.
2. Relax for 10 Minutes
Before learning to relax for some time in the morning and do nothing,
I used to feel anxious about the work for the day like I was running out of time. And guess what it caused? Anxiety and stress.
When I wake up, I sit upright to avoid falling asleep again, then I relax and do nothing for at least 10 minutes.
Sometimes, depending on my mood, I throw in some positive affirmations.
If you’re always anxious, try practicing this every morning; it will help you slow your pace and calm your morning.
3. Get Out of Bed and Make My Bed
Staying in bed for a long time can make you feel lazy, especially when learning to build a good morning routine.
So, after relaxing for 10 minutes, I immediately leave bed.
Getting out of bed and making my bed immediately after I wake up helps me focus and kills the urge to “sleep a little more.”
You know when you tell yourself, “I’ll leave the bed after 5 minutes, and an hour later, you’re still on your bed, scrolling endlessly on social media”?
Before you know it, you’re starting your day unproductively.
However, when you make your bed immediately, it fuels your brain that you’ve accomplished one task. No matter how insignificant, it can charge you up for a day.
Download our Free Mindset Booster Printable Affirmation Cards below to Start Your Day Rightly….
4. Brush my Teeth and Set the Mood
After making my bed, I head to the bathroom to brush my teeth.
Doing this signals my body that I’m awake and it’s time to get down to the day’s business.
Although it may seem funny, it’s a trick I learned at the university.
If you wake up at 5 am and don’t want to fall asleep immediately, “brush your teeth.” This helped me build my morning routine, as I had zero urge to go back to bed after brushing.
After brushing, I tie my hair and do primary skin care like cleansing my face, etc.
And the time should be 5:20 am already.
5. Drink water and Hydrate
Once I leave the bathroom, I drink my first glass of water. If I have lemons at home, I throw in a slice of lemon.
Also, I keep a bottle of Water I must finish before my 8 am morning routine is over.
Drinking a glass of water early in the morning helps me hydrate and function properly.
You know the same effect you get from drinking coffee, especially if you’re a coffee addict.
I don’t drink coffee. Instead, I prefer taking a cup of mixed black and green tea. But if you love coffee, go for it.
While sipping your tea, water, or coffee, try to relax, breathe in and out, be in the moment, and think about nothing else.
6. Journal My Thoughts
Daily journaling my thoughts and intentions is a tool I use for self-development, checking in with myself, and putting my thoughts on paper, and it helps me find direction.
Everyone should incorporate journaling into their daily routine, whether they are comfortable journaling in the morning or evening.
Plus, there isn’t a one size isn’t a one-size-fits-all journaling technique; find a journaling method that works for you and go with it.
The goal is to track your progress, thoughts, and growth, and in the end, when you go back to read your journal, you’ll see all the progress you’ve made.
I started journaling 2-years ago, and it changed my life.
When journaling in the morning, I usually spend 12-15 minutes, as I like to keep things simple.
7. Move My Body
Honestly, I don’t exercise in the morning as it leaves me weak and disorganized, and it takes time to get back on track.
Hence, I exercise and go for long walks in the evening instead of the morning.
Now, this differs for everyone. Some people prefer exercising in the morning as it energizes them, while for people like me, it may leave you drained.
You want to avoid including tasks in your morning routine that drain and leave you unproductive. Which is why understanding your body is essential.
Since I don’t exercise, I move my body for 10-15 minutes. It could be walking around the house, doing simple stretches, etc.
But if you want to exercise or move your body more, here are some of my favorite Youtube channels;
By this time, it’s a few minutes to 6 am.
8. Shower and Enjoy Skincare Routine
After moving my body, it’s time to shower and do skin care. I enjoy my bath time as I consider my time in the bathroom my “me” time.
Afterward, I pick my outfit for the day, get dressed, and prepare to start my day.
PS: I try not to exceed 10-15 minutes for my morning shower, then spend the remaining 15 minutes preparing and pampering my skin.
Although I work from home and have total control of my time, I treat my business as a full-time job.
I get into the office at 8 am, so I must finish my morning routine before 8 am.
9. Read
Reading in the morning is empowering, and everyone should cultivate the habit of reading daily.
I read only self-improvement books for my morning read, and occasionally, I read other blogs, especially If I want to learn something new.
If you’re yet to incorporate reading into your morning routine, this is a sign to do.
Everyone should read at least one book a month, even if for 10-15 minutes daily.
I’ll admit this is a challenging habit to build because we live in a time when social media keeps feeding us content, and we’re always on our phones.
But when you add reading to your routine, you’ll start feeding your mind, and it’s the perfect tool for self-growth.
I started reading Atomic Habits a few months ago, and I’ve been reading that book slowly because it’s filled with gems.
I want to learn more about building good habits to improve my life and business.
