I remember my ‘best morning routine‘ a couple of years ago as a student. Skip lectures, sleep until 11 AM and then meeting my friends for a ‘morning’ coffee or lunch.

And just like that, the morning’s over.

I used to consider myself as a night owl, so that didn’t bother me at all back then.

Later on, as I got older and older, I decided to start getting up earlier because I’ve noticed I have more energy throughout the day when I don’t sleep in.

I was kind of turning into a morning person.

But still, not a day went by without the snooze button (I had too hit that button at least three times just to be sure, haha) and not a single morning did I wake up before the alarm. I wasn’t happy about it.

But in those last 5 years, especially after getting myself into starting my own business, I started to see how time has become more and more valuable thing to me.

Those of us who are seeking success and want something more of our lives don’t want to sleep in. That’s not in the daily schedule of a successful and productive person. So when that happened I felt an enormous guilt.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that you should never sleep in. You need a lazy day! 

When I realized I want to have a different lifestyle as the majority of people around me I started following various Youtube channels on Personal Development and there was a video talking about how important it is to have a morning routine. What the hell is that?

The first thing I learned why morning and not any other part of the day:

The answer is in our brain.

Effective learning is easier to take place by just after waking as this is the time of day when the prefrontal cortex is most active.  A scientific study of brain circuits confirmed that this creative activity is highest during and immediately after sleep, while the analytical parts of the brain (the editing and proofreading parts) become more active as the day goes on.

The study looked at morning and evening MRI scans and observed that mornings showed more connections in the brain—a key element to the creative process.

Conclusion: Creativity peaks in the morning as the creative connections in our brains are most active.

As the years went by I was suddenly turning into a morning person. (I just turned 30 so it’s not because I’m old, haha)

As it turns out all of us can be a morning person if we decide to be and stick to it. We just don’t realize that because we have a habit of staying up late. We convinced ourselves that this is what’s best for us but it’s only a habit.

And habits can luckily be changed!

Try it. But if you have no desire to, at least make yourself an evening routine before going to sleep. Now that I think of it, that really isn’t such a bad idea.

If you really must sleep until noon and you still don’t feel like a zombie when you wake up, then turn your morning routine into a noon routine.

But if you want to build a habit of starting a day with a morning routine because you believe you have a good shot at getting things finally done, then go on.

Sure there are people who like to stay up late and others rather go to sleep earlier. Of course, not everyone has the same habits. But our brains have more or less the same process as you can see. We can’t argue with science!

I know that for sure now because as I started practicing waking up earlier and doing tasks I would normally do in the evening and late at night, the results of my work were of much higher quality, the work was done faster!

So at this moment, you should ask yourself. Who do you want to become? Do you want to be successful and productive? Is time valuable to you?

If yes, then congratulations. You’re on the right track to becoming a better version of yourself.

First, let’s talk about few rules you should consider when creating a morning routine:

Rule number 1:  Morning routine should start a night before.

Go to bed early. When I say early I don’t mean at 9 PM (although many successful people do that). As for me, the ideal time is 11 PM. At least go to bed before midnight.

Your day will be twice as productive if you go to sleep before midnight than after midnight. This has been proven to me many times during the last couple of years.

Use that time before going to bed and think about what you have accomplished throughout the day and how did your morning routine helped you with that.

Rule number 2:  Wake up at 5 AM (or 6 or 7 or 8 AM).

Doesn’t matter really as long as you stay consistent and wake up every day at a similar hour. This will be your first accomplishment.

(Side note: Make sure 8 AM is your latest choice)

Your next accomplishment will happen when you wake up every day at similar hour without the alarm.

If you face huge difficulties with getting out of bed and always fight battles with yourself whether you should get up or stay in bed a little bit longer, let someone else help you with this.

EXAMPLE: Ask someone to wake you up and kick you out of bed. I used to ask my mom to call me each morning (silly I know) so when I answered the phone and talked to her it was a lot easier to get up. Now my boyfriend and my friends are also in charge of that sometimes. I do the same for them when they need me.D

Rule number 3:  Pick a day of the week to sleep in like a baby.

