My Morning Routine
If you are like me and love to live in a clean home but cannot clean all day - this post is for you!
Routines are the key to live happily!
What is a Routine?
(According to dictionary) - "A sequence of actions regularly followed"; "It is followed as a regular procedure rather than a special event"
My morning routine, involves doing a little bit everyday to maintain my home and this has saved me from going into cleaning marathons (remember when guests show up?!) so many times.
There was a time when I used to being jerked into wakefulness by a loud unpleasant alarm and would drag myself out of bed at 6:30 am, pretending to be awake until its as late as 7 am and then rush into the bathroom, wear whatever is available, stuff mouthful of breakfast followed by rushing to the bus stop almost missing my school bus.
I remember being in awe of my class teacher. She was this beautiful lady who was always put together. She dressed elegantly, her hair was neatly plaited, her pastel sari draped beautifully, her face had a tint of light make up, she wore matching accessories and always had a calm demeanor. I was intrigued by her. How did she manage to do this every single day?
I remember confiding in my mom who said "she must be having a good morning routine".
I have come a long way since then, trying to find the perfect morning routine that fits my current life circumstance. Having a routine has changed my life. I no longer scramble through my mornings.
Instead this is what I do:
Waking Up (5 to 5:30 am)
I wake up every day at 5:30 am. Yes! It is quite early but is totally worth it. I usually set an alarm(vibration only) to 5:00 am and the first thing I do is feel my palms and feet, rub my palms to make it warm and place it over my eyes, feel the texture of the blanket around me, feel the softness of the bed, trying to activate my sense of touch. I sit upright with my legs stretched out and try to hold my toes feeling the stretch on my back, then I do forward bends and twists just to get my body to wake up.
Hot Water:
I brush my teeth and floss before going into the kitchen. As part of my nighttime routine, I would have cleaned my kitchen the previous night so I am not terrified looking at the counter tops. I keep a tall glass of water on the stove and pick up the garbage can to empty the trash.
I then sit down with my glass of hot water and go through my mails and messages, this is only till I empty my glass which takes about 4 to 5 minutes.
Laundry:
I put one load of laundry and turn on the washing machine, this will take only about 3 to 4 minutes. Doing a load of laundry every alternate day keeps the laundry mess at bay and you will always have clean clothes to wear.
Yoga (6 to 7 am):
By the time I change into my yoga clothes and settle down on my mat it is 6 am, depending on how I feel I design my own asana and pranayama practice for about 60 minutes. I end with a prayer and this immediately gets my mind and body ready for the day.
Getting Dressed (7 to 7:30 am):
I dress up every single day. Yes even on Sundays! Irrespective of what day it is, I wear clean clothes and a bit of light makeup and do my hair, this somehow gives me the confidence to face my day no matter how it goes. If I run into an old friend or someone visits our home unannounced I will never be seen in frumpy clothes or messy hair.
Daily Cleaning routine (7:30 to 7:40 am):
Let me introduce you to my everyday morning cleaning routines.
It is very simple, I start from the living room with a dusting rag (old towels cut into squares) in my hand. and quickly clean the whole house in the following order:
Step 1 : Declutter - First step is to scan around the room you are in and pickup anything that does not belong there and put it away in its right place(hopefully everything you own has a place for itself). Depending on how well you have trained your family to put things away this takes less than 2 minutes.
Step 2: Dust - Next step is to dust all possible surfaces. If possible even the switch boards and anything that you think might collect dust. This will take about 5 minutes. You have to move fast!
Step 3: Tidying up - One last step is to just set everything right before you leave the room. Drape the sofa covers neatly. Arrange the books, magazines and newspaper properly, things like that.
Repeat these steps in every room. When you do this everyday it will take less than 20 minutes to tidy up the whole house.
Weekly Cleaning routine ( 7:40 to 8 am):
I do my daily cleaning routine every single day and I usually finish it in 20 minutes or less.
A weekly cleaning routine is one cleaning task of the day which I have to do once a week.
This is my weekly cleaning routine.
Make my bed:
Usually I would finish all the cleaning by 8 am, air out the rooms that are slept in allowing fresh morning breeze into the home, wake my husband (which is one of the hardest tasks) and then make my bed. Making the bed everyday keeps your room clean, trust me. Bed is the largest part of the room and if it is messy the whole room looks messy.
Preparing Breakfast & Lunch (8:15 to 9 am):
I go into the kitchen by 8:15 am. Me and my MIL usually plan whats for breakfast/lunch the night before so whoever enters the kitchen first knows where to start from.
Pray:
After setting the table for breakfast I go into our little pooja corner and remove all of the old flowers and arrange fresh ones. Light the lamp and pray for a few seconds. This usually calms my nerves from all the cooking and packing boxes.
Breakfast (9:15 to 9:25 am):
I eat fruits first thing in the morning, usually we have bananas at hand. On days when we run out of fruits I make sure to at least eat dates. Starting the day by eating something fresh and healthy as fruits in an empty stomach makes your body absorb all the goodness of fruits. It is good for your skin and mind. After a bowl of fruits I eat whatever breakfast (idli, dosa, poha etc) is prepared for the day. We usually eat typical south Indian breakfast accompanied by a cup of masala tea.
