Routines That Stick ✅ How to Start (and Actually Keep) Them

Aug 6

In this post, we’re having a real conversation about why your day needs a runway. From the moment you open your eyes to the way you drift off to sleep, your routines shape how you feel, how you lead, and how you show up for what matters.

If you’ve been feeling scattered, reactive, or just tired of living on autopilot… this one’s for you.

In this post, we’ll walk through:

✻ Why so many of us resist routine — and what it’s costing us
✻ A behind-the-scenes look at my own morning and evening rhythms
✻ The science of why consistent habits matter for your brain and body
✻ How to build a runway that feels sustainable, not performative

LETS DIVE IN 🖤

Alright. So if you know me, you know I love my morning and evening routines. And if you don’t— now you know. 😅 I’m a total creature of habit. But for some reason, this year I really started to get curious as to WHY they are so beneficial for me. Like I do them. And it’s a habit of mine that I know serves me. But like, why? And should I be teaching everyone around me these tools? The conclusion that I came to is YES. Yes I need to. And it’s bc as I started to get curious, I landed on this idea that your morning and evenings are like runways into and out of your days.

Think about it: Planes don’t just launch straight into the air the second the engines turn on. They build momentum. They check their systems. They get clearance.

And when they’re coming back down, they don’t just slam onto the ground, either. They have a whole process to slow down, recalibrate, and safely land.

Most of us treat our days like we’re supposed to just snap into gear at 6 AM and collapse into bed at 10 PM—without any kind of intentional transition.

I used to do this all the time.
No runway in the morning.
No runway at night.
Just pure reaction mode all day long.

And if you’ve been living like that, I promise, there’s a better way.

Today I’m going to walk you through why these runways matter, what mine look like, and how you can create rhythms that help you feel your best—without feeling like you need to copy anyone else’s routines.

WHY YOU NEED A RUNWAY

Let’s start here: Why does this even matter?

Why can’t you just pop out of bed, grab your phone, chug some coffee, and hit the ground running?
Why can’t you just work until you collapse on the couch at night?

I’ll tell you why—because that’s exactly how I lived for years.

Mornings started with my phone in my face before my feet even touched the ground. My brain would be flooded with messages, other people’s opinions, the weight of everything I hadn’t done yet.

And by the end of the day, I was exhausted—but somehow still wired. I’d try to go to sleep with my mind racing, replaying conversations, worrying about tomorrow, feeling like I’d never catch up.

No wonder I felt anxious all the time.
No wonder I felt like I was failing.

It wasn’t because I wasn’t working hard enough.
It was because I never gave myself time to transition.

And here’s the thing—this isn’t about being “bad at life.” There’s actually research behind this.

According to The Sleep Judge, people who have a structured morning routine are 2.5 times more likely to feel productive and prepared for their day.
The National Institute of Mental Health reports that evening routines help people avoid numbing out or reaching for unhealthy coping mechanisms.
And get this—only about 1 in 3 Americans have any kind of consistent morning rhythm. Even fewer have a predictable evening routine.

So if you feel scattered, anxious, or like you’re living on autopilot—you are not alone.

But you also don’t have to stay there.

It’s not about being perfect.
It’s about giving yourself moments that are yours—moments that anchor you before the world starts pulling at you. It’s about creating and owning runways that serve you.

Here’s what happens when you don’t have a runway:

Your body stays stuck in fight or flight from the moment you wake up to the moment you go to bed.
You feel behind before the day even starts.
You react to everything and everyone—because you haven’t anchored yourself to anything.
You end the day feeling scattered, disconnected, and like your life is running you instead of you running your life.

It’s like trying to launch a plane without checking your systems, without fueling up, without even making sure you’re pointed in the right direction—and then wondering why you crash by mid-afternoon.

Runways matter.

They help you:
✻ Get clear on your intentions.
✻ Regulate your nervous system.
✻ Anchor yourself to what actually matters to you—instead of what everyone else thinks you should be doing.

And here’s what I’ve learned: You are not a machine.
You don’t exist to produce from the second you open your eyes to the moment you pass out.

You deserve transitions.
You deserve rhythms.
You deserve moments that are just for you.

And if no one ever taught you that, let this be the permission slip you didn’t know you needed. Here’s what this looks like in practice.

☀️What My Morning Runway Looks Like

Let me walk you through exactly what my morning runway looks like—because it’s not glamorous or complicated. It’s just mine.

The alarm goes off—and here’s the trick—it’s not right by my bed. I keep it across the house in my office so I have to physically get up to turn it off. That one little choice keeps me from hitting snooze 47 times.

Once I’m up, the dogs are up, too. I feed them and let them outside. While they’re doing their thing, I put in my contacts and get dressed in my workout clothes—because I laid them out the night before.

I grab my water bottle from my bedside, throw in some ice and pre-workout, and let the dogs back in (they usually go right back to sleep—must be nice).

Then I head to the garage. That’s my space.

