How I Started a Morning Routine
Lifestyle & Productivity
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Lifestyle & Productivity 〰️
I love mornings, but I’m not a morning person.
I am not the kind of guy who can just wake up, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, before the sun comes up. If anything, I’d argue I became less of a morning person after having a kid. You learn how important sleep can be when your baby (and in effect, you) are not getting enough hours of sleep each night.
Yet, I do love mornings. I love them because, over time, I have built systems in my life to help me make the most of that time. It has become my most productive time of the day (I actually work full-time, so almost all of the time devoted to this blog occurs between the hours of 5am-7am). I’m able to start my day off with traction, I have time to prepare myself for the day, and has become an integral part of my life.
I say all this because I believe everyone can become a morning person, you may just need some help doing it. So, in this article I’ve highlighted three reasons you should consider creating a morning routine, and three practical tips to making it happen.
Why Create a Morning Routine?
Having a morning routine is like setting the tone for your entire day. It provides structure, consistency, and direction to you as you go through the busyness of life. A well-crafted morning routine can boost productivity, reduce stress, and improve overall well-being. By starting your day with intention and purpose, you can create positive habits that set you up for success in everything you do. Whether it's enjoying a cup of coffee in peaceful solitude, hitting the gym for some exercise, or simply taking a few moments to breathe and reflect on your upcoming day, a morning routine can be a powerful tool in optimizing your day-to-day life.
1. Morning Routines Create Consistency & Structure for Your Day.
I love plans, systems, and procedures. That’s a large part of what I do for work anyway, and I believe people operate at the highest level when they have a system in place that takes a lot of the guesswork out of what it is they’re trying to do. This let’s your focus on the right things. Instead of focusing on figuring out what the next 5 steps are in your plan, you’re focusing on simply doing those things with excellence.
It gives you direction. It gives you purpose. It let’s you spend your time and energy on the right things.
I found that after just a few days of waking up earlier, I started feeling more purposeful in the morning. I had plans and the consistency served me. And, not only that, but after a few weeks of doing a morning routine, I realized that, by starting each day with structure, it set me up to be more efficient with the rest of my day.
I think that productivity works like dominos. If you work hard to get all the little tasks you need to do lined up (which takes structure and consistency), you can start knocking them down with ease. You get into a rhythm and it feels good to keep that momentum going.
By starting a morning routine, what you’re really doing is stacking the deck in your favor. You’re getting some key dominos lined up that can carry you into the rest of your day with confidence, energy, and progress.
2. Morning Routines Boost Your Productivity.
I started really leaning into morning routines about a year ago. I spent some time identifying what it was I wanted to accomplish each morning, figured out roughly how much time I needed to actually do those things, and then set up a loose schedule to get after it each day.
I guessed that, in order to make my morning routine effective and fulfilling, I needed to wake up around 5am each morning. My wife and son were normally waking up around 7am, so that gave me two hours each day when I could read books, exercise, work on this business, in an uninterrupted, focused time.
And it worked. I started to seeing positive results immediately. I found that mornings were probably my most creative and productive time of the day. I simply was getting more stuff done during that time than if I tried to do it in the afternoon or evening after work.
I think this makes sense! After a good night’s rest, your body and your brain have rested. You wake up with energy, creativity, and focus that you just can’t have after working all day.
3. Morning Routines Can Improve Your Physical and Mental Well-Being.
There’s a ton of articles, books, and interviews on the internet about how morning routines (and waking up earlier) is good for your physical and mental health. I’m not an expert on this subject like others, but I’d encourage you to do some research on this if you’re thinking about starting a routine. The 5am Club was very helpful to me as I was considering starting a morning routine and helped me understand some of the bits and bobs of why it was good for me (click here if you’re interested in reading it).
In a nutshell, here’s why a morning routine could be beneficial to your health.
Most people are over-worked. We’re stressed and busy and our days reflect that. By carving out time in the mornings where we can do what we want and need, we’re giving ourselves some time each day where we can create healthy habits that are good for ourselves.
