Morning routines used to be something treasured by the uber organized alone. Thanks to the information age, nuggets of wisdom such as these are being spread far and wide. Soon everyone will be abreast in the view that these simple habits, clustered into a morning routine that sets you onto the right foot everyday, when properly structured and maintained, are the very bedrock of sustained success.
If you’ve been wondering how to create a successful morning routine, what the best morning routines for success look like, or need some ideas to incorporate into your very own morning ritual, I hope this article and free checklist helps you.
I’m not your classic “successful” person, yet I’ve achieved a lot, so I have a unique spin on success routines.
I’ve been around the goal block a few times. I travelled all around the world (starting in my teens), worked for Michelin starred chefs to do so (without having any training), I challenged a university entrance exam without high school to not only be accepted but graduated in first class standing from a grueling double degree, I’ve now lived on 5 continents (not visited, lived), started 2 successful businesses without a lick of knowledge and run 3 websites without any tech acumen. Not to mention, I’m pretty damn laid back in nature. That is, unless I really care about something.
I’m not a constant go-getter on breakneck speed that can shut out curiousity, distractions, emotional ups and downs, and go get ’em mindless and without a question. That is not me. I am anxious and don’t want to ruffle feathers, I’m paralyzed by emotional challenges, I prefer dinner out and a hot soak with sparkling wine to pretty much anything in the world, with pizza and Netflix coming in a close second. The only thing that keeps me achieving these big goals is that I have my fingers on the pulse of my purpose that pushes me to figure out how to hack my own self into landing these major achievements.
Related: My Biggest Keys to Success
In hindsight, I believe MY PURPOSE is to figure out how anyone can live to their fullest potential regardless of the personality or family or circumstances they were born into. From the vantage point of everything that I know now, I believe there are two ways you can achieve high success: being in survival mode or having excellent routines.
Spoiler alert: being in survival mode isn’t a reliable source of longterm productivity. From someone who’s battled (and even conquered) severe, life-long anxiety — I really don’t recommend it as a modus to creating success!
Related: 8 Best Resources for Overcoming Challenges
Let’s dive into my four classic pillars of the best morning routines for success.
I’ve done a metric tonne of research on what it means to be successful (happiness, health & wealth) and how people who truly attain the Aristotelian “Good Life” get it (their beliefs, systems & behaviour). I’ve also had many seemingly unachievable goals to test them out on and more than my share of pitfalls (think intergenerational trauma, mental health issues and discrimination)to throw them up against.
Get your free Checklist and Tracker to create your very own Morning Routine for Success.
Time and time again, I find that a good morning (and evening) routine is INTEGRAL to a life of success. I call it my “bookending” technique whereby it really doesn’t matter how high the pile of crap, or climb, you have sandwiched into the middle of your day — you’ve got yourself covered and propped up from both ends consistently. Of the two, I’d have to say morning routines are the most pivotal to success. The most successful people in the world agree.
1. Wake up Early
This is the most shared morning habit of the 340 successful people interviewed in the book “My Morning Habit”. The statistics hold up. Most highly successful people wake up quite a bit earlier than they need to.
I currently get out of bed at 3:45AM 3 days a week so that I can do my morning routine with my partner before he goes off to work. We live far in the country and need to drive 1.5hrs return to a trail run and gym combo. These are extreme conditions and by no means something I want to continue. It is a temporary commitment he has right now and our routine is that important that we get our matcha heated up and get our butts in the car by 4AM.
One reason I believe this is so integral to the best morning routines for success is that the wee hours give your mind space to think clearly.
It may sound a bit ephemeral, but you know that feeling when you wake up early and it’s just *quiet*. It’s more than just the absence of sound. It’s the near complete absence of other people’s consciousness. In the earliest hours of the day, the brightest minds can let their best ideas breathe.
My key to achieving this habit:
We are getting up earlier than we have to in order to maintain the habits we prioritize. All you need to do is get up earlier for what you prioritize. This is going to be individual to your situation, and I sincerely hope it doesn’t mean 3:45AM.
