A morning routine is a set of actions that one takes every day, usually upon waking up, to prepare for the day ahead. The way we start our day sets the tone for everything that follows. As women seeking to live rooted in Christ, a morning routine firmly grounded in faith is vital.

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Morning Routines for Proverbs 31 Women

Proverbs 31 women are known for their industriousness, wisdom, and dedication to their families. In this blog post, we’ll explore the importance of a morning routine for those of us who aspire to be modern Proverbs 31 women (more on that here), and how personalizing such morning routines can help us to fulfill our many responsibilities with grace and efficiency.

Structure & Order

First of all, having a morning routine helps to establish a sense of structure and order in our days. When we wake up at the same time every day, and follow a consistent routine, we create a rhythm of productivity that offers a sense of predictability that can reduce stress and anxiety. (Can I get a “Hallelujah” for anxiety reduction?!)

I’m sure I don’t have to convince you that we often have many tasks to juggle at once, from caring for our families to running businesses or ministries. When we know what to expect from our mornings, we can approach each day with a peaceful confidence and find satisfaction in our purpose.

Goal Setting

Setting structured daily goals can help us to focus our priorities effectively and appropriately. Proverbs 31 women are known for their wisdom, and what could display wisdom more appropriately than being intentional about how we spend our time?

By starting the day with a time of reflection, prayer, and/or Bible study, we can center ourselves and remind ourselves of what truly matters. We can be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2).

Growth & Soul Care

Finally, a morning routine can help us to cultivate a sense of self-care and lead to personal growth and sanctification. It is true that Proverbs 31 women are dedicated to serving others, but it’s important to remember that we can’t pour from an empty cup. By taking time in the morning to exercise, read, journal, and spend time alone with God, we can nourish our souls and grow in intimacy with Christ, which always leads to a ripple effect of blessing in our lives.

Crafting Your Morning Routine

Cultivating a morning routine that is specifically tailored to your needs and lifestyle is easier than you might think. Here are a few tips to help you get started:

1. Start with prayer and scripture reading. Before you even get out of bed, before you grab your phone, stop and take a few moments to pray and read a passage from the Bible. This will help you set your mind on Christ and prepare yourself for the day ahead.
2. Set aside time for quiet reflection. Whether it’s through being still in His Presence, journaling, or praying, taking time to reflect on your faith and your goals for the day can help you stay focused and centered.
3. Incorporate worship into your routine. Whether it’s listening to worship music, singing hymns, or streaming a worship service/sermon, incorporating worship into your morning routine can help you stay connected to your faith and start your day on a positive note.
4. Practice gratitude and offer thanksgiving. Take a few moments each morning to reflect on the things you are grateful for. Thank the Lord for Who He Is! Study a new characteristic of Him that you are unfamiliar with and praise Him for that characteristic. This can help you deepen your understanding of God and develop deeper intimacy with Him.

Remember, cultivating a morning routine that is rooted in Christ is a process, and it may take some time to find a routine that works for you. But with patience, perseverance, and a disciplined commitment to your faith, you can create a morning routine that will help you grow in your relationship with Christ and live a more purposeful life.

My Personal Morning Routine

Disclaimer:

Please note: in different seasons of life, these rhythms look different and are tweaked. Overall, the elements remain the same, but it is important to remain flexible. When we become to rigid and too dependent on the consistency of the structure, it can have an opposite affect on us. What is meant to be a space where healthy boundaries provided a wide open space to safely roam within can quickly turn into an imbalanced snare of legalism, producing shame, guilt, and feelings of failure.

Just remember this: “… where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom!” (2 Corinthians 3:17).

My Morning Routine

With every passing year, I am becoming more and more of a morning person. Not because waking up is always easy, but because the mornings are full of mercy, hope, stillness, and light.

Biblically speaking, Proverbs 31:15-17 shows us that the Proverbs 31 woman herself rose even before the sun to prepare for the needs of her family!

There is something reverent and holy about waking up before the rest of my household, opening the blinds to let the light in, making my morning coffee, lighting a candle, grabbing my Bible and a fuzzy blanket, and curling up on the couch. Usually, my sidekick- my Jobie girl (my Golden Retriever), will snuggle up with me for Bible time, too. One of the best parts of my day for sure!

Musical Worship

I always start out with some form of musical worship. Some days I will go to my piano and make up melodies to the Psalms and sing them to the Lord- I (along with many in the worship songwriter community) call this practice “Psalming”.

Sometimes I will sing my favorite worship songs, and sometimes I even write new songs to sing to the Lord. Often times, I open the Spotify app on my television and play an acoustic worship playlist. I spend about 15 minutes doing this. Three or four songs or so.

Pursue Peace & Eliminate Distractions

I have mentioned before on here that I have ADHD. Therefore, I am very easily distracted. I choose to play an instrumental worship playlist while I read my Bible. Though I can’t explain the science behind it (but I know it really is “a thing”), having music play in the background helps me to focus in more on what I am reading. I specifically choose to listen to instrumental worship while I read because, as a singer/songwriter myself, I am easily distracted by beautiful voices, melodies, and lyrics.

I love the peaceful atmosphere that is cultivated in my home when this music plays. It is deeply soothing. Sometimes, I will even let it play all day long so that nothing disrupts our peace.

