Productivity isn’t the be-all and end-all, so this isn’t a post isn’t focusing on being productive, but creating a routine that allows us to be the best we can be every day. Prioritising rest and self-care is important and the key to maintaining a balance, achieving our goals, and completing tasks.
What Is A Slow Morning Routine?
A slow morning routine ensures that you have some time for yourself typically before you get on with any of your daily tasks. This can improve your productivity and help to reduce the anxiety you may experience when looking at your whole list of things to do.
A slow morning can start with anything from an hour of reading to a pampering skincare routine or a long relaxing bath. Try not to include too much in this time as it can just encourage you to get distracted and put off tasks. As much as a slow morning is used to prioritize self-care it is also about giving you the time you need in order to prepare yourself for the day.
Incorporating A Slow Morning Into Your Routine
With everything that we do for ourselves we need to try out a few things to see what works. Having a one rule fits all approach can cause you to feel stressed and/or inadequate because you are not doing as well as others.
A slow morning will look different for everyone, the main thing to prioritise is time, self-care, and preparation. Give yourself enough time to take your time, include some form of self-care, a moment for you, and give yourself the gift of preparing for the day ahead.
What Does My Slow Morning/Day Looks Like?
My slow morning routine is based around my part-time working hours. I have found that waking up early when I am off work allows me to be more focused and it reduces anxiety. It also helps if you spend this time with your phone on do not disturb/airplane mode or using screen time to limit the time spent on social media during your slow morning routine.
7 am – Wake Up & Make My Bed
This is a really simple task that I have only recently brought this into my slow morning routine. Making your bed every morning reduces stress and anxiety, and it sets you up for a productive day as you have already completed one task.
It is often the small and everyday tasks that we don’t do that lead to putting off the larger tasks.
8 am – Long Bath
One of the self-care practices I always felt was a bit too generic for me, but my therapist suggested using a face mask or watching a movie/series whilst in the bath. which again sounds really simple, but it’s creating that space for relaxation and the space to be present that is really important to the start of the day.
Incorporating bath bombs, essential oils and face masks into your morning bath time routine, and adding in that skincare will not only improve your skin but it reduces anxiety, which makes your tasks less daunting.
9 am – Create a to-do list for the day
Writing a daily to-do list is essential. Make two lists, a general one, and then one breaking down the task step by step or by the hour if that helps. The more specific you are the better you can follow through with the tasks you have set.
10 am – breakfast
Sometimes when we are busy we can skip meals or we don’t make time to nourish our bodies. Setting a time to eat is necessary to breaking up your day and we cannot work on empty so fuelling our bodies is just as important as ticking tasks off of our to-do lists.
11 am – 2 pm work through the to-do list
Sometimes when working through the to-do list, You can get distracted, at this point it is a good idea to get up, stretch, change your position, make a hot drink, just take a moment away.
2 pm – Lunch
You do not need to be obsessive or strict with your eating habits/schedule, just sticking to an eating schedule helps to maintain a routine.
The rest of the day is really for whatever you want it to be used for. you don’t have to spend the whole day ticking off tasks. If there is anything that didn’t get done, add it to tomorrow’s list or the next list you create and just put it at the top of the list.
Being well-rested, prepared, and relaxed creates space for productivity, and it does wonders for our mental health. Create those healthy habits and behaviours that remind us that we are important and deserving of care and quality time. Will you be incorporating a slow morning into your week? Maybe start with a slow weekend.
SAABIRAH LAWRENCE 
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