If you aren’t proactive, your days can get way out in front of you and chaotic, leaving you anxious, frazzled, irritated, and feeling behind and unproductive. The best way to counter this is with a morning routine that gives you time and space to develop clarity of thought and purpose, and that energizes you and prepares you to have the successful day that you want. Here is a morning routine for excellence.
10:30 PM – Make sure you’re asleep.
5:00 AM – Wake up, get out of bed, and immediately go the bathroom to splash cold water on your face. Whatever you do, do not go lie down in bed.
5:05 AM – Quick 45-minute workout. This should be something that aligns with your long-term health goals and preferences. It could be running, could be a circuit. I enjoy combining bodyweight exercises and stretches that work to build strong posture and mobility in key areas of my body. This includes strengthening my glutes, stretching my inner hips, strengthening my rear delts and rotator cuffs, and stretching my chest, lats, and neck.
5:50 AM – Shower and groom yourself for the day.
6:00 AM – 10 minutes of deep breathing stretches. There are many variations and practices you can do. I enjoy doing bioenergetic deep breathing exercises. These put you into a position where your chest, upper abdominals, and hips are opened up and stretched, and from here you open your mouth wide and breathe and exhale deeply. The level of energy and awareness you will feel after doing 3 to 5 rounds of 15 breaths is absolutely amazing.
6:10 AM – 10 minutes of guided or self-led meditation focused on being present to the moment, being centered, uttering a mantra focused on your life’s purpose, and visualizing what you want to achieve and who you want to be.
6:20 AM – Review your day’s and week’s to-do list and go through your action-plan and priorities.
6:30 AM – Drink a cup of bulletproof coffee alongside a small breakfast made up of healthy fats and healthy carbs. This could be avocado, nuts, berries, bananas, oranges, Greek yogurt, and a protein shake using almond milk.
6:50 AM – 45 minutes of personal reading. Get your day’s reading of whatever book you’re on done first thing and out of the way.
7:35 AM – 25 minutes of personal writing centered around goals, plans, self-discovery, and intentionality. I enjoy writing about who I want to be, the qualities I want to embody, and the specific areas I want to focus on for that day. Sometimes it’s being more positive, giving more compliments, being a better friend, or being more assertive.
It’s now 8 AM, you’ve built up considerable momentum, and it’s time to start your work day. By dedicating time to waking up, bettering your health, energizing yourself, becoming centered, reading, and introspecting on your purpose, your impact, and your future you’ve given yourself a sacred space dedicated to practicing all of the good habits you desire doing everyday and to energizing and inspiring yourself to effectively deal with the problems of the day and to leave your mark on the world.
Obviously there are many morning routines one can do. And obviously it should be a routine that directly meets your needs, schedule, preferences, and goals. The important thing is carving out a sacred space, a time dedicated to focusing on yourself, practicing your favorite daily habits, to bettering yourself, and to better understanding yourself and your needs and desires. Among high-achieving people, it is almost universally accepted that a morning routine is necessary for a purposeful, motivated, and fulfilling life.
