When was the last time you woke up feeling truly in control of your day? For me, it all changed when I committed to a morning routine.
If you look at thriving professionals, you’ll notice they all share something in common — routines that set them up for success. They are the ones who work smarter, not harder.
You NEED a strong morning routine.
Why does a strong morning routine matter? It’s simple: it sets the tone for your entire day. A good routine helps you start with clarity, purpose, and energy. Without it, it’s easy to feel rushed, stressed, or reactive — and that can derail your productivity.
For me, a morning routine ensures that I’m organised for the day and know what need to do, I get the important things out of the way early, and I get a sense of accomplishment before I’ve even started work.
Honestly, now I have an established morning routine, I couldn’t imagine going back to my old ways of just freewheeling as the day goes on. And the best thing about it is, I’ve done it for so long it’s just a daily habit now and I don’t have to think about it too much.
Waking up early, eating a healthy breakfast, adding good habits and some exercise will make your day more productive.
What Works For Me
My routine has changed a lot over the years, and it’s usually being based on my situation at the time. My current routine is very different to the routine I had when I worked a 9 to 5 job.
I try to make sure that my routine balances health, mind, body, and productivity, to make sure that I’m set up right every day. My weekday routine is pretty simple:
⏰ Wake up! I try and wake up around the same time every day as I find this really helps with energy levels and ensures that I also start to feel tired around the same time every night.
🫗 Drink a glass of water. Hydration is super important! This also helps with my appetite and energy levels, and reduces my dependency on caffeine! Speaking of caffeine…
☕ One cup of filter coffee. I’m addicted to caffeine and probably drink far too much of the stuff! As a rule I avoid it after lunchtime and switch to tea as I don’t want caffeine keeping me awake on an evening.
📄 Plan my day. I spend 5 minutes or so making a list of things that I need to do that day. This usually consists of work and personal tasks. I make my list with a Microsoft Word document, but a written list will work just the same.
🚶🏼➡️ 20 minute meditation OR a 20 minute walk. This changes depending on how I feel and the weather! I started mediation and walking to combat stress, but I find that it also really helps with my general well mental well-being. I use the Headspace app for meditation.
💪🏼 Exercise. I work out for around 45 minutes. Depending on the day this either consists of a trip to the gym or a quick home workout.
🍳 Shower and breakfast. My go to breakfast is usually other oatmeal and berries, an omelette and veggies, poached eggs on toast or Greek yoghurt and fruit.
All in all, this probably takes me around 2 hours to get everything done. In the early days I struggled to get all this done before work, so now I make sure that I wake up at 6am. I’m usually done by 8am and ready to crack on with my day. On weekends, I give myself more flexibility — I usually skip the workout for a longer walk or enjoy a leisurely breakfast with an audiobook.
My Morning Routine Challenge
I hope that my routine provides you with some inspiration on how you can incorporate a morning routine into your life. The thing with routines is, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution, and we all have different priorities and lives. Depending on your circumstances, your routine could include the following:
For Busy Professionals: A 30-minute power routine e.g., wake up, drink water, plan the day, and 10-minute yoga.
For Parents: A routine that includes quiet time before the kids wake up.
For Beginners: A simple starter routine focusing on just two or three steps to build up the habit gradually.
Top Tips for Success
My Top Tips for sticking to a routine:
- Maintain a fixed bedtime and waking time. this is honestly a game changer for me. My energy levels are pretty consistent throughout the day and I wake up before my alarm on most days.
- Plan how much time you’ll need.
- Don’t hit snooze – those extra 5 minutes might feel good, but they disrupt your body’s natural wake cycle and make it harder to feel alert.
- Avoid your phone. I try to avoid scrolling through social media until lunchtime, as it’s a total time sink and I can easily spend an hour doom scrolling if I’m not careful!
- Drink some water (1 glass of water next to the bed).
- Exercise or stretch. Personally, I like to exercise in a morning but this can be done in an evening if you prefer.
- Eat something within an hour (and no later than two hours) of waking up. Again this is a personal preference. You might want to skip breakfast, which is totally okay of that works for you.
- Prepare your clothes the night before – This gives you one less thing to think about that morning.
- Plan your meals the day before – I usually plan my meals twice a week. This takes the stress out of food shopping and it reduces waste as I can eat what I already have in the fridge.
- Choose healthy breakfast options. Sure, fry ups and croissants are great and all, but I try and limit them to an occasional treat rather than a daily habit.
I would recommend starting with just a couple of habits this week and see how it feels!
Final Thoughts
Building a morning routine doesn’t have to be complicated. It’s about finding habits that work for you and sticking to them. Whether it’s a 30-minute routine or a two-hour one, the key is consistency. Start small, stay flexible, and watch how a solid morning routine transforms your day — and your life.
Over to You
Thanks for reading! I’d love to hear about your morning routine. What works for you? If you’re just starting out, which habit do you think you’ll try first? Hit reply and let me know!