10 women on the morning routines that set their days up for success.

Hot take: morning routines are completely underrated.

Sure, they can be pretty hard to nail down, but sticking to regular sleep and wake up times (if your lifestyle allows!), creating strong daily habits and practising them can make a world of difference to your health and wellbeing.

So, we thought we'd ask women who've fine-tuned their days: What do you do to set your day up for success?

Watch: The things successful women do on the daily. Post continues below.

From brain exercises to making their bed first thing, here's what they had to say:

Kaitlyn

"As a mum of 3 small kids, mornings are chaos and never predictable given they wake anywhere from two to eight times overnight. Buuuut! I’ve implemented a little ritual for myself that ensures I at least get 60 seconds to take a breath and pause for myself before rushing out the door.

"Once the kids are sorted, I brush my teeth and close my bedroom door. In my bedroom I put on lip balm, roll on an essential oil blend, I pop on some hand cream and then draw an oracle/affirmation card for the day. 

"It’s nothing huge or indulgent, but even the simple act of popping the cream/balm on feels like a treat among my mornings, and taking a deep breath to draw a card stops my mind for those few seconds and lets me ‘reset’. 

"It really has made a difference to my mood and how I can then handle the overwhelm that comes with getting three kids in the car or start their day. Everything stays out as a visual prompt to take the one minute each morning."

Image: Supplied. 

"Last year my morning ritual involved having my sons picking my earrings for me. They’re beautiful bold earrings so they get excited getting to choose which always brought our morning back to joy before the chaos of drop off, and they loved other people noticing their selections. Plus I felt fancy wearing fun earrings every day!" 

Meg

"I’m on maternity leave with a six-month-old and a three-year-old and from the moment we all wake, it’s our mission to get ready and get to the gym. It’s my one certainty, and it sets me up for a positive day. 

"A little bit of me time in a day filled with nappies, chaos and snack-making goes a LONG way!"

Listen to Mamamia's work and productivity podcast, 8 minutes to change your (work) life. Post continues below.

Kee

"I get my brain active by doing the Wordle of the day, followed by the NY Times Mini Crossword and Spelling Bee. I think of it as my snoozing if that makes sense. And then 30 mins of exercise".

Zoe

"I get up at 4am, curse shift work, curse people who have time to do yoga and journal before work and hastily get ready in the dark while attempting not to make any noise as not to wake my family.

"Then, I sip coffee and listen to podcasts during my trafficless commute."

"What getting dressed at 4am can look when you’re on autopilot and forget to remove pjs before putting on bra." Image: Supplied.   

Claire

"Efficiency is the key to success when you start work before the sun rises. I love my job but I hate this narrative that you need to start the day with particular steps to achieve peace and success. Sometimes it’s just about getting it done."

"I have a set of morning milestones that have time deadlines so I can achieve the most out of the day.

"They can be achieved before the deadline but not after. For example, I set my alarm 15 minutes earlier than I have to get up so I can read the morning news while lying in bed. 

"I obviously have very strict work deadlines in order to get The Quicky published by 6am but I have deadlines for getting in the shower, making breakfast. 

"I also set out my clothes the night before so I don't have to think about what to wear and I have three rotating breakfast options, one each week so it doesn't require any though either. 

"Also... and I have been slammed for this in the past, I make my side of the bed when I get up even though my husband is still sleeping in it!"

Side note: Listen to Claire Murphy on the Quicky. Post continues below.

Rebecca

"I always make sure to have a tidy desk and a to-do list/agenda prepped at the end of the previous day. 

"Then, when I wake in the morning, I'll make my bed, walk my dog, shower, read the news, and have a steaming cup of lemon and ginger tea."

Cristina

"Ideal day would be a morning workout, shower, have a coffee with music or silence and relax before getting into it. But biggest thing for me is repetition - it’s like prepping my brain to enter ‘work’ mode."

Olivia

"I make my bed first thing, followed by glass of water. I'm also a big fan of ‘only touch something once’ which means I basically means I have to finish one task before I move onto the next - big help for someone like me who gets easily distracted."

Charlie

"First thing, I make the bed, put coffee on, wash my face and brush my teeth."

Emma

"I start every morning by listening to a five to 15 minute podcast (depending on how tired I am and how much extra time I need in bed before I get up!) Then I'll brush my teeth and pop on my clothes for the gym. That's all! I don't like to wake up too early, so I use most of my morning time for a sleep in."

Feature Image: Getty.

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