That Girl Morning Routine: A Realistic Checklist

A realistic that girl morning routine is a short sequence you can repeat on autopilot: wake up at the same time, drink a glass of water, get some daylight, move for a few minutes, cleanse and put on sunscreen, eat a breakfast that lasts until lunch, and pick one priority before you open your inbox. That is the whole core. The matcha, the journal and the playlist are extras you add because you enjoy them.

Below you'll find the checklist, why each step earns its place, and three versions sized for real mornings (15, 30 and 60 minutes), plus how to adapt it for workdays, weekends, a 5 a.m. start and glowing skin.

The that girl morning routine checklist

Here is the full routine at a glance. Each step is explained below.

1. Wake up at your usual time, weekends included
2. Drink a glass of water
3. Open the curtains or step outside for daylight
4. Leave your phone alone for the first 10 minutes
5. Make your bed
6. Move: stretch, walk, Pilates or a workout
7. Cleanse, moisturize and apply SPF 30+
8. Eat a breakfast with protein and fiber, and take any supplements with it
9. Write down one priority for the day
10. Add one small thing that is purely for joy

The routine, step by step

1. Wake up at the same time every day

The most that girl thing you can do is also the least glamorous: keep your wake-up time steady, weekends included. A consistent schedule is one of the CDC's core sleep habits, and it makes every other step easier because your body starts to expect the routine. Adults need at least 7 hours of sleep, so count back from your alarm to find your real bedtime.

If you are a snoozer, you are not failing. In a small 2023 study of habitual snoozers, about 30 minutes of snoozing did not appear to harm their sleep or mood and may even have eased morning grogginess. The bigger win is still enough total sleep and a steady wake-up time.

2. Drink water before coffee

You have gone all night without drinking, so a glass of water is the easiest first win of the day. Keep a full glass or bottle on your nightstand so it is the first thing you reach for. It does not need lemon (that is for flavor, not detox), and it does not need to be a liter. One glass is the habit.

What about the advice to wait 90 minutes before coffee? It is popular online, but it is not an official recommendation, so if a 7 a.m. latte works for you, keep it. The caffeine timing that clearly matters is at the other end of the day: in a sleep lab study, caffeine taken even six hours before bed disrupted sleep. For more easy ways to drink enough before noon, see our morning hydration routine.

3. Get daylight in the first hour

Open the curtains, drink your water by the window or take your coffee outside. Daylight is the main signal your internal clock uses to tell morning from night, and the Sleep Foundation notes that bright light in the morning can help shift your sleep and wake times earlier. Even a cloudy morning outside is far brighter than a lamp.

You don't need a special ritual for it. Walk to get coffee, eat breakfast near a window, or combine it with step 6 and move outside.

4. Keep your phone out of the first 10 minutes

This is not a digital detox. It is deciding what the first few minutes of your day are about before your notifications decide for you. Charge your phone across the room or outside the bedroom and use a basic alarm clock if you need to. Bonus: a phone that sleeps outside your bedroom makes your night routine easier too.

5. Make your bed

It takes two minutes and it is the fastest visible win of the morning: the whole room looks reset, and you have finished something before 8 a.m. If someone is still asleep in it, clear your nightstand instead and count it.

6. Move for 10 to 30 minutes

Morning movement looks intimidating on social media and is simpler in real life. It doesn't have to be a 6 a.m. class. The CDC's weekly target for adults is 150 minutes of moderate activity plus two days of muscle strengthening, and short sessions add up. A 10-minute walk, a 20-minute Pilates video or a full strength workout all count.

Pick the version you would still do on your worst morning, then schedule the bigger version two or three times a week. If you train in the morning and get hungry after, our guide to what to eat after Pilates has quick ideas.

7. Cleanse, moisturize, SPF

A morning skin routine does not need ten products. The American Academy of Dermatology's basics are simple: wash gently (no more than twice a day, and after sweating), moisturize, and use a broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher. Apply sunscreen about 15 minutes before you go outside, and reapply every two hours when you're outdoors or after swimming or sweating.

Using a serum? It goes on after cleansing and before moisturizer. Sunscreen always goes on last, before makeup.

