My morning routine as a social media manager
We’ve all heard about building a morning routine, but it’s often easier said than done. As an entrepreneur, I’ve learned quickly how important having an easy, sustainable morning routine is for the success of each day.
Here’s the great thing though - your morning routine doesn’t have to start at 5 am. Thank goodness! I’m working on becoming more of a morning person, but at heart, I’m more of a night owl.
As a freelance social media manager, I work from home most days, which means that I don’t have a commute and that I don’t need to “clock in” for the day at a specific time. This career comes with so many perks and so much freedom, but that also means I am responsible for hitting deadlines and providing great service to my clients. That means I need to have healthy rhythms in place to make sure I am productive and efficient with my days. Hence, my morning routine.
The night before
The first step of any morning routine actually starts the night before. In order to have a productive morning, I need to make sure I’m getting to bed at a good time and also setting myself up for success.
For me, this looks like programming my coffee maker to start brewing right before I wake up the next day. This saves me time of making my coffee in the morning and also makes me excited to get out of bed! I have the Cuisinart Coffee Maker, which I absolutely love because I can easily program my coffee to start the next morning. Plus it looks nice on our counters, which I appreciate.
I also tidy up our house with a clean of the counters and a quick vacuum so that I know in the morning that our house is clean. I love our cordless vacuum so I can grab it quickly and not have to plug it in. It’s super light too! Cleaning reduces a lot of stress for me!
Finally, before I head to bed, I set my alarm and plug my phone in across the room so I’m not tempted to scroll as my last activity before sleeping. Then, I read for a good 10-15 minutes before turning off my lamp. If you’re in need of a good book, check out Charles Martin - he’s my absolute favorite author!
waking up
In order to start your morning routine, it’s important to actually wake up. Maybe an obvious one, but again this can be easier said than done. I set my alarm for 6:30 am, and because my phone is across the room, I have to physically get up to turn my alarm off. This helps me wake up and not push snooze as much as I’d like to.
Get outside
After I’ve gotten up and changed out of my pajamas, I head outside for a quick mile walk to get some fresh air and sunshine. Right now in the summer, this has been pretty easy to accomplish, but I know this will be harder come the winter.
In order to make this step easier, I set my shoes out for my walk the night before so I’m ready to go in the morning. This takes one step out of the equation in the morning when I’m feeling less energized.
coffee & Read
I don’t let myself drink my coffee until I’m back from my walk because it’s a great motivation for me! I pour a cup of coffee, and then I settle in on our couch.
Before I open any emails or look at social media, I spend time reading the Bible and journaling to set my mind on the Lord. This helps ground me in why I’m truly here and what my purpose is.
Right now, I’m reading the Our Daily Bread devotions, which also include a reading plan. This has been awesome for me as it can be overwhelming to know what to read in the Bible. Our Daily Bread also provides commentary on the passage to give extra information and context.
As part of this time, I also spend time journalling about what I’m grateful for, what I’m maybe worried about, and what’s exciting me. I’m an internal processor, so journalling really helps me work through what I’m feeling and put my thoughts into words. My favorite journal is the Appointed Journal! I’ve gotten so many of them over the years!
Set my priorities
Before I open my laptop or social media, I take the final step of my morning routine and set my priorities for the day. I’ve found that the reminders app on my phone (and laptop) works great for creating a to-do list for the day.
I write out the most important and time-sensitive tasks first and then follow with other tasks I would like to do if time allows. This really helps me prioritize my day and helps me know if I’m productive at the end of the day.
Once I create that list and feel good, it’s time to start working!
