For many of us mom photographers, balancing families and businesses, and establishing a morning routine can feel extremely difficult.

But it’s so important that we understand that a solid morning routine is more than just a luxury. It’s a necessity for our wellness.

Episode 169 explores some practical tips and thoughtful strategies to help you cultivate a morning rhythm that energizes, nurtures, and prepares you for the day ahead.

From setting wakeup boundaries to integrating simple yet powerful habits, I’ll show you how you can transform these early hours into a foundation of serenity and strength.

Whether you’re looking to infuse your mornings with calmness, productivity, or a little bit of both. This content is your first step towards really creating that sacred time.

Let’s start off with some strategies for how you can actually create this time in the morning, and what that looks like.

And then we’ll dive deeper into how you can start to habit stack and create your own morning routine.

Tip #1: Wake Up Before Your Kids

This one’s hard, especially if you have young children.

But it’s really important that you establish a morning routine before your kids wake up, because if you are waking up to your kids, it sets the tone for your kids being the priority.

And although our kids are a priority, they are not the priority.

I want to give you permission to put your name at the top of the list, and that is not selfish!

And why that’s so important is because your children and your family and your clients deserve the best of you, not what’s left of you.

If you have early risers, start setting a specific wake-up boundary with them and start practicing that with them.

It is going to be something your kids test, and it is going to be something that you have to stay consistent with. But that is true with all boundaries for kids. Stay consistent!

Tip #2: Charge Your Phone in Another Room and Get a Real Alarm Clock

What happens is a lot of us wake up to an alarm clock that is our phone.

And the first thing that we do is check our phones, and we check the notifications to we see what we missed while we were sleeping. Before we know it an hour has gone by and we haven’t done anything other than scroll on our phones.

So what has been so helpful for me to have a morning routine that fosters wellness, is charging my phone in another room, and getting a real alarm clock.

As soon as my alarm goes off, I turn my bedside light on. So that helps me to understand that it’s time to wake up.

What’s an even better strategy is to put your alarm clock in another part of the room so that you physically have to get up to go turn it off, and you’re not tempted to hit snooze a dozen times.

Tip #3: Start Small

Once you have this time, you are going to start small. Start with a short 15 minute routine.

Just start with one thing. I want you to ask yourself, what is one thing that would help me set the tone for my morning.

Maybe it’s just getting up and getting ready. Maybe it’s getting up and reading, etc.

What that does, is it creates a new habit.

Then once you feel like you have mastered that, I want you to begin to start adding a new habit on top of that previous habit. That’s called habit stacking.

Atomic Habits by James Clear is an excellent resource for all things habits!

Once you have that next habit, you’re just going to continue setting your alarm a little bit earlier. So now instead of 15 minutes, you have 30 minutes, and maybe you have 2-3 things that you’re doing for your morning routine.

What’s important, though is creating a routine that fosters WELLNESS and not working during this time.

If you don’t have that part where you’re taking care of yourself, then working is further depleting your cup, it’s further depleting your energy. And then when you go into your day, you’re already on negative because you haven’t filled up your cup yet.

Some things you might consider doing to enhance your wellness are:

• journaling
• Bible study
• reading
• making a smoothie
• exercising
• making your bed
• listening to music
• stretching
• meditating

I feel more energized and excited about welcoming my kids and saying good morning to them and starting our day when I am fully ready and I have had the time to do what I want to do.

I definitely recommend experimenting with some things and deciding what is helpful, what’s promoting that wellness, and what is feeling draining to you.

I 100% recommend not having your phone be a part of it, because that can just be so distracting. And it can completely take you off the track of promoting wellness and having that restorative relaxing time.

I truly believe that when we start our days prioritizing ourselves and our wellness, that the day is set for success, we have more focus, we have more clarity, we have more energy because we are taken care of and then we can truly give our best to those that we love the most.

Resources:

1. Looking for tips and strategies for making motherhood and business easier? Join Our Free Community – The Organized Mom Photographer
2. Need support managing your time well and creating systems to streamline your Photography Business? Join the Efficient Mom Photographer (12 Week Group Coaching Program)
3. Message me on Voxer (My username is afreehan)
4. Join the Waitlist for my Free Masterclass, The Profit Shift: 3 Strategies to Optimize Your Limited Time and Maximize Your Revenue as a Mom
5. Have a question for me? Or a specific struggle you’re dealing with? I’ll address your question on the podcast. Submit your ‘Ask Ashley’ question here
6. Local to Gilbert/Mesa Arizona (For Mom Business Owners) Join our in person membership community

Goals Simplified Series:

1. Ep. 167. Goals Simplified – 5 Must-Have Goals for Mom Photographers in 2024
2. Ep. 168. The Goal that Changes Everything: Goals Simplified Part 2