opening shift
On resetting your morning routine & making it your own.
“You can’t control how the world spins, but each morning, you can decide how you’ll dance with it”
unknown
I’ve lost control of my mornings.
When I first started blogging, I learned a lot about the power of the mind. I spent hours reading articles on how to be productive, how to adopt positive mindsets, and I’d try to gear my writing towards that. Eventually I stumbled upon an article about how waking up early allows you to have some time to just be you. If you just woke up thirty minutes earlier, you can achieve so much more in the day before you’ve even made it to the office. It was perfect.
At the time I had just finished my first year of college, I was working a 9-5 and I felt like my days weren’t my own. I would wake up, rush to get ready, rush to work, and then immediately after work I’d rush home and get ready for the next day. I drastically changed this by waking up at 4 am every day. It was entirely too early… but it was all mine. I had time to read and sip on my coffee slowly. I could just exist. And the best part? The world was quiet. It was just me and the swoosh of the pages as I turned them.
It’s been several years now since that summer and my mornings are still the most important part of the day for me. It’s the opening shift. The prep work before you turn the sign towards open for business. It’s the part of the day that’s not for anyone but you.
Two weeks ago I had spring break and the opening shift became complete chaos. I slept extremely late every night and slept in every morning. It completely shifted something in my brain chemistry (I’m not a scientist please don’t quote me) and now I’m struggling to wake up with my alarm. But slowly throughout this week I’ve tried to bring back that blissful stillness into my days. No strict routines, just little pieces I pull together for a cozy morning.
If you’ve also lost control of your mornings or are trying to find new ways to spice things up, I hope something in this list resonates with you.
Non-negotiables
Having strict routines isn’t always feasible. It can become miserable, uninspiring, or it can create guilt when life gets in the way and you just can’t stick to it. I’m a huge routine person but I’ve found that it’s better to have 2-4 non-negotiables for the start of the day. Just a couple things that don’t feel like a burden or unbearably mundane. These are things that you can do even when you’re running late.
My non-negotiables are morning pages and my to-do list. I’m not strict with my journaling. I write as much or as little as I have stored in my head. Once I’ve brain dumped everything I switch to my planner and figure out what I want to do for the day. These are things I look forward to every single morning. It’s my way of releasing any tension from the night before (morning pages) and welcoming a fresh new day (to-do list).
Maybe non-negotiables for you can be:
No social media until you’ve had breakfast
Bible study
Affirmations
Gratitude journaling
Breath work
Yoga
Cold shower (I used to do this once a week – it was dreadful, but it might be life changing for you!)
15 minutes of sun time
Posture stretches + exercises (definitely something I need to work on)
A little bit of whimsy
My intention/word for 2026 is to be more whimsical – to add a little bit of sparkle to my pretty busy life as a law student trying to figure out life.
During my morning Substack scrolls I found The Love Library. Ali shared a couple things that have changed her life and one of them was making more pancakes!!! As a society we need to be making more pancakes and not just in the morning but all hours of the day.
Here are some ways you can add a little more whimsy to your mornings:
Compliment yourself as if you were a stranger
It’s so odd & uncomfortable but it’s also so tea!! Like wow girl, the color blue was made for you!!
Add sprinkles to everything!!
The other day I saw a girl say she realized she’s an adult and can add sprinkles to whatever she wants and now I haven’t stopped doing it.
Listen to jazz while getting ready
Doodle something new on a random surface (if you search doodles on Pinterest you’ll have endless ideas!)
Sew cute designs on your clothes (hearts, stars, flowers, meaningful numbers)
Spray your favorite perfume
I learned to love this little step every day even when I’m not going anywhere. My grandmother really instilled this in me because she loves perfumes more than anything so she always sprays some on even though she’s just going to the kitchen to cook.
Work on one of your fun goals for the year
Watch this Ted Talk if you ever feel like being whimsy is silly.
“There is nothing too small to be happy about”
David Larbi
Optimize the morning as much as possible
This can mean anything from picking your clothes the night before to setting up your coffee machine so you don’t have to do it in the morning. The less “getting ready” you have to do, the more time you have to dedicate to your hobbies or to self care.
Mine is breakfast. I’m not a big breakfast person but most days I try to eat something before heading to class. When grocery shopping, I make sure I have things I can whip up within 5 minutes or less. I’m a huge fan of these protein oatmeal packets and these pancakes in a cup.
Affirmation: I can do & accomplish anything I set my mind to!
Things to look forward to
It’s like a reward.
What’s more whimsical than giving yourself a reward for absolutely nothing?
Aside from writing in my journal and making my to-do list, I always look forward to getting to interact on Substack. I take a couple minutes in the morning to read some posts from other creators and continue to fuel my inspiration for the future of this newsletter. It’s also such a great way to learn about so many different things.
Some more exciting ideas:
Work on a puzzle
You can either do a physical one or digital. I love the Jigsaw app and try to complete the daily puzzle during my morning phone calls with my mom.
Complete a word search/crossword/murdle/coloring page
Catch up on KPop
I’m in my fangirl era and I love catching up on all the interviews, behind-the-scenes recordings, skits, and dance practices. It’s such a silly little joyfilled way to start the day.
Junk journal
Make a morning mocktail
Study a new language
I’m currently in the process of learning Korean. I’ve been wanting to do this for 11 years!
Workout
Read for 15-30 minutes
Go on a sunrise walk
And if you don’t want to go outside, you can get your steps in with some fun indoor walking workouts.
This may seem like a lot to pack into one single morning, trust me I get it. But the point isn’t to do all of this at once. The point is to make your mornings about you. Fill your cup before you go and fill up others. Whether it’s work, school, or another commitment, you deserve to show up in these spaces as your best self. I hope this week you can find a little sprinkle of joy during your opening shift.
With love & a cup of coffee,
ICYMI:
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Have a happy & safe week!
These are great ideas! Love the suggestion for morning mocktails. I just got a seasonal sparkling drinks book and this gets me excited for peaceful morning routines!!
I wrote a piece on mornings a while ago, it’s very aligned with these concepts but in a less structured sense. The notion that we move away from “should” and towards a flexibility in ourselves.