2. Sweat & Movement
Breaking a sweat in the morning is another major player on the list of best morning routines held by successful people. I used to do yoga at sunrise when I travelled through Asia studying Eastern philosophy. This was my first introduction to a morning routine. It did wonders for my development. I went to Asia a lost soul and a year later, with only a good morning routine and some brilliant insights, I emerged a person with a purpose and a way to achieve my goals (aside from being in fight or flight mode)!
I now prefer a sweat-sesh to relaxing yoga, but having done many a hot yoga classes myself I know that if you want a sweat from yoga, you can get one!
I feel that getting a sweat on in the morning, pushing myself to exertion on a regular basis, relieves a lot of stress and, perhaps even more importantly, increases my energy levels quite a lot.
It sounds bananas, but truly the more energy you use, the more energy you create. Highly successful people are not pooped by mid afternoon. They can’t be. They have mad challenges to surmount and high stress situations to handle, plus they have excellent relationships to maintain outside of work and many activities to be enjoyed on the weekend. You better bet your butt they need a lot of energy to maintain this!
My key to achieving this habit:
Set yourself up to succeed. Right now, for my 3:45AM starts, I lay my workout clothes out on a designated chair, I pack my bag completely the night before, I make my smoothie and put it in the fridge, so all I have to do is groggily slip on my gear and walk out the door (my partner trailing me with hot matcha to reward my a*s for getting up). Make it easy, make it pleasurable.
3. Straight, Nutritious Breakfast
Nutrition is another major part of keeping feuled for high success. I read once that a lot of models eat the exact same breakfast everyday. In my research, I found that it was true. Not only that, I found that many CEOs and business owners also have this habit of a straight, predictable, nutritious breakfast everyday. For us, it’s smoothies in the summer and a jacked-up oatmeal whenever we are in colder climates (which hasn’t been often in the past 5 years)!
Having the same breakfast everyday not only ensures you get really good nutrition (like the supermodels who maintain this habit do), but you also cut out having to think about anything other than *your day* first thing (like the CEOs with this morning routine appreciate).
My key to achieving this habit:
Choose a breakfast with well balanced macros. I choose smoothies for some wholefood carbs in the fruit, a substantial protein hit from a supplement, and even a bit of fat from milk when I use it. Same goes for the jacked up oats. I add protein to the mix, maybe some fruit, and a dash of peanut butter for that fat-yum in the colder months.
4. Mindset & Anchoring
Here we get to the harder-to-grasp but still absolutely crucial (and epic) morning habit behind truly successful people: their mindset work and anchoring to their goals. This can take the form of so many different activities. From pulling affirmations from a special box, to going over your schedule for the day, week or month (sometimes even year). I like the blended habits of reading something inspiring coupled with journalling about my goals for the day, week, month and going over my schedule.
Belief is perhaps simultaneously the most underrated and overrated habit in a successful morning routine. Some people claim it’s all you need while others say nothing matters but hard work. I’d say the truth is somewhere in-between.
I’m not big into the “law of attraction” per se. Especially because it was essentially ripped, word for word, from a very respectable book about success called “Think and Grow Rich”. In this book there are many, (16 to be exact) other, equally important aspects of success alongside believing in yourself which many (hundreds) of highly respected and highly successful people agreed upon at the time of writing. Nonetheless, believing in your dreams is somewhat akin to a bit of magic. Whether it’s because it affects the way you behave, or how much you can convince others to support you, or that you actually attract more opportunity to you, the truth is: it’s and important factor of success. It’s how the madman gets away with something of an obvious con. The power of belief is pretty awesome.
What better way to make sure your mindset and beliefs are on straight than to have a routine clearing and straightening each day?!
My key to achieving this habit:
I read people’s books who’ve achieved things I want to achieve. It puts me on their level. Then, I use a journalling technique that anchors me to what it is that I’m working towards every day and relieves my tension around how big my goals actually are. It clarifies my priorities and let’s me get to work. This is going to be personal to the way you work and what you want. Meditation is a very popular approach to this habit and it’s included in many, if not most, of the best morning routines for success on the planet today!
Don’t forget to claim your free checklist that makes setting up, and sticking with, your very own morning routine for success, a cinch.
