If you are a new expat trying to settle in a new spot in the world, starting with a morning routine that fits your goals can be your best shot.
When we start something new, our emotions are all over the place, we tend to be in fight or flight mode most of the time, and we feel scared, unsafe and anxious.
A simple morning routine can set you up for success and help you feel more grounded and quickstart your days the right way.
I know you are a busy person, and your time is limited. Having a 3-hour long morning routine is great, but it’s unrealistic for us. The morning routine tips I will give in this post are very flexible to adapt to your needs.
I work two jobs, plus this side hustle to manage, so I make the most of my mornings to set me up for the day.
Why morning routine is important for expats?
We all have a limited mental capacity, which means we will never be 100% focused throughout the day. There are thousands of things pulling our attention simultaneously: life problems, work issues, to-do lists, etc.
If you wake up, snooze, go straight to social media, see all the bad news, check someone else’s life and start your day feeling bad about yourself and the world, you are wasting the precious time.
In the first hour, you are awake, your brain is fresh and rested, and it’s your golden opportunity to focus on what matters: you, your health (physical and mental) and your future.
It’s the perfect time to invest in yourself at all levels and move forward in your expat life.
Living abroad without support can be incredibly difficult to find time for yourself and your personal development.
Having a morning routine dedicated to you can change your game as It did to me.
Find a solid reason to do it.
What areas of your life you are not satisfied with?
It can be your health, mindset, job, or finances.
Please take a few minutes to reflect on this, and remember, it always starts within you, any area in your life that you want to improve. It begins with you taking action to become your best version.
It’s good to have your reasons on paper to go back and remind yourself on those days you feel unmotivated.
A super easy formula to create your morning routine:
I first discovered this Formula in the 5 am club book by Robin Sharma, but don’t panic because you don’t need to wake up at 5. Just adapt the time to your reality.
It’s called the 20/20/20 Formula, but I adapted to your busy expat life, but you start putting in action from tomorrow.
It’s a 30 minutes morning routine that will set your day for success. It includes:
10 minutes to move
10 minutes to reflect
10 minutes to grow.
Step 1 – Choose your exercise: do it for 10 minutes.
Yes, if you want to build a successful life abroad, your health is the most important thing you need. If you don’t have that, you have nothing.
This is even more essential because you are away from your family, you have bills to pay, lots of responsibilities and some countries don’t offer free health services, like the USA.
The key here is to start small, easy and have some reward associated with it.
Doing an exercise in the morning will wake up your body and mind to perform in the best way throughout the day.
- Boosts your metabolism
- It cleanses cortisol: reducing stress
- Release serotonin: improving your mood
- More focus, energy and productivity and less stress
- Releases BDNF: repairing your brain cells and supporting new neural connections
I started exercising from home because I could not afford to pay for the gym, and my time was scarce.
Back in 2019, I was working full-time in a nursery, doing voluntary work on the Ambulance Services in the UK, plus trying to manage my personal life and marriage.
I barely had any time for myself. That’s why I had no option. I had to wake up a bit earlier to look after myself and learn what I had to learn that would take me to the next level.
At first, I was so excited and motivated that I started running (nearly every day). Still, later I found this was not sustainable for my reality, especially in the UK weather. So I started doing Yoga on youtube. I love Yoga with Adriene.
Yoga is so flexible. You can choose a class for nearly anything, even on the days you are on your period. There are Yoga classes on youtube that can help. I took a 30 days yoga challenge, and It changed me. Since then, I have never stopped.
Now I do Yoga when I wake up and go to the gym 4 times a week.
Find what works for you and what is sustainable long term.
What kind of exercise are you able to do even on your worst days?
Start where you are with what you have. You have everything you need to start now, and you will never regret it.
Step 2 – Choose how you want to reflect: do it for 10 minutes.
In an age of distraction, this is such a treat for your mental well-being.
It’s a time to spend in solicitude and silence.
You might feel tempted to skip this part, but don’t do it! You will be surprised with the ambitions, inspirations and ideas that come to your mind when you take some time to be with yourself in silence.
If you want your life to be different, you need to be willing to do something different first.
Hal Elrod – the miracle morning
You can choose what fits best for you:
- Pray
- Silence
- Meditation
- Start a “let go” journal
- Start a gratitude journal
- Set intention for the day
- Write down your feelings
Last year I bought 365 days of a gratitude journal and I started writing 3 things I was grateful for on that day before going to work. I tried to focus on the small and simple things, and it always made me feel happier.
