Creating a Productive Morning Routine

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Mornings around here are a little bit hectic. To start, I have a life update for you all: I am currently living in the Chicago suburbs commuting into the city for my new job until I find an apartment downtown. I am SO thrilled to be working in the city! Having lived in the suburbs my whole life, it’s always been a dream of mine. But the commute is less than ideal at the moment. So with this crazy commute, mornings are hectic – very hectic.

Today I wanted to chat a little bit about my busy morning routine and share some tips on how to make the most of crazy AM’s! I know I’m not the only one counting minutes of sleep, trying to fit in a full morning routine, while also catching every last second of snooze you can. So here we go!

My Busy Morning Routine

5:00 am: Alarm goes off! I’m terrible with snoozing. It’s a bad habit I’d really like to kick, but I think I would have more luck with kicking this habit once I wake up when the sun is up. We’ll get there some day. 😉

5:10 am: Okay, now I’m actually up. First things first, I grab my coffee/morning life-line! I always take time the night before to go over the next day’s schedule, but in the morning I also take some time to refresh myself so I can mentally prepare for the day ahead of me. After doing that, I start up my morning skin care routine! Teaser: I’ve got a full fall skin-care routine heading to the blog next week! Stay tuned and in the mean time, check our my summer skin care routine here. I’ve also recently shared some of my favorite beauty secrets I learned working in beauty PR here and here!

5:30 am: Who else LOVES the process of getting ready? It’s one of my favorite parts of the day. I always leave myself enough time to enjoy the process of getting ready, rather than frantically rush through it. That being said, I make my routine fairly simple because a 5:00 am alarm is early enough and this girl needs her sleep. But I love experimenting with different makeup styles and hair styles. It really gives you that extra boost of confidence to make your work day even more enjoyable!

Side note: I am working on some new beauty content for the blog! What are your favorite types of posts to read or what would you like to see up on Little Looks & Big Pictures? Comment below!

6:15 am: I love staying cozied up in my pajamas while doing my beauty routine and then I throw on my outfit afterwards. My styling motivation is pretty absent in the morning, so I do my best to always have my outfit picked out at night. That also is such a huge time saver in the morning.

6:25 am: Okay, come 6:25, the rush I tried so hard to avoid inevitably starts to kick in. I have five minutes to grab my bags and head out to the car to drive to the train station, beginning the first step of my commute. And this is also the time where I probably realize I haven’t eaten anything. Realistically, I should probably give myself more than five minutes for this step, but hey, back to the snoozing issue. One of my favorite time savers in the morning is just grabbing a quick something to go. That being said, I am NOT a breakfast person (probably why I forget to eat in the morning, because I promise you, I’m not forgetting lunch or dinner – especially if mac n cheese is involved). Finding something that is easy enough to grab and go, but also exciting enough that I actually want to eat it is challenging, but lately I’ve been on such a smoothie or yogurt drink kick and I am LOVING my Odwalla protein shakes! The protein is a great energy boost, the ingredients are high quality and just SO yummy! I pick up mine at Jewel and stock up for the week. I highly recommend these quick and easy breakfast shakes for the busy gal.

6:30-7:00 am: Step one of my million step commute is to drive to the train station. I love spending my thirty minute drive listening to new playlists or looping my favorites. Keeping new songs on queue gives you a little something to look forward to. I also typically sip on my Odwalla during this part of my commute since I’m in a rush! It’s so much better than juggling a bagel while concentrating on driving.

7:00-8:00 am: The next part of my commute is taking the train into the city. At this point in my morning, my coffee jolt is wearing off, so it takes some will power to be productive, but I certainly try! While on the train, I love catching up on social media, working on social media post planning, reading through my emails, and listening to podcasts! Podcasts are my new found love – I am OBSESSED! For the longest time, I had no interest in podcasts, and once I started commuting, that all changed. Do you have any podcast recommendations? Currently, I am LOVING:

• The Goal Digger Podcast
• The Ellechat Podcast
• Pursuit with Purpose

8-8:30: Once I’m in the city, I walk a mile to the office and I LOVE this morning walk (let’s see if I’m still saying that once the cold Chicago winter hits… but right now, I truly love it). It is the perfect time to just relax before the busy work day starts. I also typically continue my podcast on the walk or throw on a new playlist.

Phew! Then I finally arrive to my office. I know, the commute is less than ideal, but you do what you have to do! If you are in the Chicago area and have any apartment hunting tips, drop them below! Also, let me know more about how you stay productive in your morning routine in the comments!

Finally, if you’re interested in trying out my favorite yummy Odwalla protein drinks, or any of their other juices or shakes, check them out at Jewel and save $1 on your next purchase of in-store fresh cut fruit when you buy any TWO (2) Odwalla 15.2 fl. oz. (You’ll receive a print out coupon at the register.). Offer ends 10/31/2017. ENJOY!