For years, I struggled to create the best morning routine. The routine that would wake me up and keep me energized throughout the day.
I never gave mornings much thought. They were just something I had to get through.
I’d roll out of bed feeling grumpy, grab my phone, and mindlessly scroll through news or social media.
Breakfast? It was usually something quick and sugary, maybe jam and butter on toast.
I never once thought that this “routine” profoundly affected how I feel, look, work, and interact with others throughout the day.
However, when I read Atomic Habits by James Clear, I started to understand that my morning routine could be the key to unlocking other habits I so desperately wanted to do every day.
And more importantly, I didn’t need a more complicated routine. I needed a slower one.
Your morning routine will not be the same as mine. We have different timelines, different lifestyles, and different circumstances.
Sit down and examine your schedule. What are the things you would like to get done in the morning?
Do you want to relax and exersize, or do you also want to work in the morning? Based on this, you will select the time you want to get up.
For me, that is around 6 am. This gives me 2 hours before I start working to wake up, exersize, prepare breakfast, and do some work on this blog.
Here are several steps you need to take to create your best morning routine:
The best morning routine starts the evening before
If you’re like I used to be, staying up until 1 or 2 am watching movies or scrolling through social media, you’re setting yourself up for failure the next day.
When my kids were born, I realized I would get no sleep if I did that. So I pushed my sleep time back, and even though they are older now, I never changed that early night routine.
These days, I make it a point to be in bed by 9-10 pm. I eat dinner by 7 pm and spend about an hour reading or watching a show before I go to sleep.
So if your plan is to get up early, you need to change your evening habits as well. It is not easy to do that, because for most of us, evenings are the only time we get to spend with kids or friends.
But I find that when I reduced my screen time, I had more time to socialize and get into bed by 10 pm. So take an honest look at your screen habits, and create space for more important things in your life.
Get up early
Morning is an important time of day, because how you spend your morning can often tell you what kind of day you are going to have.
Lemony snicket
I first realized the importance of early mornings in college.
I noticed that when I get up early and start studying for my exams, I am very productive. But if I start late, my progress is much slower.
This year, I read The 5am Club and The Miracle Morning, and these books inspired me to start getting up earlier. If you are thinking of buying one, but are not sure which one is better for you, check out this comparison.
You don’t need to get up at 5 as the book above suggests. The time depends on your work and other obligations you have. The key is to get up early enough to spend one hour as you wish.
I get up at 6-7 am because I want to be up before my kids and the school run.
That one hour you get before the world starts moving is key to unlocking other good habits in your life.
If you get up and reach for your phone, you are wasting that most productive and most precious hour of your day.
I leave my phone in my bedroom, my airplane mode still on.
Instead of checking my phone, I drink a glass of water and do some basic exercises. Sometimes, I get dressed and go for a walk; other times, I read a book and sit on the balcony.
The best time to take care of your body is in the morning. When you get that done, then you can move on with your day.
Every morning, I either take a walk outside, use my old elliptical machine, or do some weight exercises.
Nothing wakes you up more than movement. And if you start doing that in the morning, it quickly becomes a part of your routine.
I tried for 20 years to introduce exercise into my routine. And I managed to do that when I read the book Atomic Habits. It helped me start exercising after the age of 40 and make the habit stick.
You can always exercise later in the day, but I find that if I do that early in the morning, I feel better and more energized throughout the day.
Prepare a good, nourishing breakfast
The first change I introduced into my morning routine was breakfast. I used to eat a sweet breakfast or skip it altogether. I then snacked a lot and felt nervous and grumpy.
But once I changed my breakfast, everything changed. My usual option is egg and avocado toast. I make it almost every morning. It keeps me full until lunch, and my energy level is high.
This is now the best time to have your coffee, too. At least one hour after waking up.
If you take anything from this post, let it be the breakfast part. This was my first change, too, and it inspired me to make other changes as well.
Prepare your morning routine
If you decide to get up early, have a reason. What do you want to do with that time?
Do you want to write? Read a book? Meditate or exercise? Have a plan, or that time will go to waste.
You can use your journal to write down a short schedule. That way, when you wake up, you know exactly what to do. You can find many ideas on how to organize your morning in the books The 5am Club and The Miracle Morning.
But the key is to adapt this advice to your daily routine. Once you start repeating your new morning routine, you will no longer need a schedule.
You will just get up and know what to do.
Is consistency important?
When you start your new morning routine, consistency will be very important.
You want to create a habit. And to create a habit, you need to repeat the same action until it sticks with you.
The goal is to eventually roll out of bed and perform your routine without even thinking about it.
I now wake up, and I no longer have to make myself exersize or prepare breakfast. I just do it. So you need to be consistent at least for a couple of months to make the habits stick and feel the benefits.
I started with my breakfast first, and then moved on to other parts of my morning routine.
So start slow, and start making small changes.
Final thoughts
Building a morning routine takes time, but the effort is worth it.
By making small, consistent changes, you can create mornings that help you introduce new healthy habits and help you grow. The key is to find what works for you and stick with it.
After a few months, you will start to feel different, and you will start to feel all the benefits from this change. Then, the routine becomes a part of you.
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