How to PERFECT Your MORNING ROUTINE

Reading Time: 5 minutes

A well-rounded morning routine is essential for a productive day. But, how can you create a morning routine that is perfect for you, and what can we learn from other famous morning routines?

Why You Should Have a Morning Routine

Maintaining a time-based and reward focused morning routine gives you a sense of accomplishment early in the day. This encourages you to carry this feeling into the rest of your day. It is easier to stay focused with a proper morning routine and fulfil your goals for the day.

Examples of Famous Morning Routines

Steve Jobs

6:00 A.M.

Every morning, Jobs looked in the mirror every morning and asked himself, “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?”. If the answer was no for too many days in a row, Jobs would change something about his life. Jobs also stated, “Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything – all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart”. Steve Jobs’ mentality is deeply reflective of the philosophy of the ancient Stoics. Our article on negative visualization covers Jobs’ inspiring mentality and dives deep into methods on implementing this Stoic philosophy in your daily life.

After self-reflection, Jobs would look through his emails and get work done from home.

7:30 A.M.

At this time, Jobs eats breakfast with his family and does homework with his kids.

8:00 – 9:00 A.M.

Jobs would arrive at the office somewhere between this time frame, depending on how early he is needed.

Benjamin Franklin

5:00 – 7:00 A.M.

Although Franklin never specified the exact timing of his morning activities, he woke up every day at 5:00 A.M. and showered. He would then “address Powerful Goodness” (which means pray). He would then plan out his day and determine the goals he would like to achieve by the end. Lastly, he would go to his study and eat breakfast

Mark Wahlberg

2:30 – 3:40 A.M.

Mark Wahlberg begins his day at 2:30 A.M. In this timeframe, he prays for half an hour and eats breakfast.

3:40 – 5:15 A.M.

After breakfast, Wahlberg completes his morning workout in this timeframe.

5:30 – 7:30 A.M.

In this timeframe, Wahlberg prepares a post-workout meal and showers before preparing for golf.

7:30 – 9:30 A.M.

After Wahlberg’s shower, he starts a game of golf and eats a snack.

9:30 – 11:00 A.M.

After this lengthy morning routine, Wahlberg wraps up the introduction to his day with cryochamber recovery and a snack

Barack Obama

6:45 – 8:50 A.M.

Barack Obama’s morning routine is short relative to other morning routines we have discussed, especially compared to Wahlberg. Obama begins his day with a workout, reading the newspaper, and eating breakfast with his family.

Winston Churchill

7:30 – 11:00 A.M.

Winston Churchill had a much more laidback approach to beginning a day. In this timeframe, Churchill woke up and stayed in bed. He also had breakfast delivered to him, dictated to his secretaries, and read several newspapers.

11:00 A.M.

After the relaxed 3.5 hours at the start of Churchill’s day, he would get out of bed at 11:00 A.M., bathe, and settle into work with a whiskey and soda

How to Create Your Morning Routine in 5 Simple Steps

Before discussing how you can create your own personalized morning routine, the foundation of this five-step program is accredited to Danny Forest. Forest’s article on Medium.com creates an excellent structure for formulating your own morning routine, their article is well worth a read

Step 1: List Your Desired Habits

The first step in creating your personalized morning routine is listing all habits that you would like to eventually incorporate into your life. Here’s a brief list of habits you could use for your morning routine. Keep in mind, this list is limited and your list will likely be quite different.

Wake up early
Create a to-do list
Meditate
Pray
Go for a run
Journal
Make your bed
Drink a tall glass of water
Take a cold shower
Stretch/Yoga
Workout
Read/Listen to an audiobook

Step 2: Organize in Order of Importance

When researching other people’s morning routine, it is easy to forget what you want to gain out of your morning routine. Mark Wahlberg’s morning routine works great for him, but it likely does not suit the majority of people. Wahlberg’s goals are not aligned with the majority of other’s, so rank the list of habits in order of importance to you and who you want to become. A good way to rank your habits is to identify with the person that embodies your end goal. For example, if you want to be able to run a marathon in 6 months, think about what a marathon runner’s morning routine would consist of. These habits are in-line with your goals and ranking them high on your list would be a good first step.

Additionally, it is recommended to use an Eisenhower Matrix to assist you in organizing your tasks. This matrix helps sort through relevant and irrelevant tasks to help filter your morning routine habits; this step simply organizes your listed morning routine habits even further. Based on your list, determine where items go in the matrix. We have recreated the Eisenhower matrix into a downloadable Excel file here and at the bottom of the article. Be sure to use this tool to help you formulate your perfect morning routine.

Step 3: Write Down How Long Each Habit Takes to Complete

This is where the structure of your morning routine may be beginning to take place in your mind. Write down how long each task will take to complete. It is important to be precise and realistic in this step. Without a realistic timeline, your morning routine could be much longer than anticipated, slowing your morning momentum down and reducing your productivity early in the day. Additionally, this step is essential for organizing the exact order of your routine in the next step.

Step 4: Organize Your Routine

Based on the previous step, organize which tasks you want to complete into a calendar. Again, be realistic and precise. You will be following this routine for at least a few months, so be sure that it is reasonable and attainable.

Step 5: Stay Consistent

The most important step in setting up your morning routine is actually implementing it. The planning process is irrelevant if the routine is never executed. Be consistent with this routine and discover how much more effective your mornings become.

Final Note: Make Your Routine Work For You, Not Against You

Too often do people see a social media post or an article about a successful celebrity’s routine and then implement it expecting similar results. This is an excellent recipe for failure and dissatisfaction. Your routine is YOUR routine. It is what you, the individual, needs to start your day to set yourself up for success. Wahlberg and Churchill’s routine are vastly different, but they both work perfectly for the individual’s needs. Your routine should make you feel energized and ready to begin the day, not the opposite.