In there, I have what I call my morning stack—it holds everything I need:
✨ My vision board
✨ My journal
✨ My current self-development book
✨ My devotional
✨ A pen

I start by rolling out my yoga mat. While I stretch, I work through my mental hygiene. Some mornings, I get through the whole stack. Other days, I only have time or energy for part of it. That’s okay. The point is, it anchors me.

Then, I decide how I want to move—based on how my body feels.
If I’m sore or in my luteal phase, I pick something restorative—like yoga, foam rolling, or a long stretch.
If I’m feeling good and ready for energy, I’ll do a Peloton ride, lift weights, or head out for a run.

After movement, I shower and get ready.
If I’m working from home, I make my coffee and settle in to start the day.
If it’s a Crave day, I grab the breakfast and lunch I packed the night before, head to the shop, and have coffee there.

Nothing about this is fancy.
But everything about it is intentional.

When I skip this routine, I feel it. I start the day feeling behind. I get reactive. And usually, I end up coping with habits that don’t serve me.

This is why your day needs a runway.
Not because you’re weak if you don’t have one—but because you deserve rhythms that anchor you before life starts pulling you in a million directions.

🌙What My Evening Runway Looks Like

Alright, so that’s the morning. But just as important—maybe more important—is how I land the day.

I used to think my evenings didn’t matter. I’d work until I couldn’t keep my eyes open, scroll my phone in bed, and wonder why I woke up feeling like I never fully rested.

But I realized that the only way to have a successful morning routine is to SET MYSELF UP FOR THAT in the evening prior.

Here’s what that looks like:

✨ Tidying:
I do a quick reset of the kitchen and living spaces so tomorrow feels lighter. Waking up to clean counters and a fresh start shifts everything for me.

✨ Disconnecting:
My phone goes away WAY before bed—usually around 6pm. I plug it into the office (that’s its home base), and it stays there. I might check it once more later for anything urgent, but there’s no scrolling. Zero.

✨ Slowing down:
Sometimes we’ll watch a show, but phone screens are non-existent in the hours leading up to bed. I don’t want that to be the last thing in my head before sleep.

✨ Body cues:
About an hour before I want to be asleep, I take a melatonin CBD gummy to help my nervous system settle.

✨ Reading:
I always read a fiction book in bed until my eyes can’t stay open. This has been one of the most grounding habits I’ve ever built.

✨ Sound:
I put on a sleep story—usually the Nothing Much Happens podcast. It’s simple, soft, and signals to my brain that it’s okay to let go.

✨ Connection:
My husband and I go to bed at the same time every night. This might not work for everyone, but it’s essential for us. I love that he’s the last person I see and talk to before we fall asleep. That consistency anchors me.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned?
Quality rest doesn’t happen by accident.
You have to create the conditions for it.

And my evening runway helps me do exactly that.

HOW TO BUILD YOUR OWN RUNWAYS

Alright—let’s talk about you.

If you’re listening to this and thinking, “I don’t even know where to start,” I want you to hear me: you do not have to overhaul everything overnight.

Routines don’t have to look like mine. They don’t have to look like the influencer you follow. They just have to work for you.

I love thinking of routines as a menu—you get to choose what nourishes you in this season.

Here are some prompts to help you build your own runways:

✨ Mornings—What helps you take off with intention?

Boundaries around when you grab your phone?
A movement practice that meets you where you’re at?
Eating a nourishing breakfast or remembering to drink water before coffee?
Reading something that grounds you or helps you grow?

✨ Evenings—What helps you land the day in peace?

Tidying up your space so tomorrow feels lighter?
Putting your phone away at a set time?
Reading instead of scrolling?
Taking a bath or doing skincare as a ritual?
Going to bed at the same time every night?

You don’t need a 17-step routine to be “successful.”

But you do need consistency.
Because when your nervous system knows what to expect, everything else feels a little steadier.

Start with one thing. One tiny practice that says to your brain, “We are safe. We are cared for.”

And be willing to tweak it. Seasons change. Energy shifts. What worked last year might not work now. That doesn’t mean you’re failing—it just means you’re paying attention.

If you take nothing else away from this episode, let it be this:

✨ You deserve rhythms that support you.
✨ You deserve a life that feels anchored.
✨ You deserve to show up for your day—and your rest—with intention.

Alright—that’s what I have for you today.

I hope this episode gave you permission to rethink how you move through your days. To remember that you don’t have to earn rest. You don’t have to hustle from sunup to bedtime to be worthy.

You can create rhythms that support the life you’re building—and the person you’re becoming. And that research SHOWS it will improve your productivity, mental health, sleep, and so much more.

If you try any of these ideas or build your own runways, I’d love to hear about it. Send me a message or tag me when you share. Your stories inspire me more than you know.

And if this episode spoke to you, it would mean so much if you’d leave a rating or review, or share it with a friend who could use a little reminder to slow down and live with intention.

Alright friends. I can’t wait to see you right here, next week, on The Self Care Sisterhood Podcast. 🖤

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