What did you do this morning?
Did you idly scroll through social media? Hit the snooze button one too many times?
These seemingly mundane choices can make all the difference in how your day unfolds.
You might have heard the saying coined by author Tim Ferriss: “If you win the morning, you win the day.” And it’s true — how you start your morning sets the tone for the rest of your day.
But before you try one of those quick fixes to shake up your mornings and boost your productivity, keep in mind that revitalizing your morning requires more than a five-minute hack. The secret is to change your morning routine in a way that works for you and follow through on those practices every day.
So what makes for a good morning routine — one that inspires success?
What popular morning routine advice is worth taking vs. ignoring?
We’ve done the research for you.
Below, you’ll find 14 tips for creating and following a morning routine that energizes your body and sharpens your mind. Additionally, we’ll take a look at a few examples from successful people and guide you in creating a unique morning routine that you can actually stick to.
How does a morning routine lead to success?
The relationship between a good morning routine and success is more than coincidental — it’s causational. One study found that people with a morning routine earn $12,500 more each year than those without a morning routine.
But there are other benefits besides financial gains. A morning routine leads to the following:
Mental clarity
A good morning routine helps clear your mind. When you have time to declutter your thoughts and set clear intentions for the day, it becomes easier to decide what’s most important. Clarity improves decision-making in both work and life.
Consistency
Having regular morning habits creates consistency and reliable patterns. You learn to start every day with intention and a disciplined mindset. This is the foundation for steady growth and success in your personal and professional life.
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Reduced stress
A consistent and effective morning routine can make your morning preparations less stressful because you know what to expect. It also sets a calm tone for the day.
More energy
A morning routine that includes light exercises and a nutritious breakfast will give you a natural energy boost. Your body will wake up and recharge for the day ahead.
These daily habits can even eliminate the need for excessive caffeine intake.
Better time management
A structured morning removes the rushedness and chaos that are often associated with the start of the day. You’ll find yourself with more time on your hands. With this extra time, you can focus on priority tasks without feeling hurried and allocate your time and resources for the day ahead. Preparedness increases efficiency and productivity.
14 tips for creating a morning routine that wins the day
How do successful people start their mornings? Get inspired with our 14 tips to craft a morning routine that helps you wake up feeling refreshed, focused, and ready to tackle the day ahead.
1. Create your morning routine to-do list every night
Identify the tasks you want to complete or habits you’d like to perform during your morning routine.
Your morning to-do list will tell you exactly what you need to accomplish when you wake up. And creating to-do lists can actually decrease intrusive thoughts and stress, which may help you sleep better.
Pro tip: Afraid you’ll forget to create a to-do list each night? Try the Motion app. It automatically creates a daily to-do list for you using AI.
2. Find a ritual
Sometimes, it can take a little experimenting to find a morning routine that suits you.
You don’t have to start with something complicated or unfamiliar — your routine can simply be to wake up, make your bed, and drink a fruit smoothie.
The important thing is to commit to a routine that resonates with your personal goals and lifestyle. For example, if you aspire to stay fit and healthy, you can build a 30-minute jog into your ritual.
Don’t worry if your first attempts don’t quite “click” — experimenting is part of the process. Feel free to try different rituals before settling. But once you find one that works for you, consistently practicing it is the key to keeping it.
Pro tip: Start with a small, easily manageable ritual. As it becomes more habitual, gradually incorporate more elements into it.
3. Clear your mind
What’s your morning mindset like?
Do you wake up to the blaring sound of your alarm, jump out of bed, put on your clothes, stuff a single bite of breakfast into your mouth, and rush out the door — all in the span of 15 minutes?
Try giving yourself and your body time to breathe and relax. Consider starting your day with activities that help center your thoughts. Whether that means a few minutes of meditation, jotting down your thoughts in a journal, or just taking a moment to self-reflect, these practices can help you slow down and clear your mind.
Pro tip: Use a dedicated space for your mind-clearing activities to create a mental association that helps you slip into a relaxed state more quickly. This could be a specific chair for meditation or a designated journaling notebook. Having a set place or item can signal to your brain that it’s time to slow down and focus.
4. Get enough sleep
I think we can all admit that it takes a lot of discipline to go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day. However, research has found that irregular sleep patterns are associated with poorer academic performance and a higher risk of obesity, high cholesterol, hypertension, high blood sugar, and other metabolic disorders.
Considering all the downsides of irregular sleep patterns, consider choosing a consistent bedtime and wake-up time and stick to them.
When identifying your bedtime and wake-up time, keep in mind that you should aim to get adequate sleep. Experts say adults should get between 7 and 9 hours of sleep. For people 65 and older, they recommend 7 to 8 hours of sleep.
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Pro tip: Since light and darkness impact our circadian clock, sleep, and alertness, blackout curtains and hue smart lights can help your body fall asleep and wake up naturally.
