1. I get ready for bed before my kids go to bed.

While the kids are playing after baths, I’ll take a quick shower, do my skincare and put on my pajamas. It takes about 10 minutes, but it means that once they’re tucked in, I’m already ready to wind down too.

2. I reset the kitchen.

The kitchen is the first place I see in the morning, so waking up to a clean space helps me start the day with a clear mind instead of immediately feeling behind. My full evening kitchen reset takes me about 20 minutes.

3. I set out everything I need.

Workout clothes, shoes and anything else I’ll need are ready to go. The fewer decisions I have to make at 5 a.m., the less opportunity I have to talk myself out of getting up.

This takes about 2 minutes.

4. I make the morning something to look forward to.

This one might be my favorite. I get my coffee ready the night before and have my favorite candle and cozy blanket waiting for me.

I genuinely love my quiet mornings, and making that time feel a little special gives me another reason to get out of bed.

5. I put my alarm out of reach.

My phone is somewhere that requires me to physically get out of bed to turn off my alarm. It sounds incredibly simple, but once my feet are on the floor, the hardest part is usually over.

6. I protect my bedtime.

There will always be one more thing I could get done. At some point, I have to call the day done.

If I want to wake up at 5, I know I need to be in bed around 9 and protecting that bedtime is just as important as setting my morning alarm.

And some mornings, I sleep.

There are still mornings when I really want to stay in bed. When that happens, I think about how I know I’ll feel if I get up: more patient, less rushed and better prepared for the day.

But if I had a terrible night of sleep or genuinely need the rest? I take it.

This is a routine, not a rule.

If waking up earlier is something you want to do, start small. You don’t have to completely overhaul your evenings. A few minutes of preparation the night before can remove so much friction when that alarm goes off.

My 5am Routine

5:00–5:30 | Coffee & Quiet Time

I make my coffee, do my devotional and give myself a little time to wake up. I love starting the day slowly before anyone needs anything from me.

5:30–6:20 | Workout

This is my workout time. Getting it done before the rest of the house is awake means there are very few things competing for this time.

6:20–6:30 | Breakfast Out

Before the kids wake up, I get breakfast out and do anything I need to do before the morning rush starts.

6:30–7:30 | Kids Up + School Routine

The kids wake up around 6:30. From here, it’s breakfast, finishing lunches, helping everyone get dressed and ready for school, filling water bottles and getting everything together to head out the door.

7:30 | School Drop Off

We leave for school around 7:30.

And one thing that makes our mornings much more manageable: I don’t try to completely get myself ready before school drop-off. I can shower and get ready once I get home, so my early morning time can be used for the things that matter most to me.

Want a copy of this routine? Click HERE.