My Simple Routine for Calmer Mornings

I used to wake up anxious. Before my feet hit the floor, I’d grab my phone and spend the first hour of the day absorbing everyone else’s problems. The news. The emails. Everyone’s highlight reel. By the time my family woke up, I was already drained.

Now my mornings look completely different. And that one change shifted my entire day.

What My Morning Looks Like

It isn’t a life hack or complicated morning routine. It’s simple and easy.

I wake up before the house does. Usually by five. When I tell people that, they look at me like I’ve lost my mind. Steve tells me to go back to bed. But that quiet hour isn’t about getting ahead. It’s the only time of day that’s entirely mine.

I start in the same chair. Every single day. Coffee in hand. No phone. I read in the quiet and pray. Some mornings I take my coffee out to the porch next and listen to the neighborhood wake up. The birds. The sunrise. The things I was too rushed to notice for years.

I make time for joy. I always have a side project. Something just for me, for the joy of it. Most days I’ll work a little on my project. That’s how I wrote Living Well, Pure and Simple. In that quiet hour, before everyone needed me.

Then the day begins. By the time I hear little feet on the stairs, I’ve already had at least an hour all to myself slowly starting my day doing things that bring me peace and joy.

Why It Matters

When I start grounded and still, everything flows better. I’m calmer with the kids. More patient with Steve. More present.

You’re not a machine. The people who need you—your kids, your partner, your friends—need you filled. So fill your cup before the day starts draining it. Even if it’s just a quiet hour before sunrise.

When I Get It Wrong

I’m not perfect at this. Some mornings I still wake up and grab my phone.

When that happens, I don’t spiral into guilt. I go back to the basics. I start over the next morning. Grace is what makes it possible to begin again tomorrow without carrying the weight of yesterday.

One Simple Step

You don’t have to wake up at five if you aren’t a morning person like me. Start smaller.

Tomorrow morning, leave your phone in another room. Make your coffee. Sit somewhere quiet for ten minutes before you check anything.

That’s it. Notice how the rest of your day feels.