My Morning Routine Working from Home + Editable Morning Routine Template
Updated: Apr 23
The transition to working from home can be hard… but what’s the easiest way to help with a transition? Have a plan aka a routine for what you’re going to do!
Having a good morning routine is EVERYTHING.
I’ve been working remotely since June of 2019, teaching online and working for an education tech company. I absolutely love working from home and have found that with a solid morning routine, I am more productive than I ever was in my classroom/office space. I hope my editable morning routine template helps you!
I started my morning routine as soon as I started working from home and having it in place has really helped. Here is my morning routine working from home + editable morning routine template (found for free here by subscribing).
1. Set an alarm and wake up at the same time every day
I said this in my work from home guide, but we are creatures of habit! Our minds and bodies thrive off of routine and the easiest way to start off your day with a routine? Wake up at the same time every day! If you find that waking up at a certain time works better for you, then keep that time consistent (even if you go to bed later once in a while).
You’ll wake up feeling more rested, and after a while, you’ll start waking up more naturally and easier. I wake up at 7:30 every day even though I don’t have to start work until 9:30 am. This gives me extra time to read in bed, pray, and go on a long walk with my dog.
2. Stay Unplugged!
This is one I struggle with, but I’ve also seen have great effects on me. I love social media, but starting off the day looking at a screen sets a tone for the day. Here are some benefits of staying off your phone:
Reduce stress/anxiety – A study at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden measured the effects of smartphone usage on people in their 20s over the course of a year. The study showed that high mobile phone use was directly correlated to increased reports of depression in both men and women.
Keeps your mind and attention on your goals – instead of immediately going off onto something unrelated to your life, you can focus in on what is really important for your day, goals, and life in general.
Here are some tips to help:
keep your phone in airplane mode
have a replacement activity like reading a book, writing a piece of gratitude, turning on a song, etc.
don’t put your phone by your bed
3. Make your bed
As Navy Seal Admiral William H. McCraven said
If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task, and another, and another. And by the end of the day that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed.
Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that the little things in life matter. If you can’t do the little things right, you’ll never be able to do the big things right. And if by chance you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made — that you made. And a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better.
Enough said.
4. Eat a Healthy Breakfast
Nothing is more satisfying in the morning than a good breakfast. As someone who has been working from home for a while now, it took me far to long to start eating a good breakfast every morning. The fuel you consume in the morning has a significant effect on your ongoing productivity throughout the day.
Dietician Lisa De Fazio recommends staying away from high-sugar, high-fat breakfasts and instead suggests a healthier choice.
Healthy Breakfast Ideas:
smoothies (I use my NutriBullet for easy one serve and clean up)
yogurt with oats
hard-boiled eggs (I premake mine then eat along with some toast)
oatmeal with fruit
5. Have a skincare and healthy routine for getting ready
Even if you work from home it’s important to include good skincare and healthy practices. Getting ready in the morning is not only good for your physical health, it’s also good for your mental health.
Getting ready mentally helps you prepare for the day and feel like you are going to leave the house. It’s important to keep yourself going and positive throughout the day and taking care of yourself at the start is a great way to put you in this mindset.
It doesn’t have to be fancy, but it should make you feel refreshed and good about taking on the day. I wash my face, use some toner/moisturizer, and put on some lash boost serum. BOOM I’m ready for the day with my skincare routine.
6. Make a daily to-do list
I loooove lists. They help me organize my priorities for the day and start with purpose. When I sit down at my desk to start the day, I check my email and organize it, then create my daily to-do list, personal and professional. It makes you feel more prepared for the day and accomplished at the end. If this method doesn’t work for you – find something that does.
My editable morning routine template includes a to-do list page for those that want to use it. I typically write my to-do list on a sticky note.
Where is working out?
A lot of people like to work out in the morning. I am not one of them! This does not mean that working out shouldn’t be part of your routine. For me, I would rather wake up and have a calming morning and work out in the evening after I’ve been sitting all day.
If you work from home and will be sitting down all day, I recommend working out after the day of sitting. Your body can start to feel stiff sitting for so long and it’s a great way to feel relaxed after the long workday.
If you feel like you need exercise in the morning – do it! The important thing is that exercise is a normal part of your routine whether that’s morning, mid-day, or ni
Now that you’ve got an idea of a routine for working from home, download my free editable morning routine template to plan out your own morning routine.
PS if you’re a parent working from home, here are my favorite resources for online learning you should check out!