By getting up early and doing a morning routine, we’re creating “small wins” that helps us carry momentum into the day. Instead of waking up after snoozing your alarm 10 times, you’re being intentional about your day. The hectic scramble to throw on clothes and dart out the door to get to work on time becomes a thing of the past. You’re creating a system where you head into each day with confidence and peace instead of anxiety and stress.
This usually can be one of the only times of the day when you have TOTAL CONTROL of how you spend your time. Listen to your body and mind during this time. Had a crazy time last week? Take a break, read a book, make some breakfast, and let yourself recharge.
Three Tips to Get Your Morning Routine Started
I’m far from a “Morning Routine” expert, but I have created one that serves me well each day. Here are the three top tips I’d recommend for you if you’re thinking about getting a morning routine started.
Start Small & Build Up.
This is a universal tip I recommend to anyone trying to create a new habit. Begin with just a few key habits to avoid feeling overwhelmed, then gradually add more activities as your morning routine becomes a habit. In his book, Atomic Habits, James Clear highlights that to create a new routine, you have to identify the value behind what you’re trying to change, and then create some small changes in your day that will lead to new habits.
I think this is a very helpful idea for people trying to get into a morning routine. Let’s say you normally don’t wake up until 9am and then you bust it to get to work on time. The idea of getting up 6am BARELY feels possible to you.
I relate to this sentiment. If you’re like this, I would argue that creating a fully built-out morning routine where you wake up at 4:30am, hit the gym, read a book, do some watercolor painting, and learning a second language probably is NOT A GOOD FIRST STEP.
Instead, figure out a time that feels realistic to wake up, and identify ONE thing you want to accomplish that morning. This creates an opportunity for you to get a small win when you’re able to do it, and starts to build momentum for you as you build out more activities in your routine.
Plan Your Morning Activities in Advance.
Another pitfall you might find yourself falling into, is if you set that 4:30am alarm, and the first day comes around and you actually wake up at the right time, only to find yourself confused about what the heck you’re actually supposed to be doing!
Decide on specific activities you want to include in your morning routine, such as exercise, meditation, or reading, to give your day structure and purpose.
Try not to use your phone for the first hour you’re awake. This will not only suck up your time, but will also make you lose steam
Don’t overload your morning routine. This time is supposed to serve you, and realistically, the rest of your day will be busy and chaotic. Let your morning routine be something you look forward to instead of it being one other stressful time in your day.
Set a Consistent Wake-Up Time.
Choose a time to wake up every day, including weekends, to regulate your body's internal clock and establish a routine. I thought this was a joke when I started. I had a 5am hard-wake-up time each morning during the week, and then slept in as long as my kid would let me on Saturday and Sunday. When the next Monday came around, waking up was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.
Do yourself a favor. Be consistent with mornings. Sure, some days you actually may need extra sleep. I’m 100% for listening to what your body needs. But if you are building a morning routine, it takes time for you to get used to it. And if you aren’t consistent with it from the beginning, it’s only going to make it harder to actually start one.
After a few weeks of tormenting myself, I realized that, in order to wake up at 5am during the week, I needed to wake up around 7am on weekends. That meant I needed to be more attentive to when I go to sleep. After trying that for one weekend, I felt like I had SO MUCH MORE energy when Monday came around.
Build a Morning Routine You Want to Live.
In reflecting on this blog post, I realized that the reason I was successful in starting a morning routine WAS NOT because I am more disciplined or hard-working than other people (I’d actually argue I can be lazy better than most people!). I think I succeeded in making a morning routine because I was really excited to do it. I built times for me to rest, times for me to learn, times for me to create and do stuff for this blog. I made it a time where I was able to recharge by doing the things I loved to do.
And I think that’s really the secret sauce of morning routines.
So what do you love to do? What gives you energy? Take some time to think that through, and then prioritize that as you wake up each day. I promise that if you commit to it, you’ll find yourself looking forward to when that alarm clock starts waking you up each day.
