How I Finally Made an Imperfect Morning Routine That Stuck (For The First Time Ever)
Building habits for my mental health and chronic conditions comes with friction—overwhelm, perfectionism, and procrastination. I often feel alone in this, though I know it’s universal.
I’d spend hours researching how to feel better, only to find the same advice or another list of $upplement$ to take. Then I’d beat myself up for doing none of it, spiral, and avoid even more. Great for anxiety, obviously.
So, I scaled back and designed something with built-in rewards that actually work for my weird little brain. I call it “power hour.”
Why “power hour” works for me
"Power hour" sounds silly, but I know I have an hour—my screen time proves it. By adding tasks into that timeframe, I get more done without it feeling endless. Anything extra is a bonus. It can be daily, weekly, or whenever I find an hour.
As someone with OCPD, perfectionism has kept me from building habits. Power hour gives me space for imperfectionism—I only need to commit for one hour, reducing my mental load for the rest of the day.
And honestly? It forces me to just do it.
Two more things that help me stay on track
Weekly habit tracker: A habit tracker gives me a nice dopamine hit. I found the best approach was weekly instead of monthly. My goals rarely last 30 days, and dropping off mid-month feels discouraging. Resetting every Monday feels much better.
List of Benefits: I need to see that what I’m doing works, so I keep a list of habit benefits for days when gratitude feels stupid. It keeps the benefits top of mind and helps me notice progress. Sure, printing “meditation reduces stress” seems silly—but some mornings, I need the reminder before I procrastinate.
How I designed my hour
I did a brainstorm to create my routine:
List of all the habits / tasks I want to fit into an hour?
What are the habits I’d like to do but don’t need to happen everyday?
What tools, resources, reminders or print outs do I need to implement this?
What are the benefits of this routine? Research bullet points or use AI.
How I answered these questions
List of all the habits / tasks I want to do everyday:
Electrolytes in the morning
Having breakfast
Make 2L of tea to drink during the day
Take all my supplements
Journaling: mind dump, self compassion, gratitude
5 minutes of mindfulness
Daily walk
What are the habits I’d like to do but don’t need to happen everyday?
Hangout with friends, upkeep my budget, stretching
What tools, resources, reminders or print outs do I need to implement this?
New journal, download mindfulness app (I use Balance because it has a free trial for a year), print off emotion wheel and Kristen Neff’s self compassion exercise for journaling, meal prep breakfast for the week like baked oats or burritos
What are the benefits of this routine? Research bullet points or use AI.
Mindfulness: Reducing Stress & Enhancing Brain Function. Mindfulness lowers cortisol, reducing anxiety, depression, and improving sleep. It strengthens decision-making areas of the brain while calming stress responses, enhancing emotional resilience.
Self-Compassion: Boosting Emotional Well-being. Practicing self-compassion reduces self-criticism, lowering stress and improving mental health. It fosters resilience, increases motivation, and promotes a healthier response to failure.
Gratitude: Strengthening Mind-Body Health: Gratitude boosts dopamine and serotonin, enhancing mood and reducing stress. It supports heart health, lowers blood pressure, strengthens the immune system, and improves sleep.
Walking in a Forest: Nature’s Therapy. Forest walks reduce stress, lower cortisol, and improve mood. Tree-released phytoncides boost immunity, while nature exposure enhances focus, cognitive function, and heart health.