How To Build A Productive Morning Routine
So you are not a “morning” person.
I still think you should have a morning routine. A morning routine is simply what you do first thing after waking up (usually in the morning): A sequence of activities that you do on autopilot. If you set up your morning routine in a way that puts you on the right trajectory, you are off to a great start! You can expect to have a productive day.
Everyone has a morning routine.
Whether you realize it or not, whether you are a morning person or not, everyone has a morning routine. They just don’t know it.
We humans burn so many calories just to think. If possible, the brain will keep most of things we do in life on autopilot to save its energy. This is why we don’t have to make conscious decisions to breathe or to walk. Likewise, we have a routine for almost everything in life. There’s an order of things you do throughout the day that you don’t really think twice about.
Have you made a conscious choice about what you do in the morning? Chances are, you are doing the same things in order every morning but you don’t even know it. So why don’t we set up the morning routine that can help us be more productive?
To Say “Good Morning,” Say “Good Night.”
You can’t expect to have a great morning routine without getting enough sleep the night before. Your morning will be full of energy if you wake up from a good sleep. For those of you who have difficulty getting a sleep at night (due to health reasons or what not), check out these videos.
How To Build Your Own Morning Routine
#1. Identify your current “morning routine.”
As the first step in building your morning routine for success, you need to find out how you spend your morning.
What is the very first thing you do the moment you wake up from your bed? It might be hitting the snooze button. It might be stretching your arms and legs. It might be checking your phone to see what happened in the world while you were in sleep.
After that first thing, what’s the next thing you do? Are you then going to the bathroom to urinate or brush your teeth (urinate while brushing the teeth)? Or going to the kitchen for a cup of water? Or going to the study to read? Observe your morning for the next 3–4 days and you will have a list of your current morning activities.
#2. Build the wake-up sequence.
Based on the list you got from #1, you should pick and choose only two or three crucial activities you need to wake yourself up in the morning.
For example, you might want to include brushing your teeth, stretching your body, or drinking a cup of water to your wake-up sequence. In order to have a great morning, you need to wake up your mind and body fully. Before you jump into meditation or start your deep work, make sure you are fully awake.
Here’s a list of tips:
- Try to go to sleep and wake up at the same designated time every day. For example, I try to go to sleep around 9:50PM and wake up at 4:50AM every day.
- Consider getting changed as the first thing you do after getting out of your bed.
- Make sure you have your “morning clothes” near your bed so you can get changed right away.
- NEVER hit the snooze button.
- NEVER check your phone.
- The first 10–15 minutes after waking up, focus on being fully awake.
#3. Pick ONE activity that can be done for the next 20–30 minutes.
Instead of trying to squeeze in too many activities in the morning, choose ONE productive activity that can be done in 20–30 minutes. Don’t overwhelm yourself. You have a full day ahead of you. Your morning routine is simply the first domino block. It doesn’t have to be a huge block! :)
Getting this one task done in the morning can greatly boost your morale for the day. You’ll be so motivated to take on the next batch of work!
Here are some examples of your morning work:
- Go for a run in the morning.
- Read for 25 minutes.
- Write in your journal.
- Read and pray the Bible.
- Meditate.
- Work on your pet project.
#4. Keep track of doing your morning routine for at least a month.
Just having your own morning routine will not guarantee that your plan will work. You have to make sure that you execute your morning routine consistently from this day forward.
One of the most effective ways to see your plan through is to keep track of your progress. Get a sheet of paper and start recording whether or not you have done your morning routine. Put that sheet on the wall in your living room or in a communal space so you as well as others can see if you are keeping up. This will motivate you to carry on with your morning routine.
The way you do one thing is the way you do everything.
If you have a great productive morning, you will have a great productive day. And one productive day after another can create a compound effect on your life in the long run.
Build a productive morning routine for yourself today.
