I’ve used a morning routine based on my iPad for over two years. In March 2022, I wrote a blog post, A Morning Routine that Works – An App-Based Approach.
My iPad has a custom Home Page containing all the widgets, apps, and shortcuts I need to perform my morning routine.
Since I wrote that article, I’ve made several changes to the apps I’m using. I’ve deleted some apps and added several Apple Shortcuts. It’s time for me to write an update.
When I get up, I get a cup of coffee and sit on the sofa with my iPad. I can complete my morning routine from my comfy seat on the sofa and move between activities with minimal friction.
Why Have a Morning Routine?
My morning routine ritual helps me become the person I want to be. For me, it’s one of the foundations of having an intentional life.
We make our rituals, then our rituals make us. They are the bounding arcs that keep us moving in the right direction, day by day. Todd Henry, Daily Creative
When I follow my morning routine, I gain these benefits:
• I’m exposed to new ideas. I encounter new ideas daily by doing a short reading from The Daily Stoic and Daily Creative and reading the RSS feeds in the ReadWise Reader.
• I’m reminded of great ideas. I subscribe to the ReadWise service. When I read and highlight passages in a book, they are automatically saved to Readwise.
Tapping on the Readwise icon on my iPad takes me to the daily review feature. I get 15 random highlights from my library of highlights. Often, I’ve completely forgotten about these passages, which I thought were important when I highlighted them.
• My creativity is sparked. When I encounter new ideas I’m interested in or am reminded of ideas I’ve forgotten about, it frequently sparks my creativity.
If I think this idea might be the basis for a new blog topic project, I can tap a shortcut that prompts me to set up a new blog topic project and record my initial thoughts.
• I get an overview of my day and week to plan my day. I have widgets in my morning routine for my calendar, Fantastical (free version), and for my task manager, Things. I also have a widget for Carrot Weather and an icon for the Apple Weather app.
• I get in touch with my thinking and feelings. I’m currently using a shortcut to my template in the journaling app Day One. In my template, I have questions like, “What am I grateful for?”, “What is my priority today?” and “What’s on my mind?”.
With a couple of taps, I can view my tasks for the day and upcoming days and any meetings or events planned for the day or week. This helps me plan my day and know what I’ll do.
How to Plan Your Morning Routine
It doesn’t have to be a morning routine if another time works better for you.
For me, the morning is my quiet time. My wife sleeps later than I do, so I have a couple of hours of uninterrupted morning quiet. Sitting with my iPad and working through my morning routine helps me wake up, engage my mind, and plan my day.
To plan your morning routine, ask yourself these questions:
• What are your goals for your morning routine? You can choose what’s important to you.
Do you want to be exposed to more ideas? Then, you might consider reading books, RSS readers, or highlights on ReadWise. Do you want to be more self-aware? Consider journaling or meditation. Do you want to think about and plan your day? A calendar and task manager would be essential.
• What are the apps, widgets, or shortcuts that will help me to accomplish my morning routine goals? Select the apps and widgets you want to use. Draft your own shortcuts or obtain shortcuts from others online.
• What other activities are often prompted during your morning routine? When I’m exposed to new ideas or reminded of ideas I’ve read before, if they “spark” me, I consider using them as the basis for a new blog post. I have a shortcut that records a new project topic in Craft and prompts me to add my initial thoughts about it.
How To Set Up an iPad Custom Home Page for Your Morning Routine
Once you know what you want to accomplish during your morning routine and have identified the apps, widgets, and shortcuts you’ll use, you can set up your custom home page for your morning routine.
You’ll want to put everything you’ll use on one custom home page, so you don’t have to jump around. You want the least friction possible as you move from one activity to another.
Follow these steps to set up a custom home page:
1. Tap and hold in the blank space on an iPad page until it jiggles.
2. Swipe to the left until you get to a blank page, then tap the “+” button in the upper-left.
3. Select any widgets you want on your custom home page. Select more than one by tapping the “+” button in the upper-left corner.
4. Drag in any apps you want from other pages or the App Library.
5. If you have Apple Shortcuts you want on the custom screen, go to the shortcut in the Shortcuts app, tap on the three dots, select “Share,” then tap on “Add to Home Screen.” Go to your home screen and drag the icon into your custom screen.
If you need help creating shortcuts, I highly recommend the MacSparky Field Guides on Shortcuts for iPhone and iPad Field Guide and Shortcuts for Mac Field Guide. Moreover, it’s likely that someone else has already created a shortcut you can use and modify. Do a Google search and search Apple user groups.
6. Drag the apps, widgets, and shortcuts on your custom page into the order you plan to follow during your morning routine.
7. If you’d like to label your custom page as I have with “Morning Routine,” use the WidgetSmith app to create a custom widget.
Use Whatever Morning Routine Setup Works for You
Use my approach as inspiration, but don’t copy it. My way of doing it is designed for me, not you. It’s not the only way and likely doesn’t fit you.
I’m revising my morning routine as I go to fit changing interests.
Occasionally, I change the apps I use or delete an app I no longer want. I used the Feedly RSS reader when I started doing my morning routine two years ago. Later, I switched to Readwise Reader because it suited my needs better.
When I started, I used a meditation app. At some point, I found that journaling provided the same function as meditation and added other features I wanted. So, I switched from using a meditation app to a shortcut that opened my journaling template.
I encourage you to plan and start your morning routine based on apps, widgets, and shortcuts on a custom home page on your iPad. As you gain experience using it, you will likely modify it to better fit your needs.