5. Wake up early
While it might be an unpopular opinion, waking up early is a consistent pattern among many highly successful people, including Actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary, Billionaire and Entrepreneur Richard Branson, and many more.
What exactly is early? That depends on who you talk to.
But often, the purpose of waking up early to have uninterrupted time in the morning to perform your morning routine before moving on to other work. This can look different depending on your unique schedule. So there’s not a one-size-fits-all answer.
Pro tip: If you’re not a “morning person,” gradually adjust your wake-up time by setting your alarm clock 15 minutes earlier each week for a few weeks. This incremental change will help your internal clock adapt more easily. It will make the transition less painful and more sustainable in the long run.
6. Don’t hit "snooze"
This one’s a doozy. (or, should I say, a dozy? 😂). Fifty-seven percent of people hit the snooze button each morning, according to a study from the University of Notre Dame. But this common habit isn’t actually helping us feel more rested. Instead, it may actually make us more sleepy.
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Dr. Aarthi Ram, a neurologist specializing in sleep medicine at Houston Methodist, says "The ten more minutes of sleep you're granting yourself over and over and over isn't productive sleep. If anything, all of that interrupted sleep will make you feel more groggy."
Pro tip: Did you know you can actually turn off the snooze option on your iPhone? By doing so, you commit to getting up when the alarm goes off rather than postponing it and potentially disrupting your morning routine.
7. Avoid checking your phone
Forty-nine percent of people check their phone first thing in the morning. And if you’re like me, this can be a huge time waster and completely disrupt your morning routine.
That’s why productivity experts recommend staying off your phone in the morning.
However, if your phone is sitting on your nightstand or bedside table, you might find it difficult to follow this advice and absentmindedly pick up your phone as soon as you wake up.
You can avoid this by keeping your phone in another room overnight or by stuffing it into a drawer on your nightstand.
Pro tip: If you absolutely need to keep your phone nearby for emergency calls or other essential functions, try using app blockers or the “Do Not Disturb” features to restrict access to distracting apps for the first hour or so after waking up. This helps ensure that if you do reach for your phone, you won’t get sucked into a vortex of notifications and “doomscrolling.”
8. Eat breakfast (or don’t)
There’s a lot of debate on whether breakfast in the morning is important. Turns out, the research is inconclusive. Some studies claim breakfast is important to good health. Other studies claim the opposite.
Those who support eating breakfast believe that it serves as a metabolic kickstarter for the day. They point out that consuming a morning meal can help burn more calories throughout the day and provide essential nutrients.
Others argue, however, that skipping breakfast can be beneficial for intermittent fasting. Studies have also shown that intermittent fasting improves cognitive function, learning, and memory.
Ultimately, the choice is down to your personal preference and specific health goals. What actually seems most important is meeting your nutrition requirements and appropriately fueling your body with nutritious foods. If eating breakfast helps you accomplish this, eat breakfast. If not, don’t.
Pro tip: Do a two-week breakfast experiment. Spend one week eating a nutritious breakfast and the next one skipping it. Then, observe how your body and mind react.
9. Drink water
Forty-three percent of Americans say coffee is the most crucial part of their morning routine. Unsurprising.
But don’t reach for the coffee machine just yet. Try a cup of water first.
Hydrating after a long night of sleep helps jumpstart your metabolism and flush out any toxins that may have built up in your system overnight. It wakes up your digestive system and makes it easier for your body to process food and burn calories throughout the day. And you’ll feel awake, alert, and refreshed as a result.
Dehydration, on the other hand, could derail your morning routine, as symptoms of dehydration can include fatigue, confusion, short-term memory loss, and mood changes, like increased irritability or depression.
Actress Cameron Diaz is a vocal advocate for hydrating upon waking up. In fact, one of the first things she does every morning is chug a liter of water. (Is that also her secret to never aging?)
So you might want to consider making drinking water a part of your morning routine.
Pro tip: To make it easier to remember, keep a bottle or glass of water on your nightstand. That way, you’ll be reminded to hydrate as soon as you wake up.
10. Get some exercise
Even Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and now, X (formerly known as Twitter), carves out time in his mornings to lift weights and run on a treadmill.
There are dozens of benefits to regular exercise, including:
- Sleeping better
- Reducing fatigue
- Increasing energy
- Reducing levels of stress and anxiety
- Controlling blood pressure
- Reducing feelings of depression
All of these benefits could significantly improve your morning routine and your entire day. It’s important to find a form of exercise you enjoy. You could do cardio, lift, or start simple, like a 30-minute walk every day. Walking actually triggers the flow of ideas.
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Interestingly, many famous authors and brilliant thinkers also experienced this phenomenon when walking.
Author Henry David Thoreau, a frequent walker, said, “Me thinks that the moment my legs begin to move, my thoughts begin to flow.”
And Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche said, “All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking.” He would sometimes walk up to eight hours a day.
Pro tip: Create a dedicated playlist for your morning exercise routine. The right music can enhance your performance and make the experience more enjoyable — and, as a result, help you stick to the habit.