8. Eat a breakfast that lasts until lunch

The that girl breakfast on your feed is a smoothie bowl. The one that works is whatever gets you to lunch without a 10:30 a.m. vending machine run. For most people that means some protein (eggs, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, tofu or a protein shake) plus fiber from fruit, oats, whole grain toast or chia, and something you actually look forward to eating.

Breakfast is also the easiest place to anchor supplements, because many are best taken with food. Keep them next to the coffee maker so you see them every day. Our guide to when to take your supplements explains which ones prefer a meal.

If a greens powder feels like a chore, our Greens Glow Pop is a green apple lollipop made with 20+ greens and superfruits plus probiotics. Think of it as a fun add-on to the morning, not a replacement for vegetables.

9. Write down one priority

Before you open email or messages, write the one thing that would make today feel like a win. If you love lists, add two more for a top three. Everything else can live on your master to-do list. A tiny plan made before the day gets loud is what makes a morning feel calm instead of like a race.

10. Add one thing that is purely for joy

This is the step that makes the routine yours: iced matcha in your favorite glass, a playlist while you get ready, five pages of a novel, lip gloss on the way out. It does not need to be productive. Routines last longer when they include something you look forward to. Ours is a Peptide Glow Pop during the planning step, a collagen peptide and vitamin C lollipop that turns the supplement moment into a treat.

Pick your version: 15, 30 or 60 minutes

The best routine is the one that fits the morning you actually have. Choose a version for weekdays and stay with it for a few weeks before you add anything.

The 15-minute morning routine

1. Minutes 0 to 2: alarm off, water, curtains open.
2. 2 to 5: make the bed, one minute of stretching.
3. 5 to 10: cleanse, moisturize, SPF.
4. 10 to 15: quick breakfast (yogurt and berries, or eggs on toast), supplements, one priority on a sticky note.

Best for: early starts, busy households and anyone who does not love mornings.

The 30-minute morning routine

1. Minutes 0 to 5: water, daylight, phone stays on the charger.
2. 5 to 15: a 10-minute walk outside (daylight and movement in one) or a short stretch or Pilates video.
3. 15 to 22: shower or cleanse, moisturize, SPF.
4. 22 to 30: breakfast with protein, supplements, your top three for the day.

Best for: most workdays. If you are starting from scratch, start here.

The 60-minute morning routine

1. Minutes 0 to 10: water, daylight, make the bed, no phone.
2. 10 to 35: a proper workout: Pilates, a strength session or a brisk walk.
3. 35 to 45: shower and your full skincare routine, SPF last.
4. 45 to 55: a sit-down breakfast and supplements.
5. 55 to 60: journal or plan: one priority, one thing you are grateful for.

Best for: weekends, work-from-home days and people who genuinely enjoy mornings.

Do you need a 5 a.m. morning routine?

No. The 5 a.m. routine is one of the trend's signature looks, and the math is what makes it hard. To get 7 hours of sleep with a 5 a.m. alarm, you need to be asleep by 10 p.m., which means winding down around 9. If that fits your life, it can be a lovely, quiet start. If it means cutting sleep, a later alarm is the better choice.

If you want to become an earlier riser, don't jump straight to 5 a.m. The Sleep Foundation suggests shifting your bedtime and wake time gradually, by 15 to 30 minutes at a time, rather than making one sudden change. Keep the new time on weekends so Monday does not undo it, and get outside early, since morning light helps the shift.

That girl morning routine before work

On workdays the routine has to survive a commute, a dress code and a 9 a.m. meeting. The trick is moving decisions to the night before: outfit chosen, bag packed, lunch and snacks ready, breakfast planned. Our that girl night routine covers that prep in about ten minutes.

• Stack movement onto the commute. Get off a stop early, walk to get coffee or take the stairs.
• Keep a desk kit with sunscreen for reapplying, lip balm, a water bottle and a planned snack, so the afternoon doesn't ambush you. Our guide to the afternoon slump has ideas that are not the vending machine.
• Protect your first work block. If your job allows it, finish your one priority before you open email.

