Build a nice morning routine before 2026 with these 10 simple morning ideas!
We’re approaching the end of another year, and just like I do every year, I am gearing up to make changes in advance to my routine.
I believe that we shouldn’t wait for the magical January 1st moment to start living better.
Not only is it unrealistic to change your life overnight, but you also risk sabotaging your New Year’s resolutions if you don’t set yourself up for success in advance.
Big changes in your life happen when you make small changes every day, particularly in your mornings.
So, for this post, I’ve put together 10 incredibly simple morning habits that you can start implementing right now before the new year officially begins.
To be clear, I am not asking you to add more stress to your plate or wake up at 5am every day.
The point of all this is to make your mornings simple, pleasant, and beautiful, so that when you finally enter 2026, you can call yourself a morning person and actually mean it.
Ready to fall in love with your mornings? Let’s dive in!
10 Morning Habits To Start Before 2026
1. Practice Gratitude While You’re Still In Bed
Before your feet hit the floor and before you check your phone, just take two minutes to think of three things you’re grateful for.
I know it sounds almost too simple, but this tiny practice is like giving yourself a hug in the morning.
When you start your day by acknowledging the good already present in your life, you’re literally rewiring your brain to notice more positivity throughout the day.
Your three things can be:
- I’m grateful for this soft pillow
- I’m thankful my coffee maker is ready to go.
- I am so happy to be a part of this world.
I’ve only ever practiced gratitude at night, but the idea of doing it at the very beginning of the day is very refreshing and feels just right.
By practicing morning gratitude, you’ll be opening your day with abundance, love, and positivity.
2. Drink a Glass Of Water ASAP
Your body works hard all night long to repair, restore, and prepare you for another beautiful day.
The least you can do in the morning is say ‘thank you’ with a tall glass of water. It’s like giving your body the first gift of the day.
Keep a large water bottle or glass by your bed and make drinking it your very first act of self-care.
If plain water feels boring, jazz it up with a slice of lemon, a few cucumber slices, and a pinch of sea salt.
Some people swear by warm water with lemon to kickstart digestion, while others prefer room temperature water to ease into the day. Do what works for you.
Morning hydration will jumpstart your metabolism, flush out toxins that accumulated overnight, and keep your skin glowing.
By the time 2026 is here, this morning habit should be a non-negotiable part of your routine, and something you do on autopilot.
3. Move Your Beautiful Body For 10 Minutes
I’m talking about just 5-10 minutes of gentle movement that makes your body feel good. Not to burn calories or achieve a fitness goal, but to celebrate what your body can do.
Morning movement has the power to boost your mood and energy levels naturally.
It releases those feel-good endorphins that are better than any cup of coffee for creating genuine enthusiasm about the day ahead.
Here are some quick morning movements I personally love doing:
- Stretch in bed.
- Do some yoga poses on your bedroom floor.
- Step outside for a quick walk around the block while your coffee brews.
- Dance to your favorite song in your pajamas
- Do some light stretching while you wait for the shower to warm up.
Just get your blood flowing and remind your body that it’s time to embrace the day.
This will also prepare your body for any healthy New Year’s resolutions you want to set in 2026. You can then level up to longer morning workouts.
But for now, stick to 10 or 20 minutes, and try to enjoy it, my friend.
4. Stay Away From Your Phone For a While
Our phones are designed to capture and hold our attention. When you start your day in the digital world, you feel scattered even before you’ve had your breakfast.
What if instead, you gave yourself the gift of a peaceful phone-free start to your morning?
Keep your phone in another room overnight and don’t touch it until you’ve been up for at least one hour in the morning. You can also just keep it on airplane mode until you’ve completed your morning routine.
Use this time to connect with yourself, your thoughts, and your intentions for the day.
You’ll find yourself naturally noticing things you usually miss. Like the way the light filters through your curtains, the sounds of your neighborhood waking up, and how your body feels during the early hours of the day.
Even 15-30 minutes of being phone-free can change your mornings.
Having soul-fulfilled morning rituals that excite you more than your phone might help, like the next habit that we’re about to get into.
5. Read While Having Your Morning Coffee or Tea
A warm drink and a book during the quiet morning hours? Count me in!
Reading while drinking your coffee or tea naturally slows you down and creates a quiet time window for you.
This is such a cozy and nurturing ritual that feeds both your body and your soul. You have to give it a try!
Choose reading material that genuinely brings you joy and makes you feel good.
Maybe it’s a few pages from a novel that transports you to another world, an inspiring biography of a woman you admire, poetry that speaks to your heart, or a beautiful coffee table book about travel or art!
Choose something that feels like a treat, not a chore.
Set up your space to be as inviting as possible. Pour your drink into a special mug and sit in a cozy corner with soft lighting or a spot by the window.
You might find yourself looking forward to this quiet time so much that it becomes the sweetest part of your morning.
6. Set Three Good Intentions for Your Day
Creating to-do lists is fine and all, but nothing beats the power of setting intentions in the morning.
To me, this habit is like having a loving conversation with myself about how I want to feel and what I want to focus on during the day.