One last check:
After breakfast I pack the lunch bag, check myself in the mirror one last time if I look okay before grabbing the bags and heading out for the day!
Thankyou for reading :-)
Let me know your morning routine in the comment section below!
Routines are the key to live happily!
What is a Routine?
(According to dictionary) - "A sequence of actions regularly followed"; "It is followed as a regular procedure rather than a special event"
My morning routine, involves doing a little bit everyday to maintain my home and this has saved me from going into cleaning marathons (remember when guests show up?!) so many times.
There was a time when I used to being jerked into wakefulness by a loud unpleasant alarm and would drag myself out of bed at 6:30 am, pretending to be awake until its as late as 7 am and then rush into the bathroom, wear whatever is available, stuff mouthful of breakfast followed by rushing to the bus stop almost missing my school bus.
I remember being in awe of my class teacher. She was this beautiful lady who was always put together. She dressed elegantly, her hair was neatly plaited, her pastel sari draped beautifully, her face had a tint of light make up, she wore matching accessories and always had a calm demeanor. I was intrigued by her. How did she manage to do this every single day?
I remember confiding in my mom who said "she must be having a good morning routine".
I have come a long way since then, trying to find the perfect morning routine that fits my current life circumstance. Having a routine has changed my life. I no longer scramble through my mornings.
Instead this is what I do:
Waking Up (5 to 5:30 am)
I wake up every day at 5:30 am. Yes! It is quite early but is totally worth it. I usually set an alarm(vibration only) to 5:00 am and the first thing I do is feel my palms and feet, rub my palms to make it warm and place it over my eyes, feel the texture of the blanket around me, feel the softness of the bed, trying to activate my sense of touch. I sit upright with my legs stretched out and try to hold my toes feeling the stretch on my back, then I do forward bends and twists just to get my body to wake up.
I brush my teeth and floss before going into the kitchen. As part of my nighttime routine, I would have cleaned my kitchen the previous night so I am not terrified looking at the counter tops. I keep a tall glass of water on the stove and pick up the garbage can to empty the trash.
I then sit down with my glass of hot water and go through my mails and messages, this is only till I empty my glass which takes about 4 to 5 minutes.
I put one load of laundry and turn on the washing machine, this will take only about 3 to 4 minutes. Doing a load of laundry every alternate day keeps the laundry mess at bay and you will always have clean clothes to wear.
By the time I change into my yoga clothes and settle down on my mat it is 6 am, depending on how I feel I design my own asana and pranayama practice for about 60 minutes. I end with a prayer and this immediately gets my mind and body ready for the day.
I dress up every single day. Yes even on Sundays! Irrespective of what day it is, I wear clean clothes and a bit of light makeup and do my hair, this somehow gives me the confidence to face my day no matter how it goes. If I run into an old friend or someone visits our home unannounced I will never be seen in frumpy clothes or messy hair.
Let me introduce you to my everyday morning cleaning routines.
It is very simple, I start from the living room with a dusting rag (old towels cut into squares) in my hand. and quickly clean the whole house in the following order:
Step 1 : Declutter - First step is to scan around the room you are in and pickup anything that does not belong there and put it away in its right place(hopefully everything you own has a place for itself). Depending on how well you have trained your family to put things away this takes less than 2 minutes.
Step 2: Dust - Next step is to dust all possible surfaces. If possible even the switch boards and anything that you think might collect dust. This will take about 5 minutes. You have to move fast!
Step 3: Tidying up - One last step is to just set everything right before you leave the room. Drape the sofa covers neatly. Arrange the books, magazines and newspaper properly, things like that.
Repeat these steps in every room. When you do this everyday it will take less than 20 minutes to tidy up the whole house.
I do my daily cleaning routine every single day and I usually finish it in 20 minutes or less.
A weekly cleaning routine is one cleaning task of the day which I have to do once a week.
This is my weekly cleaning routine.
Make my bed:
Usually I would finish all the cleaning by 8 am, air out the rooms that are slept in allowing fresh morning breeze into the home, wake my husband (which is one of the hardest tasks) and then make my bed. Making the bed everyday keeps your room clean, trust me. Bed is the largest part of the room and if it is messy the whole room looks messy.
Preparing Breakfast & Lunch (8:15 to 9 am):
I go into the kitchen by 8:15 am. Me and my MIL usually plan whats for breakfast/lunch the night before so whoever enters the kitchen first knows where to start from.
Pray:
After setting the table for breakfast I go into our little pooja corner and remove all of the old flowers and arrange fresh ones. Light the lamp and pray for a few seconds. This usually calms my nerves from all the cooking and packing boxes.
I eat fruits first thing in the morning, usually we have bananas at hand. On days when we run out of fruits I make sure to at least eat dates. Starting the day by eating something fresh and healthy as fruits in an empty stomach makes your body absorb all the goodness of fruits. It is good for your skin and mind. After a bowl of fruits I eat whatever breakfast (idli, dosa, poha etc) is prepared for the day. We usually eat typical south Indian breakfast accompanied by a cup of masala tea.
After breakfast I pack the lunch bag, check myself in the mirror one last time if I look okay before grabbing the bags and heading out for the day!
Thankyou for reading :-)
Let me know your morning routine in the comment section below!
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