5 Must-Haves for A Soul Nourishing Morning Routine

About: My top-five non-negotiables for a soul-nourishing morning routine to get my day started right.

I’ll admit, the longer I homeschool, the less of a morning person I am. But, thanks to the new addition to our family (an adorable seven-month-old Australian Labradoodle named Libbey) my 5 a.m. wake-up game is going strong!

As an introvert and INFJ, I’ve always been a strong proponent of waking up earlier than the rest of my family to get time to ground my thoughts and ease into my day. These sacred morning hours allow me to meet myself where I am and meditate on the word of God before the day begins. To fill that proverbial cup, if you will.

But first…

I’ve got to fill that coffee cup with a piping-hot brew that touches my soul. My favorite way to brew is with a French press. The rhythmic routine of preparing coffee in a French press is calming and therapeutic. I also appreciate that my coffee is brewed in something without plastic.

A rich, delicious cup of coffee in hand, I then reach for my bible.

Bible Reading & Prayer Time

I always start my day with a simple prayer of gratitude and a request for guidance. I ask Him to walk alongside me to give me strength, and patience along with guidance towards what I was created to do.

Next, I’ll open my bible and read. I like having a goal to work towards like reading the Bible in a year. I just achieved that goal and highly recommend it. It gave me such a strong sense of accomplishment, but more than that, it led to such a deeper understanding of Jesus and the word of God. The habit of picking it up and reading it is now deeply engrained and something I crave as much as, if not more than, that morning cup of coffee. Right now, I’m focused on re-reading the New Testament…but some days I’ll spend time on a certain chapter or verse that feels especially relevant to my life.

A few of my favorites are John 15 often, along with the book of Proverbs and Psalms.

Personal development

Writing

I do this through a personal journal entry or a blog post. That just depends on the topic and my mood for the day. I’ve been an avid freeform journal writer since I was old enough to write. There is no better way to work out a tangled knot of thoughts and emotions than by pen to paper. It usually amazes me that, by the time I finish writing, I can pinpoint the root of my emotions. Oftentimes I discover that what is actually bothering me is something completely different than I thought it was when I started out. I’m writing in a good old-fashioned 5-star notebook but have also really enjoyed the Happiness and Productivity Planner by Panda Planner.

Reading

The book in my hand is almost always of the non-fiction and personal development variety. As my readers, you’ll reap the benefits of this through what you read, because these books are constantly giving me food for thought and new, relevant info to pass on to you. I like to limit myself to five pages or a short chapter so I don’t spend my whole morning here! Another way I love to consume great books is by audiobook while walking Libbey.

Check out my Recommended Reads page.

Reviewing Our Day

Reviewing our day and my list of to-do’s and planning accordingly. I have tried a lot of systems, but the one that seems to work best is digital. My online Google calendar holds all of the details to my day. The Google Tasks app syncs between my desktop calendar and my iPhone app so that I can drag the most important tasks of the day into the appropriate time blocks. Each day for us is different, but having time blocks to work with helps me to feel organized and on top of my day from the start.

Exercise

This is my top initiative for my 43rd trip around the sun. Working things out more in my mind, I’ve always been more of a reader and journaler than an exerciser. But, especially as I get older, I am realizing just how important it is to move my body. My Bible in a year plan helped me to create the solid daily habit of Bible reading. My plan for this year is to do the same with exercise. Walking Libbey is a given. She makes that easy since she’s so persistent and so darned cute. But additionally, I’m adding in at least 10 minutes of strength training or yoga…and plan to build it up to at least 30 minutes a day. Morning time would be ideal since it’s the only time I have full autonomy over before the day begins.

As the matriarch and manager of this homeschool family, these small but intentional acts allow me to start my day on solid footing. It’s not only important, it’s Biblical. Even Jesus took time in the morning hours to be with God and nourish his mind, bothy and soul. (Mark 1:35)