Also, meditation is a great option, and nowadays, we have so many studies proving the benefits of meditation for your brain and overall health.
Meditation shrinks the amygdala, a central part of the brain that processes emotions and is responsible for instinctive behaviours like fight-or-flight. This means that those who practice mindfulness are less susceptible to following emotional impulses, less stressed, and less sensitive to fear.
Step 3 – Choose what you need to learn: do it for 10 minutes.
For the last 10 minutes of your morning routine, you choose what you most need to learn to move your expat life forward.
Do you want to find a better job? Research the requirements and start studying the topic.
Do you want to start speaking English with confidence? Take some English classes. If you can’t afford a course, dive into Youtube, there is so much available there for free.
Are you struggling to manage your emotions? Choose a self-help book and start reading and applying it to your life.
This is your time to grow and evolve your expertise in anything you want.
Here are some ideas:
- Audiobooks
- Watch documentaries
- Buy a book on the topic you are genuinely interested about
- Watch or Listen to interviews with experts in the field you want to learn from
This is my favourite part, I am obsessed with learning, and I enjoy studying human psychology, behaviours, health and productivity. So I make some time to learn about these topics every day.
Never underestimate how much you can learn only by taking 10 minutes per day. This counts for nearly 5h per month on a topic, and of course, you can increase this as you like.
“Small, Smart Choices + Consistency + Time = RADICAL DIFFERENCE.”
darren hardy – the compound effect
Quick summary
This schedule is for a 30 minutes morning routine, but you can adapt.
Formula 10/10/10
10 minutes: move your body
10 minutes: reflect
10 minutes: learn something new
Here are some morning routine examples:
Purpose: improve my English skills
10 minutes: Youtube workout class in English
10 minutes: Start a gratitude journal and write 3 things I am grateful for in English
10 minutes: Listen to a podcast in English and take notes
Purpose: get a new job
10 minutes: Yoga class on youtube
10 minutes: Write down my goals and intentions in a journal
10 minutes: Start applying for jobs and studying the skills required
Purpose: improve mental health
10 minutes: Yoga for anxiety class
10 minutes: Meditation
10 minutes: Read a self-help book
Extra Tips
Start the night before, embrace rest and fun.
A great day always starts the night before if you don’t sleep well and give your body time to recover.
Not many people know, but a lot of your growth and learning happens when you are asleep. Especially for you as an expat, you are constantly learning new things, a new language, new culture, new people, and a new version of yourself.
Growth happens during rest. It’s like the cocoon phase of a butterfly when she is inside and looks like nothing’s happening. But that is when the fundamental transformation occurs.
Embrace rest, quiet times, play and have fun. You can take your evenings to talk with your loved ones, have a relaxing bath, read a book you love, practice yoga or meditate.
When you improve your sleep quality, you are not only improving your morning routine. You are improving your whole life.
- Pack your bag for the next day
- Avoid heavy meals 3h before sleep
- Get your outfit ready for the morning
Track your progress
A habit tracker is the simplest way to do that, bringing immediate pleasure.
Changing habits is a long race, and it takes time to see the results. As humans, we need some reward to show that we are on the right path.
By using a habit tracker, you are recording your morning routine success which will feel satisfying and will help you to stick with it and achieve what you desire.
If you prefer to do that on paper, I have a printable you can use here:
Minimalist Printable Habit Tracker 30 Days Circular Tracker | Etsy
If you prefer to track digitally, I designed a Morning Routine Notion (free) template for you.
Morning Routine App
Whenever I am starting a new routine, I use this app called Routinery, where you can create your routine, and it tracks automatically on your mobile.
Be compassionate with yourself
If you are working on something significant to you and are putting in the time and effort to do your morning routine, working on yourself, sooner or later, you’re going to reach a crisis point.
It might feel too overwhelming for you, and I so easy to go back to unhealthy morning habits.
Sometimes you will fail, and that’s okay, it happens to everyone, but when that happens instead of blaming yourself, take a deep breath and pause.
Then you remind yourself that what you do today sets your future for tomorrow.
What will the next 5 years look like if you give up now?
These moments you should take to reflect and investigate your deepest fears and personal demons. Dig deeper, and don’t let it sabotage your future.
These struggles are when your growth happens and when you overcome them, this will make you feel proud of your hard work.
I hope this helps you in your journey. Be patient with yourself, be open to change, and design a perfect routine. It takes time, but I promise it’s so worth it.
Feel free to share it with your friends and family if you enjoyed this reading.
If you have any questions, you can send them in the comments. I will be happy to help.
