A morning routine really does have the potential to completely change the orientation of your day. A Christ-centred morning routine is how saints are made. It switches each day from being about you to about how you can love better.
My morning routine is one of my favourite parts of the day. Before school I can spend time doing things that keep me focused on what is important before the business and bustle of the school day.
If you’re searching for and desiring ways to make your morning routine meaningful, these tips will help you to change your focus and lean on what is important.
Make your routine based around prayer time
If you really want to create a Christ-centred morning routine you have to schedule time for prayer. St Teresa of Avila said “When a soul leaves off prayer, it is as if she cast herself into hell without any need of devils.”
Prayer is the pinnacle of developing your spiritual life. How can you develop any relationship with God, without ever speaking to him or letting him speak to you?
Maybe you're thinking, “But I don’t have time for prayer.” And I don’t doubt that that is true. Your schedule is probably that busy. But you still have to do something about that. Cancel everything you have and re-plan your day focusing on your prayer time if that is what it takes. Maybe you think that is a bit extreme, but how long will you wait before you seriously pursue the Lord?
Wake up early (for you)
Another way to improve your morning and have more time to pray is by waking up earlier. This doesn’t mean you have to wake up before sunrise every day (particularly if you're not naturally a morning person) but consider waking up 10-15 minutes earlier every day.
By rising just that much earlier, you’re increasing the likelihood that it will become a long-term, established habit in your routine and you'll gain many benefits from it.
This extra time is a great way to fit morning prayer into your routine or simply make your morning less rushed. Just ensure these valuable minutes don't get wasted.
Dedicate your to-do list to the Lord
A to-do list is a very common idea in society today. It is also a very practical idea. It makes sense to have an organized list of everything you want to achieve in the day. The important thing, however, is to make sure this list doesn't stop you from allowing the Lord to work in your life.
It is too easy to plan up every second of our day with the things we need to get done, so a simple way to combat this is by offering your daily tasks to the Lord. As a part of your morning prayer time, include a morning offering and tell the Lord all the things you want to do that day. Then, accept whatever happens in the day as a part of his plan for you!
Read a Catholic book
In our world, society is constantly saying the opposite to what we believe, so we must fill ourselves up with things that we believe and know to be true. We must be overflowing with the Word of the Lord.
Reading Catholic/Christian books is one great way to do this, as well as by reading the Bible, of course. I love to read a chapter or even one page of a Catholic book every morning as a part of my prayer routine. It helps me to feel inspired and less lonely, as well as grow in my faith.
Some of my favourite books have been The Story of a Soul (a catholic classic), Searching for and Maintaining Peace and St Elizabeth’s Three Crowns (a novel about the life of St Elizabeth of Hungary, my confirmation saint).
Grow yourself
Another of my favourites is to grow yourself by listening to a podcast or watching/listening to some Catholic Youtubers. If you’re not a big reader or you’d simply prefer to listen to something on the bus to school or while making your lunch (as I often do), podcasts are the way to go.
Some of my favourite podcasts are the Girlfriends Podcast (yes, this may be aimed at mothers but I find many of the topics still relevant), The Bible in a Year Podcast, Lust is Boring, Politely Rude, Pints with Aquinas, The Morning Offering Podcast and Crash Course Catholicism.
Some of my favourite Catholic Youtubers that I would recommend are Emily Wilson and Ascension Presents.
Eat a proper breakfast
Very few teenagers actually eat breakfast these days, but it really is important. Other than it actually being a healthy way to start the day, I also find it to be a great way to calm down and get a moment to sit before the business and intensity of the day.
If you don’t feel like eating before you leave the house, consider packing a to-go brekky to eat on the way to school or when you arrive.
Also, make sure it is something healthy and even seasonally appropriate. My breakfasts usually rotate between toast and cereal (all year round), smoothies (in the summer) and porridge (in the winter). You don’t have to be making something Pinterest worthy, just ensure you’re actually eating something.
Spend time with your family
Family relationships are something you must cultivate just like you would a friendship. They take time and effort. We didn’t get to choose our family, instead we are given them by God. To love them we must make time to spend with them.
Sometimes I find I can wake up and go to bed without even saying more than a few words to my parents because I go to school, then work, then bed. It is an easy cycle to fall into but not a good one.
In an effort to stop this, I try to have breakfast with my family (or whoever is home) for around 15 minutes every morning. This definitely doesn’t always happen, just to clarify, but I try my best and I have found it to be really helpful.
ACTUALLY clean up your room
Cleaning is often neglected by many teenagers but taking care of your space is what God wants for us to do. He has called us to take care of what we have been given.
I myself can't stand it when my room is messy.
I pack things away without even thinking about it - when I wake up, when I get out of the shower, when I get home from school etc. Honestly, cleaning is my therapy.
But even for those who don’t love cleaning and who see it as a chore, I encourage you to make an effort to pick things up once a day. Whilst there is nothing wrong with a little mess to show a room has been lived in (and it is bound to happen), don’t disregard the influence of a clean, organised space.
Attend daily mass
Next, attend daily mass. Try to schedule in to go to a daily mass once a week. Even if you really don’t feel like it, you will receive immense graces from it. And, what better way to start your day than with the real presence of Jesus Christ? Enough said, really.
Do something for someone else
Get your mind off your own needs and desires and become more Christ-like by making a goal to do something for someone else every morning.
It is easy to become so entranced with our own lives that we can forget about everyone else around us. But really, we are called to serve. We should be thinking about everyone else, before ourselves, not the other way around.
Consider the way the Blessed Mother served. Completely and totally, right? She could probably go a whole day without noticing her own needs.
Even if we’re not at this level (and I am certainly not) we can start each day with an act for someone else and make it a better day for them.
Dance!
Finally, dance. Or listen to your favourite music or do something that makes you happy.
Mother Angelica said “Try to laugh a lot, because life is funny, and everybody today is too serious. The only tragedy in the world, my friend, is sin.” and I couldn’t agree more.
So do something that makes you smile and pray that one day, even if it is not today, that thing will be prayer and service of others and we may see the shimmer of joy in someone else's eyes, and smile.
Well, there you have it! 11 ways to create a Christ-centred morning routine. These small things have certainly helped me to have a more productive, peaceful routine in the morning and start the day off well and hopefully they will help you too.
Implement these tips into your routine tomorrow morning. Get started. Nothing changes if nothing changes. The Lord is calling you to come running into his arms.
He is waiting for you.