New Year, New Morning Routine

A short reflection about my New Year, New Morning Routine so far in 2025

Jan 18, 2025

🎇 new year stuff 🎇

Over Christmas break, I read The 5AM Club and started implementing a new morning routine! Am I part of the 5AM Club (Up at 5AM and spending my first hour completely focused on exercising, learning, and self-reflection)?? Not quite…

While I’m usually rolling out of bed around 5:20 and not going quite as hard as the 5AC would expect of me, I am doing what I can — and continuing to adapt.

And as of January 18th, 2025: I’ve stuck with an early morning routine of “Nikki Time” that has been really beneficial. 🌅

Just starting.

I knew I wanted “More Quality Nikki Time” to be a keystone habit in 2025; so I actually didn't even wait until January 1st to start my new routine. I started around December 27th by getting up 10 minutes earlier than “normal” (which was setting my alarm to go off at 5:35AM instead of 5:45AM). It was great, until Hudson also got up 10 minutes earlier with me 😅

…that was one of the roughest things about implementing a new routine: it wasn’t JUST mine. Hudson’s an early riser, too, and I knew I would have to adapt.

The early days were rough…when I made too much noise by starting to exercise or making coffee, he would inevitably wake up too. After all, to him: “Mom is always in the kitchen when I get up. Why is she walking in her office now?!” and “Why is mom in workout clothes instead of pajamas?!” — the meltdowns were real 😅

The first adjustment: Don’t wake The Hudson (Ideally, he would sleep until 6AM, when his “alarm” goes off) and set the expectation beforehand.

Setting myself up for success

For me, the 5AM routine actually starts the night before.

For a few days after I started my routine, I would have to set expectations with Hudson. At bedtime, I would tell him “I’ll be in my workout clothes when you wake up because I want to exercise in the morning.” — He is a kid who thrives in routine and me not being in my pajamas bothered him a lot more than anticipated. But when he knows what to expect, it mitigates a Morning Meltdown. At this point, I don’t always have to tell him, but I like to remind him just in case…

I also set out everything I need for the morning in order to 1) minimize the amount of decisions I have to make right out of bed and 2) minimize the amount of noise I make in the morning. After all, the longer Hudson sleeps, the more “Me Time” I have in the morning.

I put my workout clothes in the closet (I am just not the type of person who can sleep in my workout clothes 😓 — I know those people exist and it is one less thing to do in the morning, but it’s not for me)

All my Bible study books and my laptop (that I use to take notes) are on the counter

I fill a water bottle and put it on the counter (yay for me trying really hard to stay hydrated in 2025)

I also put my headphones and shoes next to the counter so that I’m also not walking back into my bedroom or opening closet doors (both for Hudson’s and Holden’s sake).

Setting new habits

Waking up earlier wasn’t the hardest part; getting out of bed and not opening up social media first thing was the hardest part. I am a “rule follower” and I tried really hard to set a “rule” for myself that I could get on social media AFTER I did my Bible study and Wordle/Connections/Strands games (can’t stop, won’t stop 😉)

…and honestly, most mornings, I don’t even have time to get on social media (which is probably for the best, to be honest).

Nowadays, I’m up between 5:20-5:30, I get dressed, read the devotional from the Bible app, do the NYT puzzles, and do my Bible study (which takes a bit longer). By the time I get finished, it’s usually 6AM and Hudson’s up. I usually get him a small breakfast snack (cereal, a bar, fruit, or toast) and he will either watch a show on TV or do Homer lessons on his tablet); he sometimes joins me in my office while I walk on my treadmill and listen to a podcast or join me in the garage gym if I want to do some intervals on my spin bike.

So why am I even doing this? What am I getting out of it?

…that’s a great question.

When I was reading The 5AM Club, it became clear to me that I wasn’t starting my day with focus and purpose. I was just letting my technology-addicted brain take over and operating on auto pilot. I have some personal and professional goals that I want to achieve in 2025 and if I am operating on auto-pilot, I won’t get there.

So what have I gotten out of this new routine so far?

Focus. Clarity. Self-discipline.

I’m waking up with time to center my mind in Scripture. I’m moving my body, which is giving me energy. And I’ve noticed I’m able to focus better at work.

2024 Me

Wake up around 5:45AM

Scroll on my phone

Drink coffee first thing in the morning while doing Wordle/Connections/Strands

2025 Me (so far)

Wake up around 5:20AM

Bible app devotional

Wordle/Connections/Strands

Bible study

Exercise

Coffee

I had to let go of the idea of a “perfect” routine and embrace the “good enough”.

I started really striving to have the optimal “5AM Club” routine, but that got blown up pretty quickly. Maybe one day, I will be able to have a full 60 minutes of uninterrupted time. But that’s not my current season of life — and that’s okay.

I’m truly reaping the benefits of the current routine (and drinking more water!)

Whatever your new year’s goal is — know that starting and trying and embracing every learning opportunity along the way will be beneficial; you’ll learn about yourself along the way, regardless of if you hit your goal perfectly or not. In the words of the great philosopher Miley Cyrus: “It ain’t about how fast you get there. It ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side. It’s the climb.” and also “The journey is usually the part that you remember anyways”

Life Lately: January 2025 Life Lately: December 2024