But, if you don’t know what type of books to read, evaluate your life and get books that speak to areas you need to improve.
For instance, if you need help building good financial habits, “The Psychology of Money” by Morgan Housel will give you great financial lessons in bit size, actionable, and easily consumed tips.
I digress, now back to reading as part of my before 8 am morning routine. I read for only 30 minutes in the morning, and once it’s 7:00 am, I join the morning prayers.
10. Pray
Praying every morning before officially kickstarting my day is empowering and helps me grow spiritually,
You may wonder why I keep my prayers almost at the last part of my “before 8 am Morning routine”.
Well, it’s because it’s more of a group fellowship than a single-person prayer.
At 7:00 am, I join the morning devotion, which usually lasts about 30 minutes.
During this time, we read and share the Word, pray for ourselves, other believers, family, friends, business, and all those genuinely connected to us, and at precisely 7:30 am, devotion ends.
PS: I take a glass of water and sit for a few minutes, then turn on my phone (I always turn off my phone before bed).
During this 10-minute break, I put on my phone, checked for essential messages, and responded to them accordingly. Then, I put my phone on DND until I wrap up writing.
11. Write
I have been building a “daily writing habit.” So I write daily for at least 2 hours.
Between running this website and my other business, creating digital products, and attending to client projects, I’ll be inconsistent and not create quality, meaningful blog posts if I don’t carve out time to write.
You’ll improve significantly as a writer and write faster if you devote time to writing daily.
You can do other activities if writing is not part of your daily work.
Depending on my mood, I write for at least two hours daily from 7:45 am. But at most 8 am, I officially start working.
My self-care and mindfulness tasks are over—it’s time to get to work.
12. Most Important Task for the Day
After writing, I check my emails, respond to client messages, and call my mum if I miss her call (she loves calling so early, lol) when my phone is on DND.
Otherwise, I prefer keeping family calls during my 3-hour break time in the afternoon or at night before bed, but I make sure to call her daily.
Next, I proceed to accomplish my most important task for the day; after achieving this task, I prepare breakfast. “Ouch, maybe not breakfast anymore.”
I didn’t mention breakfast is one of the things I do in my morning routine before 8 am.
That is because I eat breakfast at noon. But I take lots of water and sometimes fruit in the morning.
This is my morning routine; I keep it simple and only do the things that are good for me and my well-being, not going overboard and respecting my body and strength.
The only lengthy things I do in my morning routine before 8 am are my prayer sessions, which can be shorter, and reading my book.
However, if you can’t squeeze reading into your morning routine before 8 am, you can fix it anytime in the day – the goal is to read and feed your mind.
Set the Tone for The Morning the Night Before
A good morning routine isn’t automatic.
In fact, a good morning routine that promotes your self-care, well-being, and productivity starts with things you do the night before.
Things such as going to bed early;
- Having a good night’s rest (7 – 8 hours sleep).
- Tidying up the house in the evening
- Keeping items in place.
- Do dishes immediately after eating so you don’t have to worry about them in the morning.
- Setting a to-do list with your most important task of the day set.
For instance, When I began conditioning myself to wake up early instead of being a night owl.
I would wake up and start tidying the house, which exhausted me.
Soon, I began implementing a weekly reset day, where I do all essential tasks for the week, such as deep cleaning, laundry, cooking in bulk, and shopping.
Meanwhile, for every other day, I do the basics.
Also, at the end of every work day, I clean and organize my desk, set my to-do list and close all tabs, tidy my apartment, and enjoy a good home-cooked dinner and a proper night’s sleep.
Not only does doing this help me start my day productively, but having a self-care time every evening helps me sleep better.
So list those little tasks you could do the night before to free up space in your morning and do them.
Setting the tone for the day the night before is handy, especially if you feel crunched on time.
How long Should a Morning Routine Be?
A morning routine is personal, but Ideally, it can be between 30 minutes to 2 hours daily.
Your goal should be striking a balance that allows you to practice activities that set a positive tone for the day without feeling rushed or stressed.
Final Thoughts on Before 8 am Morning Routine
Kindly note that this is my morning routine and not a Standard Guide for everyone.
This is a routine of a self-employed, single, young adult living alone.
However, this entire routine promotes “self-care” and your “me” time.
It’s a morning routine that allows you to slow down and treat yourself kindly.
While this may not be ideal for a mum with kids or someone with others, depending on her daily schedule, it can form the basics for you to craft at least 30 minutes to 1 hour of your morning doing something for you. Whether journaling, meditating, taking a hot tea or coffee alone, or praying.
I hope you’ll set aside time in the morning and do you. There’s no “one size fits all” morning routine, so find what works for you and run with it.
Do you have a morning routine that helps you feel better and start your day productively? What’s one thing you must do in the morning before starting your day? Let me know in the comments.
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