Think back to some of your most productive days. The kinds of days where you felt centered, alert and complete. Most likely those days didn’t start with sleeping through your alarm or a breakfast of cookies in your car on the way to the office.
A surefire way to set a positive tone for the day is to establish an enriching morning routine. Some of the most successful people in the world have a set of morning rituals that help them achieve their goals each day and be as effective as possible in their lives and work. Even if you aren’t running a Fortune 500 company or a family of 7, any person could benefit from creating a morning routine that fills them up and sets the groundwork for a high-performing day.
Why is a Morning Routine Important?
There has been a lot of research into the topic of morning routines and the benefits of establishing good habits at the start of the day. While the benefits are clear, there are huge variations in the kinds of tasks that the most successful people include in their routines. Although there is no perfect morning routine that is a fit for everyone, there are some common themes that pop up when exploring the routines of high performers.
Before we get into how to design your very own morning routine, let’s highlight some of the main benefits of a morning routine.
Top Benefits of a Morning Routine
- Reduced stress and anxiety
- Better sleep at night
- More energy and stamina
- Increased happiness
- Higher levels of productivity
- Quicker goal achievement
Sounds great, right? The good news is that we can all achieve these benefits by making a few simple changes or additions to our current morning schedules. If you have a morning routine, but it doesn’t seem to be working for you anymore, read on to see how you can adjust it to improve your day.
Design Your Morning Routine
This is where the fun begins. Your morning routine should be all about you. What works for one person won’t necessarily work well for another. Take some time to think about the things that light you up, make you happy, give you feelings of calm or put a pep in your step! Make a list of these things and highlight those that would be possible to do during your a.m. ritual.
If you need some help getting started, here is a list of habits that you may want to include in your morning routine:
- Meditation
- Yoga
- Running
- Workout class
- Reading the news
- Reading for fun or learning
- Reciting what you are grateful for
- Stating positive affirmations
- Journaling or free writing
- Standing in the grass
- Walking outdoors
- Listening to great music
- Doing something creative like painting or drawing
- Talking lovingly to yourself
- Making a nutritious breakfast
Morning Routines of Successful People
With the potential benefits of establishing a morning routine, it is no wonder that people are very interested to find out how the most successful people start their days. Various surveys have been done to identify some of the things that the most successful, productive people do each morning. It turns out that there are some common themes.
They all practice consistency, meaning that their routines are part of their daily lives, not just something done here and there.
They cite that their morning routines are a huge contributor to their success.
They share many of the same habits. Many achievers do most or all of the following:
- Get up early.
- Do some form of exercise.
- Meditate or perform other mindfulness techniques.
- Practice gratitude.
- Read, either for work or for leisure.
- Complete their most important work tasks for the day.
- Spend time with loved ones.
- Eat a healthy breakfast.
Set Yourself Up for Success with a Morning Routine
Do you have a morning routine or set of rituals that prepares you for the day? What are some of the morning habits that set the tone for your day? Is there something you’re doing now that isn’t serving you and honoring your desire for success?
If you don’t have a morning routine, we challenge you to think about some of the things that would best serve you each day. Share your routines with us in the comments below!