How To Build Your Best Morning Routine [EXAMPLES]

We all vaguely know that morning routines are another thing that annoying people recommend you do to change your whole life.

Unfortunately, this is another point for annoying people, because they are correct.

Let’s get into why you should have a morning routine, how to build one, and how to maintain it.

Benefits of a Morning Routine

Here are the main benefits of establishing a good morning routine.

1. Better sleep

Sleeping and waking at the same time every day improves your deep sleep cycles, which enhances memory, cognitive function, and provides other mental benefits. Catching some early morning sun on your face improves your circadian rhythm and helps you fall asleep easier, so you should fit that into your routine no matter how much time you’ve got.

2. Reduced stress

A morning routine reduces stress in a few ways. One is that it removes decision-making from the beginning of your day, allowing your brain to wake up slowly and naturally to run at its best. Another is that you’re including consistent healthy habits, which improves your mood and reduces stress.

3. Mental clarity

That morning grogginess hits us all, especially the deeply not-morning-people. Slipping right into your day with an established routine avoids wasting time, thinking too hard before your brain is ready, or resorting to bad habits, like in-bed scrolling and procrastination.

4. Habit building

If you want to establish a new habit, adding it to your regular routine is a great way to do that. When I wanted to learn Spanish, I had a foggy goal of doing one lesson per day, but that time didn’t always appear, so it was more like one lesson per week. When I added it to my morning routine, I rarely missed a day. Once you have an established morning routine, adding new habits is a breeze.

5. Positive mindset

Starting your day positively cannot be overrated. “What you do with your day is what you do with your life,” is a true statement, and so is “What you do with your morning is what you do with your day.”

A=B and B=C so A=C, yeah?

6. Personal growth

Growth happens with consistency. We all have things we want to do, practice, or learn, and we wait for a time slot to open up in our day for us to maybe do that thing, if we feel like it. A morning routine is the easiest time to add a task to your day, so you’ll actually stay consistent with it and streamline your growth.

So we need a morning routine, obviously, but how do we know which activities to include?

What to Include in Your Morning Routine

Okay, time to brainstorm your own morning routine. Here are some activities you might consider if you’re not sure where to start:

1. Physical

• Hydrate
• Exercise
• Healthy breakfast
• Stretching
• Shower
• Skincare

2. Mental

• Mindfulness/Meditation
• Getting sun within 20 minutes of waking up
• Waking at a consistent time

3. Emotional/Spiritual

• Journaling
• Praying
• Gratitude practice
• Affirmations

4. Preparing for the day

• Building your to-do list
• Dressing
• Hygiene routines
• Setting intentions
• Reviewing goals

5. Personal development

• Reading
• Studying
• Practicing a skill

You probably already have a pretty good idea of activities you’d like to include in your ideal morning routine, but we do have a limited amount of time and can’t actually do it all. So how do we prioritize?

How To Decide What To Include In Your Morning Routine

Let’s do a self-assessment to figure out which activities and tasks to prioritize.

1. Establish your goals

What do you want to get done in the morning/day? You’ll probably include some form of grooming, physical activity, and eating. What else is important to you? Do you want to read more, spend time with your kids, plan your day more thoroughly, devote some time to writing or studying? Make a list of what you want to accomplish.

2. Assess your current routine

What are you doing right now? If you already have some routine in place, try adding activities slowly to make the changes stick.

If you’ve got no routine at all, it’s good to start small.

If your current routine is too overwhelming, try to prioritize. It’s easy to overload yourself, and that will only make you less likely to stick to the routine.

3. List the essentials

What are the absolute must-dos? Start with that list, then add the optionals if you have time to do so.

4. Assess the amount of time you have available

Because we don’t have unlimited time. Be realistic about how much time you have to work with, and, no, sleeping less to have more time for your morning routine will not help.

TIP: There’s nothing too small to write down. Things like get dressed, brush teeth, let dog out, open curtains, etc., can all go into your routine. It can be THAT specific. If that stresses you out, go broader.

Knowing what you need to do, what you’d like to do, what you’re already doing, and how much time you have available should give you the shape of your first routine. Keep in mind that you’ll likely make many alterations to it, probably forever, as your goals and situation change.

How to Implement a Morning Routine

Here are the steps you can take to actually begin using your morning routine.

1. Pay attention to the order

The order in which you organize your routine actually matters a lot. If you find that after a workout, your blood is pumping too hard to meditate, that’s an important observation that tells us you should meditate first. If you weigh yourself every morning (insane behavior, but rock out), then you know you need to do that before you put on clothes.

So give some thought to the best order for arranging your activities.

2. Prepare the night before

Things get a lot easier with a little forethought. Lay out your clothes, meal prep your breakfasts, make your to-do list for the following day, or set up any materials you’ll need.

3. Stay consistent

Consistency is more important than almost any element of your routine, so set yourself up for success and make a real intention to stick with it. We have a tip below for managing those days when you just can’t do it.

4. Review and adjust

As with anything, reevaluate your routine after a while. If you find it’s draining you of energy, it’s taking too long, or you have extra time, tweak it around until it works better. You can always go back and change it later.

Best 15-Minute Morning Routine

A 15-minute morning routine will be compact, but if you structure it well, it can be highly effective. Here’s an example of what a 15-minute morning routine might look like.

1. Wake up consistently

Waking up at the same time every morning can help your circadian rhythm, create deeper sleep cycles, and make getting up a lot easier.

