How to Have a Simpler, Happier Morning

I’m all about glorious, slow mornings – with yellow sunlight slanting in through windows, catching the steam from your tea in the light…the record player on, and me sitting wrapped up in a blanket checking my email for the day.

I mentioned this moment on Instagram the other day: how one of my very favorite things about weekends is getting to be at home as the house wakes up in this sleepy little town. During the work week, the introvert in me casts a wistful glance around the dark living room, knowing that soon my favorite blogging spots will be covered in quiet sunshine.

BUT –

Real life doesn’t always offer that! 🙂 Every weekday morning, my husband and I are out the door around 7 am. And I always have that final moment as I sweep my eyes around the room, making sure we have everything with us we need for the day: teacher bag for me, backpack for him, workout bag, thermoses of coffee and tea…

So, we know most mornings are busy! What can we do about it, when we crave those slow, wholesome, peaceful moments?

7 Ways to Have a Simpler, Happier Morning:

1 // Incorporate prayer and a devotional. It is so meaningful and worth it to set aside quiet time each morning to pray, journal, or read the Bible or devotional. I have a devotional by Elisabeth Elliot called A Lamp Unto My Feet, and I love it!! The Scripture and the author’s reflections have been great reminders of truth for me to cling to each morning. (If you’ve heard of the movie End of the Spear, it is about Elisabeth’s husband and the other missionaries who were killed in Ecuador. Elisabeth continued evangelizing work with the same people who had killed her husband.)

A devotional or prayer time always significantly changes my attitude and approach to the day. When we offer our energy, time, and direction of the day to God, it alters our perspective in the best of ways.

2 // Craft a hot beverage – even on the go! This is a ritual I can’t seem to shake! 🙂 I love hot drinks – apple cider, tea, cocoa…but every morning I make my favorite Teavana tea with my Teavana Perfectea Maker. I’m a huge “routines” person, so the ritual of grabbing my Starbucks thermos and making my favorite blend of Maharaja Chai Oolong tea with Samurai Chai Mate tea is the perfect kickstart to the day. Hot tea always makes my mornings happier. 🙂

3 // Get up 10 minutes earlier. What? That doesn’t sound happier? I beg to differ. Last year I consistently got up at least 10 minutes later than I do now…and mornings felt rushed. I didn’t sit down for breakfast. I didn’t have room for any outfit “second guesses.” I didn’t have longer conversations with my husband. But last September, I started to set my alarm at least 10 minutes earlier than I used to…and it has made a significant difference in my morning’s timeline! I highly recommend it! Your body will get used to it quickly, and you’ll find it gives you momentum for your day!

4 // Try to have a sit-down breakfast. This has been one of the most enjoyable parts of our mornings this school year for me. My husband, in typical guy fashion, pulls on his sweater and khakis, and heads downstairs to make coffee and read at the breakfast table…and he looks great, and he has an even more relaxing morning than I do! Why is it so much harder for gals to get ready?! 🙂 Anyway, I do eventually make it downstairs to join him in the kitchen, where we both eat cereal and either chat a little or enjoy companionable silence. There’s something so great about sitting to eat, rather than eating a granola bar while you drive (what I did last year). Even if you get only 5-ish minutes to sit and eat, it can really make you feel more settled.

5 // Lay out your clothes the night before. On nights when I evaluate what’s in my closet and lay out what I’d like to wear, it always streamlines the next morning. The fewer decisions you have to make in the morning, the better!

6 // Play low-key music. I like the song “Good Morning” by William Fitzsimmons, and also my Low-Key Bee Spotify playlist! 🙂

7 // Don’t talk about work in the morning. AT ALL, if you can help it! Our mornings are so much more pleasant if we choose to joke around or chat about other fun things, rather than topics like “I forgot to finish doing ____” or “How do you think your meeting will go today?” Bjorn and I work in the same school district, and actually, the same building. This can be both a good and a bad thing. The plus side is that we get to carpool to work practically every day! We don’t typically see each other during the day, but since we work in the same district, we can easily get caught up in talking about work way too much. I never want to be someone who only talks about work (it can make me feel stressed – and there are many other great things to talk about!). So, the best solution for us has been to chat about work things only when necessary, or to limit it to sharing fun stories from our day.

How do you streamline your mornings to keep them simple and peaceful?