Humans are creatures of habit and we love getting into a groove. Quickly, we get used to doing things a certain way to the point when we feel we need to passionately defend our behaviors. Why do you think there has always been a heated debate between the morning showerers vs the night showerers?

Morning routines are more than just a learned behavior - they are so crucial to starting your day right and getting things done. Putting yourself and development first allows you to become further equipped to help others to do the same. Here’s on why you need to adopt a morning routine.

Many successful people attribute their accomplishments to the magic of the morning routine. Take Sundar Pichai, CEO of google. As part of his morning routine, he wakes up at 6:30am, reads the physical newspaper (yes they still exist), and then spends time on big picture thinking, where he claims, results in many of his most creative ideas. Yet, morning routines are not just reserved for successful CEO’s, everyone can craft one. Here’s why I love morning routines.

Acting like a biological clock, creating your own morning routine based on how you want to approach your day creates a sense of order in your life. Being consistent in your morning habits allows you to have a clearer grasp on how much time you have in the day and what activities you will have the chance to do. The structure established from a morning routine is simple and valuable not to mention allows you to adjust to your everyday situation.

The same time, same tasks and same order enables your body to awaken and become accustomed. Afterwards, your clearer mind found through the simplicity and normality of your routine will set you up for success. You start your day with an intention and effectively stop your day getting away from you!

Completing these simple repeated motions everyday puts you in a mindset of doing. If you have already put your mind to journaling, jogging, yoga or whatever makes up your routine, you make the step to accomplishing other tasks throughout the day seems much simpler. You complete the routine and you are more inclined to feel ready to complete more. I find that I have more energy because I feel my morning routine leads to getting things done.

Morning routines increase productivity. Dedicating time in your day for a wake-up tradition encourages you to organise your time and find your priorities. It is similar to taking regular breaks when working on a problem as it allows you to refresh and reassess, and not getting stuck on a task for 3 stagnant hours. As with many things in life, small changes compound to make big differences. Don’t underestimate the power of a simple routine and its effect on the other parts of your day.

There is something quite calming about morning routines. Having confidence and certainty in how your day starts is a relaxing thought and who doesn’t want to start their day off comfortably? It is natural for humans to worry a lot and it seems sometimes that we are constantly thinking. Giving ourselves permission in the mornings to take time just for ourself is impactful. Start your day off with you in charge and use the opportunity to reflect. Morning routines remind you that the day doesn’t control you but you have the power in your responses.

Reducing stress levels is a key benefit of morning routines. It is a time to become grounded and do what you want to do without needing to do something urgently. Spend more time in the important but not urgent category of the Eisenhower's matrix.

Ok you should be convinced that morning routines are important...

Building a holistic morning routine of course is ideal. But really what this looks like is developing a balance between the mental, physical and spiritual aspects. Here are a few simple activities that you can add to your morning routine for inspiration:

Mental:
goal setting, to-do lists, reading
Physical:
running/jogging, walk, yoga, stretching
Spiritual:
meditation, mindfulness, journaling, calling a friend

From trial and error, I have found a morning routine that works well for me. I wake up at 7am (it may seem early but surprisingly my body likes this time), stretch for 15 minutes followed by 10 minutes of meditation before exercising for about an hour. In this way, I have time to power up for the day and give myself the opportunity to become centered and more thoughtful – which is a must when living in a house with 4 other people. My morning routine is the reason I feel enthused to take on the day and do, having already accomplished a few simple goals that I have included in my wake-up.

So all in all, make it your morning routine. Don’t be afraid to try something different to see what really works for you. Remember that you need to make this time for you and focus on what you want to do. Try to avoid using technology to check emails or social media because your mind will go down a rabbit hole with all the instant news. Define your happiness in your own way and start. If you haven’t started already, tomorrow make morning routines a regular part of your day.

I would love to hear about any of your morning routines so do comment below and we can compare.