2. Hydrate or diedrate (1 minute)

Keep a glass or bottle of water beside your bed to gulp down in the morning. This rehydrates you from the night, wakes you up, and kickstarts your metabolism.

Bonus points if you step outside and let the sun hit your face while you drink it. If you can do the next step outside as well, do it!

3. Stretch MiNdFuLlY (5 minutes)

With this tight schedule, we’re going to double-dip. Stretching is good for your body, wakes you up gently, maintains flexibility and coordination, and while you’re doing it, you can also practice mindfulness. This means not listening to a podcast while you stretch and focusing on your senses. While you stretch, you might try to notice things you see, feel, hear, and smell. Check in with your body. Ground yourself in the present moment.

4. Set daily goals (2 minutes)

With little time to spare, journaling becomes a quick to-do list. You might even make yours the night before. Review your daily goals, and jot down two or three things you’re grateful for today.

5. Healthy snack/Breakfast (7 minutes)

A quick breakfast might take some planning ahead, but try to at least grab a piece of fruit or your jar of overnight oats on your way out the door!

Best 30-Minute Morning Routine

A 30-minute morning routine gives us a lot more to work with, so let’s look at integrating activities to serve you physically, mentally, and emotionally.

1. Wake up at a consistent time

No matter how much time you have for your morning routine, waking up consistently doesn’t take up any extra. It can often add time to your day.

The exception for this, I’d say, is if you have a lifestyle where you can wake up naturally without an alarm (congrats!). In which case, aim for a consistent bedtime.

2. Hydrate (2 minutes)

I’m giving two minutes on this one since we’ve got the time to drink slow, and do it outside.

3. Exercise (10 minutes)

Get a mini exercise session in! If stretching or yoga works best for you, that’s fine, too. A quick routine like a few squats, push-ups, crunches, and running in place gets your blood moving, your body awake, and your brain ready for the day. Don’t forget the warm up and cool down stretches, even in a 10-minute session.

4. Mindfulness/Meditation/Journaling/Gratitude (5 minutes)

Grab your favorite centering activity and focus on that for the next five minutes. This also gives your body time to recover from your zoom-y workout.

5. Healthy Breakfast (10 minutes)

We’ve got time to eat breakfast with this routine. You might still consider planning or preparing your meal the night before to save time. Personally, my daily breakfast is always the same: Huel, L-Glutamine, and Lion’s Mane powder. Dump them in my bottle, shaky shaky, protein goal smashed, no thoughts.

Grab $20 off your first Huel order here.

6. Plan Your Day (3 minutes)

And a quick glance at your to-do list can center you and prepare you for a day of productivity.

Good morning!

Best 1-Hour Morning Routine

Ideally, your schedule allows for at least an hour each morning dedicated to your self-care routine. Here’s what one might look like.

1. Hydrate and Wake Up (5 minutes)

One benefit of a longer morning routine is that you can take a little extra time getting up. Stretching, some bed yoga, or just having a quiet moment before rolling out can be a gentler transition into your day than setting off at a sprint. Drink water.

NOTE: Some people benefit from the sprint-out-of-bed-right-away vibe, while others get a cortisol spike that throws off their day if they move too fast early in the morning. You probably know which camp you’re in, but if you don’t, try both and pay attention to how you feel during your routine and throughout your day.

2. Exercise (15 minutes)

Engage in a more extended physical workout, ideally including a little cardio, a little strength training, and definitely stretching. If you can do your exercise in the sunshine, all the better.

3. Mindfulness/Meditation (5 minutes)

Use five minutes to practice whatever centering exercise you prefer. This can get you focused and set a positive tone for your day.

4. Shower and Dress (20 minutes)

“When do we shower in the shorter routines?” That’s between you and God, babes.

5. Healthy Breakfast (10 minutes)

Eat a protein and fiber-filled breakfast to energize and keep you full until lunch.

6. Plan/Journal (5 minutes)

Write down your goals, review your schedule, and do a quick journaling session. You might only have time to write down a few gratitudes, and that’s plenty.

One Hack To Never Mess Up Your Morning Routine

The best trick for sticking with a morning routine is to have two: A regular day routine and a shitty day routine. If you wake up late, sick, or feeling like you just don’t want to do anything, you opt for your Shitty Day Routine. This is your regular morning routine, but for babies.

• Your 30-minute workout becomes 10 minutes of stretching.
• Journaling becomes writing a to-do list and three things you’re grateful for.
• Your 19-step skin routine becomes cleansing and moisturizing.
• The chapter you read every morning becomes a page.

Having a Shitty Day Routine can keep your self-care consistent, help you maintain the habit of executing a morning routine, and avoid that feeling of sluggishness and task avoidance for the rest of the day, without pushing yourself too hard.

So when you build your morning routine, build your Shitty Morning Routine, too.

Key Takeaways

Building and maintaining an effective morning routine can improve your sleep, reduce stress, help you build habits, maintain mental clarity, and start your day with a positive mindset.

Establish your goals, your essential tasks, and assess your current morning routine and how much time you have to do it.

Prepare for your morning tasks the night before, stay consistent, and don’t forget to regularly review and adjust.

Create a regular day routine and a Shitty Day Routine that you can opt for when the regular routine is too overwhelming. This can keep you consistent while also offering self-compassion and a little wiggle room.

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