6 Ways to Start a Magical Morning Routine with Magical Homemaking

I have fallen out of habit. My morning routine ebbs and flows as my life changes. When we go on vacation I tend to ditch the routine and then I struggle to get back to it.

As a caregiver I find it imperative to take time in the morning to care for myself before surrendering to the needs of my children. I have been without a morning routine for two months now, and I can feel how disconnected I am from my body and my spirit.

It is perfectly normal to start a routine, fall off the bandwagon, return to the routine, fall off…

Can you relate?

I have started a morning routine a few different times, and I have learned something each time. Here are my favorite tricks for starting and sustaining a magical morning routine.

Tip #1 - Prepare Yourself the Night Before

How to Start a Magical Morning Routine with MagicalHomemaking.com.png

MAKE A PLAN of what you are going to do in your morning routine. Here’s my current morning routine plan:

Wake & Wash (brush my teeth, wash my face)
Stretch
Meditate
Affirmations
Dance
Journal (Gratitude & Visualize Success)
Read/Study

PUMP YOURSELF UP for an early wakeup. I say this, “Waking up early is easy for me. I wake up at 6am, easy peasy. When my alarm goes off, I hop out of bed. I love waking up early. I wake up at 6am, eager to start my day.”

TURN OFF YOUR SNOOZE. Commit to waking up at your desired time. When your alarm goes off, you WILL get up.

Place your PHONE FAR AWAY from your bed. I put mine on the other side of the room. This way I don’t stay up late on my device. And, since my alarm is on my phone, I have to to get up and cross the room to turn it off.

SET OUT YOUR CLOTHES. I set out workout clothes because I like to do some stretching and dancing. Mel Robbins talks about this as part of making a commitment to yourself.

Tip #2: Start Small

Ideally my morning routine is a delicious 1-2 hours. But, my ego freaks about this. “I don’t have time for that,” my brain says. So, instead of starting a LONG routine, I start with a short one.

The first day do 2 minutes for each thing, and maybe your full routine is 10-15 minutes. This idea came from James Clear’s book Atomic Habits. The key is to create a small sliver of time and be consistent with that time and place. Then, over time lengthen the routine until you have reached a length of time that feels supportive and nourishing. This may mean waking up even earlier (see Tip #1)

For me, I will start with a couple sun salutations, meditate for 2 minutes, read one affirmation 3 times, dance to one song, write 3 things in my gratitude journal, and read 2 pages in my book. I will do that for three days, and then add a couple minutes to each practice every three days.

Tip #3: Habit Stacking

This is another one of James Clear’s ideas. He writes, “Habit stacking is a special form of an implementation intention. Rather than pairing your new habit with a particular time and location, you pair it with a current habit… [and it] can be used to design an obvious cue for nearly any habit.” Notice that my routine is a compilation of 7 practices. Each practices is a cue for the next practice to begin. After I brush my teeth I stretch. After I stretch I meditate. After I meditate I read my affirmations… Over time the habits become one. I don’t have think or work hard to implement each one. I just have to do the first one and muscle memory takes over, I naturally slide into the next practice.

Tip #4: Make it Sacred

Create and TEND TO AN ALTAR. An altar can be as small as an Altoid tin, or cover the surface of a coffee table. Places have memory, and the more you turn to this sacred space the more powerful it will become. Use this space to meditate, journal, or study. Your morning practices will be supported by the altar, and your altar will grow more meaningful and powerful by your presence.

BRING BEAUTY into your routine. Decorate your altar with flowers, statues, crystals, feathers, fabrics… Music is another form of beauty. I have a favorite playlist for yoga and another playlist for journaling/reading.

Engage with your SACRED OBJECTS. Light a candle. Burn incense and move the smoke with a feather. Spritz rose water. Hold your crystal(s) as you read your affirmations. This daily ritual of connecting with your sacred objects syncs you up with their vibration and builds a rich relationship between you and your spiritual symbols and tools.

Call in your SPIRITUAL SUPPORT TEAM. I like to cast a gentle circle by calling in the directions before meditating. It is a declaration to the Universe and my psyche that this time and place is sacred. The simple act of lighting a candle activates the sacred mindset, awakening your woo-senses to sense and connect with the energetics of your environment. Call in angels, ancestors, deities, archetypes… This is a nice time to strengthen your relationship with the Divine. I like to do spiritual studies at my altar while gazing upon icons, stones, or statues representing the energy I am learning about.

Do some DAILY DIVINATION. I pull a daily Tarot card, asking Spirit what energy to expect during the day. It is a teaching card, less of a prediction. I hold the card in my mind as the day goes on, attaching stories and meaning to it as the day unfolds. This is how I build an understanding between me the deck I am working with, learning what energies is trying to describe through the card. If you want to dive deeper into a daily Tarot practice, check out the Free Daily Tarot Journal.

Tip #5: Track Your Habits

Start counting the days you do your routine. Once you get past day 5 or 7, you want to keep doing it so you don’t break your number of consecutive days.

I like to use a habit tracker to record my practices. Each time I mark my tracker, it’s like a high five, a personal “you did it” moment. You can download a free one at the bottom of this article.

6 Tips on How to Start a Magical Morning Routine with Magical Homemaking

I use the Insight Timer to track the number of consecutive days that I meditate. I get stars for showing up and doing the work. And, if I don’t meditate for a day, the counter goes back to zero. So many days I would do my morning routine for the soul purpose of not having to restart my counter.

I have also dabbled with the app Habitica. It is a free habit and productivity app that treats your real life like a game, motivating you to stick with your habits through rewards in a game-like fashion.

Tip #6: Tap into Cycles of Energy

START YOUR ROUTINE AT THE BEGINNING OF A CYCLE. This might be a lunar cycle, a seasonal cycle, menstrual cycle, or even calendar cycle. Start your new habits on a new moon, or at Yule, or in the Spring. You might want to start your habits when you start your period. Or, use the calendar and start your habits at the new year, or at the beginning of the month, or on a Monday. By tapping into these “fresh start” energies in the cycles in your life, you can ride that energetic wave to support your own new beginnings.

So, give it a try. Tell me what works, and what doesn’t work. You can do it. I’ve done it a few times :-) And, I can do it again. The key is to keep coming back to it. Each time I jumpstart my practice I am able to sustain it longer.