3 Looks at a Morning Routine

"How you start the day determines the day."

"If you win the morning, you win the day."

"The early bird gets the worm."

"Seize the day!"

Quotes about the power of mornings abound, and they're not wrong—our mornings can be a golden opportunity to set a tone, knock out keystone habits, and generally make time for what matters most before the busyness of the day crowds in.

To have an intentional morning, however, you don't have to wake up at 4am. You don't have to workout for an hour or cold plunge for three minutes or meditate for thirty minutes. Your morning doesn't have to look impressive, or intimidating, and it doesn't have to resemble something an influencer would share on a viral reel. 

Instead, you can take the ordinary circumstances of your ordinary life and create something cultivated: a routine that meets the needs of your season and helps you feel satisfied and alive as you live it out.

To be honest, I'm a funny person to be writing this post, because I wouldn't consider myself an expert on mornings: in fact, most people who know I love goals are shocked to learn how late I wake up most mornings. (You, too, can be shocked—read on!) But that's just it: by sharing glimpses at our very-ordinary-but-cultivated mornings, we hope to inspire you to embrace small tweaks to your own days. Let's dig in!

Lauren, Cultivate's Director of Marketing

We're in a season of life where every member of our family is out the door by 6:20 a.m., so I rise early (earlier than I prefer!): between 4:30am and 5am. In those first moments, I slowly get coffee and head to the couch for quiet time, prayer, reading, or sometimes more rest (!) while my oldest finishes getting ready and heads off to before-school practice.
 
Once he leaves, I get dressed and ready for the day—almost always wearing mascara, some basic jewelry, and a watch with whatever outfit I choose. Then, I make my bed. Yep, I am one of those people! Every single morning, the blankets and throw pillows go back in place and I do a quick reset of the nightstands, chargers, water bottles, books, and more that pile up. It's so nice to have everything tidy and refreshed for the next evening!
 
By this point, my other two children are up and we're on a countdown to leave for school drop-offs, so it's off to the races—filling water bottles for the day, packing my own lunch, grabbing breakfast, helping brush hair or finding a pair of socks, letting the dog out, letting the cat in, and making sure everyone has all.the.things for school. 
 
The last one out turns off the porch light and locks the door. Drop-offs are at two different schools, and once everyone is where they need to be, I head to work to get my own day started. It's early, and I enjoy being able to get everyone where they need to be in the mornings... but I am also anticipating the slower, later summer mornings we'll have in a few weeks!

Alli, Cultivate's Brand Specialist

I feel like my morning routine changes every 4-6 months, but here is a peek at what it currently looks like!

I'm usually up around 6am every morning. What happens between 6-6:30am depends on the day: sometimes I take a shower, sometimes I crank out a little early work, sometimes I do some house tidying that didn't get finished the night before. This inconsistency used to frustrate me, but I've learned to see the utility in this block's flexibility—and to make it purposeful!

By 6:30am I'm getting myself dressed and ready, making a matcha (this task is actually often handled by my husband!), and preparing for my first little to arise. From 6:30-7am, I get my littlest up, changed, and feed her a bottle. Then, she gets some solo play time while I unload the dishwasher or fold some laundry, almost always with a podcast in one ear. Listening to something that is encouraging (or even just entertaining!) while doing these more mundane tasks—especially at an early hour—has made me look forward to that time. 

At 7am, my second little wakes up, though he typically requests an audiobook in his room for a bit before actually coming down for the day. During that window of time, I prep breakfast for the three of us, and then we hit the ground running for the day!

Emily, Cultivate's Director of Content

Hello to my fellow late-risers! :) I crack open my eyes around 7:45am, after my husband has hopped out of bed and opened the curtains in our bedroom. I don’t set an alarm anymore, except for unusual days—he is always up before me, and the light pouring in is my signal to throw back the covers.

I slide out of bed onto my knees and offer a brief prayer for the day, a practice I picked up from Habits of the Household a few years ago. I tap my phone to see from the lock screen if any urgent texts came in overnight. I make our bed and head to the bathroom to get ready while my husband collects the kids. He cooks his breakfast, helps the kids make their breakfasts, and unloads the dishwasher. He'll often put on our worship playlist, too.

Meanwhile, I'm in the bathroom brushing my teeth, putting on sunscreen and makeup, and getting dressed while kids come in and out to say hello, ask questions, or get dressed themselves. (We keep our youngest's clothing in our first-floor bedroom for ease.)

Around 8:10am I I head out to the kitchen and start to make lunches, if I haven't already done so the night before. I do the girls' hair, oversee backpack packing, and listen to the plots of dreams or what they're excited about later that day.

Ideally this phase of the morning would wrap up about 8:30, leaving us ten minutes to read together before heading out the door. Last year we read Little Pilgrim's Progress in the mornings; I just grabbed this kid-friendly Shakespeare book from the library to try next. 

At 8:45am we head out for drop-off duties: one of us drives the youngest to preschool, while the other bikes the older two to elementary school. (We alternate each day.) On our way out, we recite the family blessing we have stuck up on a post-it note beside our front door, another habit we picked up from Justin Whitmel Early.

By 9am I’m back to a quiet house and ready to start my workday. I grab a multivitamin, an Rx bar, and a Chobani protein yogurt drink on my way to the sofa (my office!), grateful to do what I love.

How about you, friends? What's a favorite or impactful part of your morning? Let us know in the comments!

Psst—looking to cultivate your mornings?

We can help!

How to Actually Wake Up Earlier
10 Intentional Ways to Use Your Mornings
The Family Morning Routine Workbook (not just for those with kids!)