How A Morning Routine Can Set You Up For Success

Your morning routine sets the tone for your entire day. A good routine can boost your energy, focus, and motivation, making your day more successful or productive.

The mornings I get up at a decent time and go through my ‘ideal’ morning routine I do feel better for. But I know sometimes I just need a bit more sleep, or to go at a slower pace. This is a bit of a privilege because I mostly work from home. The days I do go into the office, my morning routine looks differently and I can’t just snooze my alarm (more than once!)

Whether you’re a morning person or not, there are a few habits that can transform how you approach your day.

Try and get up at the same time every day

This goes totally against what I do, but try and get up at the same time every day, or at least a similar time. The weeks when I’m up at a consistent time, I do feel more energised and productive. It means you don’t have to skip things on certain days when you’re up later. For me the thing I’d skip is always a workout!

Start your morning routine with some hydration

After a nights sleep, your body craves hydration. Drinking a glass of water first thing in the morning helps kickstart your metabolism and energise your body. It’s so easy to go an hour or two without having a drink when you’re in a rush in the morning.

For extra health benefits you can add a slice of lemon or a pinch of sea salt.

Get moving

The morning’s I feel best are generally the ones where I’ve done some form of exercise as it can do wonders for your mood and energy levels. For me it’s usually a shadowboxing or cycling class (all from home). But it could be a yoga session, a walk or just a few stretches.

Getting moving can help wake up your muscles and releases feel-good endorphins. Plus I always have water when I’m working out, so it’s extra hydration.

Include breakfast in your morning routine

‘Breakfast is the most important meal of the day’ is a phrase you’ve probably heard before and I used to think it was rubbish. But I do think it’s an essential part of a successful morning routine.

The ideal balanced meal includes protein, healthy fats, and complex carbs. But find a breakfast that works for you both time wise and nutritionally. At the moment I’m obsessed with scrambled eggs on sourdough, but I go through phases.

If you’re on the go consider a smoothie that you can drink while commuting.

Plan your day

Take the first few minutes of your day to set your priorities and what you want to achieve. This could be a few key tasks you need to do at work, or things you need to do outside of working hours. Knowing what you want to accomplish helps you stay focused.

I do a to do list app to keep track of everything I need to do during my personal life. And then I adopt the calendar blocking method at work blocking out time in my calendar to complete certain tasks. Both are flexible and when I review in the morning some things will move around based on current priorities.

Keeping to a successful morning routine

If you’re rubbish in the morning or you don’t currently have a set routine, don’t try to do everything at once.

Pick one thing at a time and become consistent with that for a few weeks, then introduce something else. So start by waking up at the same time each day and drinking a glass of water. Then introduce movement, then breakfast etc.

If you try and do everything at once you’re more likely to fail. And remember it’s not about perfection- it’s about progress. Missing a day doesn’t mean you’ve failed, just pick up where you left off, tomorrow is another day.

What’s one thing you’d like to add to your morning routine?