Lindsay Lohan credits her ability to juggle her hectic work schedule as an actress and her responsibilities as a mom to her consistent, yet simple, morning routine.
Lohan, who’s promoting her “Freakier Friday” sequel, starts off each day like many other people — with mindfulness, a meal and a workout.
“I love having a routine, and I like schedules,” she said in a May 27 interview with Elle. “So, my morning routine: Waking up, writing in my journal, sipping my green tea, breakfast with my son. And then Pilates, making sure I go.”
A decade ago, Lohan moved to Dubai for a reset. There, she met her husband, Bader Shammas, and in 2023, had her son, Luai. Around that time, she’d just ended a long break from acting. Though she’s constantly back and forth from her home overseas to New York and Los Angeles, she tries to keep the same routine.
“It’s hard in L.A. Even taking my son to the park in L.A., I get stressed,” said Lohan, 38. “It’s all about balance and, as I said, routine. Especially when you have a kid, routine is the most important thing. And whatever their routine is, I’ve got to live by that.”
Her commitment to self-care and having a consistent morning regimen, she added, came from a lesson from her co-star and work mom, Jamie Lee Curtis, who taught her “to always take care of yourself first. Because without that, how can you do everything for everyone else?”
Experts like bestselling author and personal growth expert Mel Robbins tend to agree with Curtis’ advice. Robbins learned the lesson firsthand unintentionally after not paying attention to her own mental health early in parenthood. That seemed to lead to increased stress and anxiety in her child.
The “single best thing” parents can do is to get ahead of those issues early, she said on a May 6 episode of “The Oprah Podcast.”
The benefits of an intentional morning routine
Starting your day with mindfulness, physical activity or time with your kids — as opposed to checking your emails or calendar — can boost your happiness and fulfillment, experts say.
Journaling every morning, as Lohan does, can have a real impact: Just 15 minutes a day can help you clarify your thoughts and feelings, improve your problem solving skills and even help you recover from trauma, bestselling authors Deepak Chopra and Kabir Sehgal wrote for CNBC Make It in July 2019.
Putting pen to paper at least three to five days a week could significantly improve your physical and mental health, they said. They recommended reflecting on topics like advice you’d give your younger self, or 10 things you wish other people knew about you.
“If you’re new to journaling, the easiest way to begin is to find a time and place where you won’t be disturbed, and just start writing,” they wrote.
Dedicating a portion of your morning to having fun is important too, says psychologist Laura Pendergrass, who advises Fortune 500 companies.
“Self-care in the form of fun is just as important as anything else we do to take care of ourselves,” she said in 2022. “We recognize the importance of recess for kids and build it into their school time, but we forget the importance of play as adults. It’s up to us to create our own enrichment opportunities to do something fun or creative and inject color into what could otherwise be a gray day.”
Are you ready to buy a house? Take Smarter by CNBC Make It’s new online course How to Buy Your First Home. Expert instructors will help you weigh the cost of renting vs. buying, financially prepare, and confidently navigate every step of the process—from mortgage basics to closing the deal. Sign up today and use coupon code EARLYBIRD for an introductory discount of 30% off $97 (+taxes and fees) through July 15, 2025.
Plus, sign up for CNBC Make It’s newsletter to get tips and tricks for success at work, with money and in life, and request to join our exclusive community on LinkedIn to connect with experts and peers.