After all, we’re only human. ‘Nough said here.

And finally, here is my TOP morning routine EVER!

My favorite morning routine

Wake up at 7.30.

Drink a glass of water.

Make my bed.

(I already celebrate my small success of achieving the first two tasks.)

A 30-60 minute run.

(I make sure to prepare my running clothes close to my bed the night before.)

When I am finished running I feel so happy and proud of this accomplishment. At that moment I know my day is going to be great.

Prepare coffee. (mmm, coffee) 

Eat breakfast.

(usually oats+bananas+milk/cottage cheese or sometimes bread+eggs or sometimes even an ordinary sandwich).

As my coffee is still hot I go for a quick shower and start drinking coffee feeling fresh and clean and energetic already.

I then grab my current book and read about 15 pages and take notes if I have to while reading. If I don’t read a book I write a to-do list for the day or write down additional ideas for my business.

I watch one or two motivational videos from Youtube.

Write a to-do list for the whole day (Many times I do that the night before but not always).

Write 3 things I am grateful for that day.

And that’s it. After that, my work begins, usually at 10 AM. I do some tutoring related or blog related stuff, whichever is planned for that day. I always have either a blog day or a tutoring day. It is really important for me not to mix those two in the same day as it gets overwhelming managing both in the same day.

So here are 10 most effective and fun ideas you can incorporate into your morning routine and it’s all up to your interest and imagination how you combine them.

It’s all up to your interest and imagination how you combine them.

If all of this is a bit overwhelming to you than I suggest you choose one or two and just start with them. Eventually, you can always add more.

1. Take a shower each morning.

Good old shower. Always wakes you up and runs blood through your body and take your energy to a higher level.

2. Do yoga or stretching or any other physical activity for that matter.

It doesn’t have to be a longlasting activity if that’s going to keep you motivated. Even 15 minutes every day is enough and as time goes you’ll probably want to increase activity time eventually.

3. Do something creative.

Some people just like to write, create a bullet journal. Others tend to draw in mornings. And the rest just can’t stop coloring. I am all of those people. Writing is my number one activity but when I get the urge for coloring, nothing else can beat it.

4. Write affirmations.

If you don’t have any ideas on what to write, even one simple ‘you are great’ can improve your entire day.

5. Listen to podcasts or audiobooks.

I am more of a reader myself but I know plenty of people who can’t stand reading and instead they listen to audiobooks. I must admit, I’ve been meaning to try listening to these while driving but I haven’t got to it yet.

6. Turn on your favourite music and dance your way into the noon!

Or…you know….you can just dance for an hour or so. Got a little carried away here, sorry …

I just love those dancing mornings even though they don’t happen often. When your body wants to dance, then let it dance!

7. Hit the gym. Or go swimming (hmmm…I wanna try that)

8. Stay away from your phone and avoid social media.

Seriously, spending your time in the morning on social media checking on other people’s lives is proven to be one of the main reasons people are so unsatisfied with their lives.

9. Use your extra morning time to bake something.

10. If you’re one of those who loves to clean…

Don’t be surprised, a lot of people is absolutely in love with cleaning and organizing. Sure, organizing is great but cleaning? Nah. I clean because I love living, working and creating surrounded by clean environment. It makes me feel cozy and comfortable and happy.

And I admit it happens when I’m in a right mood, I absolutely enjoy cleaning. And sometimes it works like a therapy. I said sometimes. Most of the time I clean for the reasons I mentioned above.

But there are people who love cleaning because of cleaning itself. What about you? Are you that type?

If yes, let it be part of your morning routine. If no, let it be anyways because this way you won’t have to do everything at once.

Block an hour (or 30 min) of each day to do a certain thing.

Your house will always be clean and this way you won’t feel the pressure of doing everything in one day.

If you are just the organizing type (though organizing is not in my daily routine there is always room in my life for it) then pick something you’ll work on. For instance; papers, computer folders or data, photos, kitchen accessories, clothes, shoes, furniture, etc.

Besides a strong feeling of satisfaction and sense of accomplishment, organizing makes us feel like we cleared and reorganized our own heads. Agree?

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