Bible Study

Next, I simply read my Bible. I love to highlight and write in the margins. I have this gorgeous Hosanna Revival Note Taking Bible (CSB translation) and I love it so much. It is a hard cover Bible with a beautiful lemon tree design on the front (which some believe to be symbolic of Israel’s wandering in the wilderness and God’s provision and deliverance into the Promised Land).

The back cover has the Fruits of the Spirit passage from Galatians printed in a stunning gold foil script lettering. Because of the light, off-white color, I opt to keep mine stored in the green hardcover book sleeve when I am not using my Bible. I have found this to be very helpful. Even with it though, my Bible is still not in perfectly unblemished condition. But that is okay, because you know what they say:

“A Bible that is falling apart belongs to a person who isn’t!”

I also love these no-bleed, quick dry highlighters (and right now you can get this set of $12 aesthetic highlighters for under $5!). The colors are lovely, easy to see through, and they have a soft chisel tip, perfect for getting nice straight lines across your text.

My Personal Notebook

I have a personal “notebook” that I have cultivated that I carry with me everywhere. This notebook is adapted from Donna Partow’s book Becoming the Woman God Wants Me to Be: A 90 Day Guide to Living the Proverbs 31 Life. (A must read if you’re looking for practical, Biblical steps to get organized, motivated, and equipped!)

I will share more about my take on this personal notebook in another post soon, but this is not just a notebook with lined paper. No, I’m talking about a small 3-ring binder with dividers and sections and all kinds of fun (well, fun if you’re a nerd like me) things!

In my “Time Alone with God” section, I have subdividers featuring things like:

1. Scriptures to memorize
2. Encouragement from the Lord (words that others have spoken or prayed over me)
3. Encouragement for others (words from the Lord/ things I feel led to share with others).
4. Prayer Requests
5. Answered Prayers
6. Personal Affirmations
7. Personal Mission Statement

I try to work through each divider in this section during my morning quiet time.

Prayer

Section number 4, “Prayer requests”, does get a significant amount of my time. Daily, I pray for my family, close friends, and for our kids/our organization/our ministry team. Next, I write down the names of those I have said I would pray for first (often times I will write them down as I tell the person I am going to be in prayer, so they know I won’t forget!) As I pray, I try to also send that person a prayer or word of encouragement, sometimes a passage of scripture. Then, I pause and ask the Lord to place anyone else on my heart that He wants me to intercede for, encourage, or reach out to.

Gratitude

In another section of my notebook, the “personal productivity” section, I have a daily block schedule system I like to use (adapted from Jordan Page of funcheaporfree.com’s Productivity Planner.)

If you’re a planner gal or person with ADHD that needs flexibility within structure, this is a must have for you!) I have bought so many of these planners for myself and for others- the only reason I don’t use one anymore is that I now have designed my own version that is more customized to my own needs and I can’t carry multiple bulky books everywhere I go. But I 10/10 recommend this planner and Jordan’s block schedule system (not sponsored). You can find an overview of this schedule and even a free printable on her site here.

On my personal adaption of the daily block system, I have a box where I list three additional prayer requests and three things I am grateful for. In the requests box, I put my top two long term prayer requests (like praying for a loved one who has cancer) and the third one I put a prayer specific to that day. Similarly, in the gratitude section, I always list my salvation first, my husband second, and then a third thing I am grateful for. There are days I take both my salvation and my husband for granted. I have felt so convicted of that. So I list those two first to help my feelings come into alignment with His Will over my flesh. Cultivating emotional intelligence & emotionally healthy spirituality has been a major part of my healing journey, so this practice has been really helpful for me.

My Morning Routine List

Before ending my quiet time, I like to make a practical plan for the rest of the day. I go through what is called my “morning list”, which is also partially adapted from Jordan Page’s productivity planner and partially from Donna Partow’s book mentioned above. My morning list is a checklist I do every morning, without compromise:

1. Quiet Time with Jesus
2. Take Meds
3. Make Bed
4. Exercise
5. Get Ready for the Day
6. Unload Dishwasher
7. 1 Load of Laundry
8. Encourage a Friend

This morning list (in addition to it’s counterpart, my evening list) keeps me productive, keeps my family functioning, and ensures their basic needs are met.

Concluding My Morning Routine: Everyday on Mission

Finally, I have a section that I call “Everyday on Mission” where I write out one goal and action item to complete that day in each of the following areas:

1. Spiritual
2. Physical
3. Relational
4. Personal
5. Ministry
6. Financial

Having this breakdown as a visual helps me to stay on task, stand rooted in my faith, take care of my family well, and helps ensure I do not neglect my the responsibilities. All of these elements together help me steward well what God has entrusted to me.

In Conclusion

I am by no means perfect and would never claim to be.

This routine did not come to me because I reached a certain level of holiness or spiritual maturity. It came to me like a life raft, by God’s grace, in a sea of struggle. He put things in front of me, like the tools from women like Donna Partow & Jordan Page, to to help me come into alignment with Him. By my flesh & human nature, I lack discipline & self control. Add that to my impulsivity and distractibility and I am telling you- I am a mess.

But a fruit of the Holy Spirit is self-control. He provides a way out of temptation and struggle. So by His Spirit, I am organized. I am disciplined. I am rooted.

Well… at least I try to be! 😉