Your three intentions might be feeling-based, like:
- Today I want to feel calm.
- I want to approach challenges with curiosity.
- I want to be kind to myself.
Or they might be action-oriented, but still gentle;
- I want to have a meaningful conversation with someone I care about.
- I want to spend 20 minutes on that project I’ve been avoiding.
- I want to take a walk during my lunch break.
Or they might be a mix of both!
The beauty of intentions (versus rigid goals) is that they’re flexible and forgiving. They guide your day without controlling it, which is beautiful.
Write your intentions down in a journal, say them out loud while you’re getting ready, and hold them in your heart as you start your day.
When decision points arise throughout the day, you can gently ask yourself, “What choice would align with today’s intentions?”
This practice will help you live more deliberately and with greater awareness.
Instead of just reacting to whatever the day throws at you, you’ll choose how you want to show up in the world.
7. Do a Little Organization
I’m borrowing this one from my mom. She has a habit of organizing something every morning before her shower.
Some days, it’s the kitchen pantry, some days it’s the TV panel. Our house is always in tip-top condition because of this.
It’s quite a smart and energy-saving habit, if you think about it.
If you organize a part of your living space every morning, then you don’t need to have full cleaning days that tire you out and actually dread the whole month.
I have started doing the same with my room now. Yesterday, I organized a tiny drawer of my desk, and today I tackled the bigger drawer.
Tomorrow, I’ll do my bookshelf, and then do my cupboard in three parts.
I’m actually enjoying it now, because it feels like a form of release for both my mind and body. I now actually get why some people clean when they’re anxious.
If staying organized is something you struggle with, this is the morning habit to adopt for sure.
The best thing you can do is to have your whole space organized before the end of the year.
8. Step Outside For Just a Few Minutes
If there’s such a thing as a magical morning habit, it would be the habit of stepping outside and embracing the morning glory of nature.
Walk a few steps outside, or just step on your balcony, walk to your mailbox, or open your window and take a deep breath in.
You get to notice what the weather is like, and what it feels like on your skin. Whether it’s crisp, warm, or something in between.
You get to look up at the sky and see whether there are clouds or whether the sun is shining full force.
You get to listen to the sounds around you – birds singing, traffic beginning, your neighbors starting their days, or maybe the beautiful silence of early morning.
All of this will ground you and remind you that you’re a part of something bigger than your immediate concerns and to-do lists.
You’ll feel more connected to the season, the weather, and the natural world that’s always available to you for peace, beauty, and reflection.
9. Practice 2 Minutes of Deep Breathing
In our busy lives, we often forget that breathing is one of the most powerful tools we have for managing stress, centering ourselves, and connecting with our inner wisdom.
But just two minutes of deep breathing every morning can seriously change the way you approach and experience your day (and even your life).
Sit on the edge of your bed, in a comfy chair, or stand by your bedroom window.
Close your eyes and begin to breathe slowly and deeply, focusing on making your exhales longer than your inhales.
You can inhale for 4 counts, hold for 7, exhale for 8. Or simply breathe naturally while paying attention to the sensation of air entering and leaving your body.
You are not doing this to achieve some perfect meditative state. You’re just creating a few minutes of calm in your day and reconnecting with your breath.
Some mornings your mind might be busy and distracted, and that’s perfectly okay. Just keep doing this every morning and return your attention to your breath, again and again.
Eventually, you’ll be way better equipped to handle whatever the day brings your way, with grace and presence.
10. Have a Nourishing Mindful Breakfast
If you’re someone who skips breakfast, or rushes through it, or sees it as a task rather than a joy, then this last morning habit is for you.
Your breakfast is the first and most important meal of the day. It needs to be fulfilling, healthy, and good enough to sustain your energies till noon.
Prepare something that makes you feel good, both while eating it and afterwards.
It can be a beautiful smoothie bowl topped with berries and granola, or scrambled eggs with herbs from your windowsill garden (yum).
You don’t need to prep your breakfast for your Insta, but you do need to make it with love and attention.
It doesn’t have to be Instagram-worthy; it just needs to be made with love and attention, and it needs to be consumed the same way.
This means sitting down (yes, actually sitting!) and eating without distractions. No scrolling through social media, no rushing around getting ready, and definitely no eating standing in the kitchen.
Even if you only have 10 minutes, make them count. Taste your food, notice the textures and flavors, and appreciate the nourishment you’re providing your body.
When you start your day by nourishing yourself mindfully, you’re setting the tone for making thoughtful choices throughout the day.
You’re also practicing the art of slowing down and being present, which is honestly one of the most valuable habits you can develop before the new year.
Your Beautiful New Beginning Starts Now
You don’t need to implement all ten of these morning habits starting tomorrow morning. Boy, would that be a recipe for overwhelm or what? We’re so not about that life!
Just choose one or two morning habits that call out to you the most right now.
Try them for a week or two, let them become natural parts of your routine, and then gradually add others if you feel called to do so.
The new year might be a few days away, but your new life can begin with tomorrow’s sunrise.
So, make your mornings count, and close out 2025 feeling more fab and put-together than you ever have before!
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