11. Rewire your brain
Don’t let yesterday’s setbacks define today. Remember, each morning is a fresh start and an opportunity to reset. Famous life and business coach Tony Robbins has a comprehensive morning routine he uses to reset his mind and focus for the day.
Robbins’ 10-minute “priming” exercise, for instance, blends yoga techniques and Buddhist mindfulness meditation. He starts by sitting still for a minute, then spends time expressing gratitude for three things he’s grateful for in his life. He concludes with two visualization exercises to help him imagine achieving success.
So, tomorrow, spend a few minutes visualizing your goals for the day or even the long term. This practice can elevate your mood and create neural pathways that train your brain to stay motivated.
Pro tip: If you find it difficult to sit still for long periods, try a “walking visualization.” Then, as you physically walk, picture yourself achieving your goals for the day. That way, you’ll kill two birds — exercise and visualization — with one stone.
12. Eliminate or reduce distractions
You’ve likely heard this before: It takes 23 minutes and 13 seconds to return to your original task after a distraction.
That’s a lot of time, especially if you’re frequently distracted.
Distractions are unique to each person. For one person, it might be TikTok. For another, email.
To start cutting down on those distractions, you should first Identify what frequently distracts you and find ways to eliminate those distractions.
Motion automatically rebuilds your schedule when distractions or interruptions happen so that you can pick up where you left off and maintain your momentum. We also keep a small banner on your screen to remind you to focus on your current task.
Pro tip: Use the following methods to help you avoid distractions:
- Turn off alerts on your phone, smartwatch, and laptop.
- Find a quiet place to work where you won’t be interrupted.
- Clear your desk. A neat environment helps some people stay focused.
- Time block (as mentioned earlier in this post)
- Use tools, like Motion, that keep you focused.
- Reward yourself for staying focused for a specific amount of time.
- Listen to music.
- Use the Pomodoro technique.
13. Set your priorities
Make a list of your tasks, and then rank them in order of their importance. Make sure your energy is directed to what matters most first, as this will help ensure your most critical tasks are completed while your mind is fresh and focused. Then, you can do your less important activities later.
Multitasking, in contrast, scatters your focus. A study involving 45 organizations revealed that multitasking caused them to be 27.5% less productive than they could have been.
Pro tip: With Motion, you can choose priority levels for your work. Motion will build a schedule that prioritizes your most important work so that you do it first.
14. Complete difficult work first
For many people, it’s tempting to do your easiest work or tasks first, because you can get a sense of accomplishment as you quickly complete them.
However, this often can cause people to continuously put off difficult — yet important and high-impact — work.
Putting off this high-priority work can stall your progress. That’s why many productivity experts recommend doing your most difficult task first.
Pro tip: Use the Eat the Frog technique invented by Brian Tracy. If you do your most challenging task in the morning, you’ll set a productive tone for the rest of the day.
3 tips for building a morning routine that lasts
Don’t let your morning routine become short-lived. Here’s how to build morning rituals that withstand the test of time:
1. Reimagine your mornings
Start with self-reflection. Ask yourself the following questions:
- What do you want to change about your mornings now?
- What do you want to add to your mornings and why?
- Which activities leave you energized, and which ones leave you drained?
Figuring out your preferences and areas for improvement can help you tailor a routine to your goals and values.
Self-awareness empowers you to integrate positive daily habits. Reimagine your mornings as an opportunity to make intentional choices that positively shape your day.
2. Consistency is key
In case we haven’t stressed this enough, let us emphasize it again: consistency is key. Habits need time to take root.
Expecting immediate transformation from a single morning routine is like hoping for a supermodel physique after just one workout. It’s the everyday dedication that fuels real change.
And remember that there’s no shortcut. You have to be willing to embrace the process and be open to adjustments. Over time, as you remain consistent, you’ll watch your efforts turn into success.
3. Create a schedule for your morning routine
Don’t stop at a to-do list. Go one step further and build a schedule for your morning routine on your calendar.
To do this, first, identify how long you’ll spend on each task or habit within your morning routine. Second, document in what order you’ll perform tasks/habits. Then, add blocks of time on your calendar for each task. Scheduling your tasks like this, often called time blocking, can triple your productivity.
A better option is to let Motion do all that for you. Use the Motion app to automatically block times on your calendar for morning routine tasks.
Motion helps you craft your morning routine for success
There isn’t one perfect morning routine that applies to everyone. Use the tips from this post to document your own morning routine.
If you’re still unsure where to begin, use our tips to help you get started. Then, once you get the hang of it, create a customized morning routine checklist for yourself.
You can also drastically simplify the process of creating a morning routine with Motion. Out platform automatically build your morning routine every day, create a morning routine to-do list, and block times on your calendar to complete each step of your routine.
Give us a try for free.
(Disclaimer: This blog post should not be considered medical or health advice.)
