A lot has been written about the morning routines of successful people. They spend hours at the gym, meditating and writing. Not all of us have access to hours of uninterrupted free time, expensive equipment, or the desire to get up hours earlier than we normally do, especially if we are not a morning person.
While there is no doubt that morning routines work, I definitely don’t think one size fits all. We are all different, have different lifestyles, preferences, work and family situations.
It is generally believed that It takes an average of 66 days to create a habit. If you have a routine that you don’t like and is not compatible to your lifestyle, you will likely not last a couple of days never mind 66 days for it to become a habit.
So, without being prescriptive here are some suggestions of good morning habits to pick and choose from. If you follow James Clear’s advice start small -either do several activities for a shorter time and gradually increase the time or one activity for longer, and gradually introduce other activities. I like option 1 best.
1. Exercise
Yoga/stretching, walking/running or strength training. Choose what suits you and your fitness level. I walk for about 15 minutes in the summer and do 10 minutes of yoga in winter when it is cold and dark outside in the morning. There are some great 10-minute yoga lessons on You Tube.
2. Meditation
Start small with a few minutes and gradually build up.
3. Write
keep a gratitude journal. Each day write 3 things you are grateful for. Expand that into a longer writing session, if that works for you.
Morning writing is something that writers and other creatives like doing to stimulate their creative energy for the rest of the day. Morning writing involve writing without evaluation or judgement. It is usually never read again.
4. Rehydrate
Your body detoxifies itself overnight. Drinking warm water, first thing in the morning, with the juice of half a lemon will support the detoxification process. Wait about 30 minutes before you eat or drink anything else.
A successful morning routine is one that you design, to suit you, your lifestyle and your goals. Ultimately, it is about you taking charge.
So how do you make your Morning Routine into a habit that you do as easily as cleaning your teeth?
On a podcast I listened to recently James Clear author of Atomic Habits * talked about the 4 laws of behavior change. They are so simple and practical that I thought I’d share this with you.
He said that to build new habits that stick, make them:
1. Obvious - make it clear when and where to do it (Always do it at the same time in the same place).
2. Attractive (to you) - this will help with your motivation to do it.
3. Easy - scale down and just do it for 2 minutes– start with something easy until the habit is formed. A habit must be established before it can be improved. Gradually increase the time once the habit is established.
4. Satisfying/ rewarding – have a goal that is achievable in the short term, so you gain some personal satisfaction quickly. This will motivate you keep going.
To break a bad habit, do the opposite. Make the habit:
1. Not obvious
2. Unattractive
3. Difficult
4. Unrewarding
It sounds very doable. What do you think? Try this on a habit you want to make or break.
Read more about Habits in James Clear’s Atomic Habits, which has lots of practical ideas and suggestions based on research into behaviour change.
Get your own copy of Atomic Habits here * (at time of writing it is 50% off) There’s lots of very useful, practical ideas in the book.
If you are struggling with setting or achieving your goals, changing habits or changing careers and prefer to talk to a human, book a 15 minute call, I would love to help. It is much easier to get clarity when you have someone to help you and be accountable to.
To be completely transparent, these * are affiliate links . This means if you purchase the book, I get a small commission – the cost to you is the normal price.