That girl weekend morning routine

On weekends the routine gets softer, not skipped. Keep your wake-up time close to your weekday one. A big gap between weekday and weekend sleep times is what researchers call "social jet lag," and it is why Mondays can feel like a time zone change. Then slow everything else down: a long walk or a class, a real breakfast, a farmers market run, a longer skincare moment.

Sunday morning is also the natural time to plan your week. Our Sunday reset routine turns it into a checklist.

A morning routine for glowing skin

If your main goal is skin that looks rested and glowy, these are the morning habits that matter most, roughly in order of impact:

1. Sunscreen every day. Dermatologists recommend daily sun protection to help prevent premature skin aging such as wrinkles and dark spots. SPF 30 or higher, broad spectrum, rain or shine.
2. A gentle cleanse. Harsh scrubbing and over-exfoliating can irritate skin and make it look worse, not brighter.
3. Moisturizer right after cleansing, while skin is still slightly damp, to help lock water in.
4. A rested start. A glowy morning starts the night before, with enough sleep and your makeup removed.
5. Water and a real breakfast. Drinking enough supports your overall hydration, although water alone is not a skincare product. Our guide to skin hydration from within explains what actually helps skin hold on to water.
6. Beauty from within, if you enjoy it. Our beauty from within guide covers what the research on collagen and other ingestible ingredients does and doesn't show. If you take a beauty supplement such as It Girl Skin, breakfast makes it easy to remember.

Why most morning routines fail (and how to fix it)

• Too many steps at once. Start with the 15-minute version and add one step a week.
• It starts with the phone. One quick check turns into 20 minutes. Charge it out of reach.
• The night before is chaos. A good morning starts at 9 p.m. with a bedtime and a packed bag.
• It runs on motivation. Tie every step to something that already happens: water when the alarm goes off, SPF after brushing your teeth, supplements beside the coffee.
• It's someone else's life. A creator with a flexible schedule and no commute is not your template. Keep the order and change the clock.
• One bad morning ends it. Skipping a day is normal and doesn't erase your progress. Pick it back up tomorrow. Our guide on how to be that girl explains how habits really stick.

Build the rest of your that girl routine

• How to be that girl: the realistic guide
• That girl night routine
• The that girl daily routine, morning to night
• Morning hydration routine
• The glow up checklist

Questions people actually ask

What is the that girl morning routine?

It is a short, repeatable set of healthy morning habits made popular on TikTok: waking at a consistent time, drinking water, getting daylight, moving your body, simple skincare with sunscreen, a filling breakfast and a few minutes of planning before the day starts. The realistic version takes 15 to 60 minutes.

What time should a that girl morning routine start?

Whatever time lets you sleep at least 7 hours and keep the same wake-up time every day. Consistency matters much more than an early alarm. A 5 a.m. start only makes sense if you can be asleep by about 10 p.m.

How long should a morning routine take?

Anywhere from 15 to 60 minutes. For most workdays, 30 minutes is enough for water, daylight, a short walk or stretch, skincare, breakfast and a quick plan. Start with the shortest version you can do every day, then add steps.

What should you do first thing in the morning?

Drink a glass of water and get some daylight, ideally before you look at your phone. Both take a couple of minutes and make the rest of the routine easier to start.

Should I drink water or coffee first?

Water first is an easy habit because you have gone all night without drinking, but there is no need to delay coffee for a set amount of time. What matters more for sleep is avoiding caffeine in the six or so hours before bed.

How do I stick to a morning routine?

Keep it short, prepare the night before and attach each step to something you already do. Expect it to take weeks, not days, to feel automatic, and don't restart from zero after a missed morning.

Sources

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, About Sleep.
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Adult Activity: An Overview.
3. American Academy of Dermatology, How to apply sunscreen and Face washing 101.
4. Sleep Foundation, How to Wake Up Early.
5. Sundelin T, et al. Is snoozing losing? Why intermittent morning alarms are used and how they affect sleep, cognition, cortisol, and mood. Journal of Sleep Research, 2023.
6. Drake C, et al. Caffeine effects on sleep taken 0, 3, or 6 hours before going to bed. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 2013.

This article is for general information and is not medical advice. If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication or managing a health condition, talk to your doctor before changing your routine or adding a supplement. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Our products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.