How Do You Create A Good Morning Routine?

“Start your day with power and intention, and you live your life with strength and direction.”

— Unknown

Nowadays, you can find thousands of gurus touting the benefits of a morning routine. They’ll tell you that you need to walk up two hours earlier so that you can own your morning. They’ll suggest starting by getting to the gym, praying, journaling, taking 100 deep breaths, eating breakfast, and setting your intentions for the day.

I don’t know about you, but if I needed to wake up two hours earlier and still make it to work on time, I would need to go to bed two hours earlier. For someone like me, who generally starts work at 6:30 am, there is no way in hell I’m getting up two hours earlier.

I would need to go to sleep at 8 pm to have a shot at being up by 4:30 am. I’m aware not everyone has my morning-heavy schedule, but the point is if you had the time and energy to get up earlier, you would be doing it regardless of your current routine.

If you are worried enough about starting your day off right to read an article about optimizing your morning routine, you are motivated. A morning routine, like any habit, takes months to get into the rhythm of. When creating new habits, it is best to try to add one at a time. People are much more successful when they try to add something small, like flossing to their routine, rather than trying to start working out, eating healthy, and sleeping more all at the same time. It is great to have ambitious health goals, but real change happens slowly.

Pick a habit, do it for one month straight, internalize it, and then see if you can add another.

A morning routine is a series of habits. So when you read some ultra-successful person’s routine and think, I should do that. Remember, that it probably took that person a few years to be able to execute on their routine. They likely started with one habit and added on to it slowly.

Everyone has different jobs and different time constraints in the morning. Unfortunately, we don’t all live in a fantasy world where we have two hours to get ready to face the day.

If the dogs are barking, the kids are crying, or work calls in with an emergency, it is time to get started no matter what point in the routine you are at. Therefore, you need to build a routine that fits into the unique life that you lead. Below is a list of everyday habits found in a morning routine. They are broken into two categories: science and suggestions.

Science is anything with indisputable evidence that it is beneficial to you, and suggestions are the stuff that sounds like a good idea, but there is no empirical evidence for the benefits.

Pick a habit and see if you can do it for a month, no exceptions, and if you succeed add another one.

SCIENCE

Exercise

Let’s get the hardest one out of the way first. You may be tempted to choose exercise as your habit for the month, and with good reason. Exercise is extremely beneficial to your physical, mental, and emotional well being. However, it is also the hardest habit on this list to execute consistently.

Exercising first thing in the morning is not for everyone, so don’t try to force yourself into a habit that isn’t for you, but if you can make this habit, your body and mind will thank you.

You do not have to go to the gym, either. You can simply do 50 push-ups, jog with your dog for a mile, or do some yoga.

Meditation

Meditation works, there is a reason it has been practiced for thousands of years at this point. The lofty goal of meditation is to find enlightenment or “end suffering,” although, for our sake and our morning routine, our expectations are a little lower.

Meditation is a great way to lower the volume of your mental noise and take stock of your internal ecosystem. Being aware of your underlying thoughts can do wonders for mental health. Are you always telling yourself that you can do it or that you can’t? You may find one more helpful than the other.

Practice gratitude

There is a strong correlation between gratitude and happiness. It doesn’t matter how you express your gratitude if it is through prayer, affirmation, meditation, or journaling; all are equally beneficial.

Practicing gratitude regularly sets our minds up to be primed for being thankful. Most people are constantly looking at Instagram and are jealous of how amazing everyone else’s lives look. If you are constantly thankful for your friends, family, or partner, you may find yourself far less jealous.

Drink a full glass of water

Drinking a full glass of water first thing in the morning should be part of everyone’s morning routine. This one is the easiest, it takes no time, costs no money, and you’ll die if you don’t drink water, so there is no downside.

On the plus side, drinking water after a long slumber kick starts your metabolism for zero calories, helps prevent unnecessary eating, improves exercise performance, and reduces hangovers. It is an easy win.

SUGGESTIONS

Have a hot beverage

When you drink something warm, you are forced to wait, take a beat, and let the drink cool. You cannot rush drinking a hot cup of coffee or tea. This gives you a few minutes to relax and still count it as an important part of your morning; sitting quietly and breathing while waiting for your coffee to cool is as close to meditation as most people get.

Make your bed

Making your bed is an example of a small discipline, like flossing, which is just a way to start your day off on the right foot. Making your bed is something you can do as soon as you wake up to feel like a productive human. Any small discipline that you can do on autopilot daily is a great way to start a productive day.

Motivational speeches

There are so many motivational speakers nowadays; it is the best job in the world. You are basically a cheerleader, and you spend your days convincing other people to do things, while not actually having to do anything yourself.

That being said, some of those speakers can get you pumped up to conquer your day. I like anyone who speaks about self-reliance. To save you some time listening, they can all be summarized by one of these two quotes:

“Everyone is self-made but only the successful will admit it”

— Earl Nightingale

“Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right.”

— an anti-semite who also made cars

Stay off social media

Social media is detrimental to a lot of the population’s mental health. It’s basically a drug. It is habit-forming, causes strange behavior, and the people selling it are making sums of money that should be illegal.

On an individual level, it promotes jealousy, depression, and an obsession with pleasing your audience. Social media is a necessary evil in today’s world, but you don’t need that evil before breakfast, and when dealing with it, remember two things.

People only post photos of the good times with filters to make them look better.

Nobody who spends all day documenting their lives for someone else’s enjoyment is happy and living a well-balanced life. In fact, most people aren’t happy, regardless of how it looks on social media.

If you can add one habit a month, by next year, you will be an all-star. Real change takes time, enjoy the process.