In this article, you will learn how to start your day off right, including how to create a morning routine that works for you.
First, I am going to discuss what it means to start your day off right.
Then, I’m going to give you 19 morning routine tips to help you start your day on the right foot.
What it Means to Start Your Day Off Right
Before diving into the 19 morning routine tips, let’s go over what you are likely looking for when you want to know “how to start your day off right.”
Here is what most people want to get out of a morning routine:
- Energy: Feel energized for the day ahead.
- Productivity: Accomplish useful things.
- Preparedness: Prepare yourself mentally, emotionally, and physically to succeed that day.
- Health: Get positive health benefits.
- Happiness: Enjoy the process of the morning routine itself.
- Balance: Don’t do too much that you become overwhelmed.
With that in mind, let’s get to the 19 morning routine tips for how to start your day off right.
19 Morning Routine Tips to Start Your Day Off Right
Tip #1: Get a Good Sleep the Night Before
Let’s start with an obvious one, but one that is so important that I have to mention it – get a good night’s rest (usually defined as at least 8 hours).
Having a good night’s sleep is going to energize you for the day. It also has enormous health benefits, both mentally and physically.
Tip #2: Wake Up at the Best Time for You
There are some advantages to waking up early, and you will hear many people recommend it.
I personally started getting up earlier and it has been a huge plus in helping me start my day off right.
That said, it is much more important to choose the best time to wake up for YOU.
If you are a natural night owl and you try to force yourself to get up far earlier than you can, it might not be the right choice for you.
Here are a few factors to consider when deciding what time to get up:
- What time you go to bed: If you want to wake up at 5am you will need to go to bed around 9pm to get enough sleep. And that might not work for some people.
- Whether you can wake up at that time and be energized/motivated: If you try to force yourself to wake up early and you are too tired to do your morning routine, then any advantages of waking up early aren’t relevant.
- What times you are least likely to be distracted: Try to schedule your morning routine when it’s easier for you to focus and there are less distractions around.
Tip #3: Don’t Make Your Morning Routine Too Difficult or Complex
Don’t make a morning routine that is too difficult to follow through with in practice.
It might look good on paper, but if it’s not realistic to do on a day-to-day basis, it’s not going to be very helpful for you.
Tip #4: Make Your Morning Routine as Enjoyable as Possible
You want to start your day on a positive note. So, you don’t want to make your morning routine a miserable experience.
If you can develop a morning routine that is enjoyable, it will be far easier for you to follow through with it every day. Plus, you will be a whole lot happier during it.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying you need to have a hedonistic morning.
You want to do some things which are productive.
And some of those things won’t be pleasurable in the traditional sense (intense exercise, meditation, etc.).
But as much as possible, you want to create a morning routine you like. And you don’t want to load it up with a bunch of stuff you hate.
Tip #5: Reward Yourself to Keep You Motivated
One way to keep you motivated to continue your morning routine is to reward yourself.
For example, you may treat yourself to a good breakfast after doing some of the harder stuff in your routine.
An even more powerful way to incentivize yourself is to work on developing intrinsic rewards.
Intrinsic rewards are benefits you get from doing something that come from within.
For example, exercising because you like doing it, and not just because of the tangible benefits you get (building muscle, looking better, etc.).
There is nothing wrong with seeking out extrinsic rewards too.
But intrinsic rewards are particularly powerful because they are more likely to lead to long-term self-discipline and happiness.
Tip #6: Your Morning Routine Can Be as Long or as Short as You Need it to Be
There is no “perfect length” you need to develop a good morning routine.
Your morning routine can be as long or short as necessary based on your schedule and what elements you decide to include in it.
Length only matters in that you don’t want to make it so long that it messes up your other plans.
Tip #7: Hold off on Anything That Might Distract You
One thing that has helped me is to wait to do certain potentially distracting things until after my morning routine is over.
Here are some things you might consider waiting to do until after your morning routine:
- Going on social media
- Watching YouTube
- Playing video games
- Looking at your phone (side note, if you have trouble with this, check out this article on how to cure your phone addiction!)
If you use any of these things in a productive manner that’s great – but if they are potential distractions, you might want to hold off until after your morning routine is over.
Otherwise, those distractions may cause you to delay your morning routine or even skip it altogether.
I personally avoid some of these things in the morning, like not watching YouTube or playing games. But not all of them.
It’s up to you to make the call as to what things are worth cutting out in the morning to start your day with more focus.
Recommended articles:
Tip #8: Make Your Plans Ahead of Time
One of the best ways to start your day off right is to plan out your goals ahead of time. That way you wake up knowing exactly what you plan to do that day.
If you have a clear idea of what you want to accomplish already written down, you are much more likely to follow through with your plans.
I recommend keeping a to-do list with your regular schedule in it. That schedule should include your plans for the morning routine itself, as well as what you want to accomplish later in the day.
Tip #9: Prioritize Your Goals
Not only do you want to have your goals planned and written down, you also want to prioritize them.
People often ask me why they are motivated at night but not in the morning.
The biggest reason is usually that they make all these ambitious plans the night before, but then they wake up in the morning and get overwhelmed and give up.
You are much better off setting more moderate plans for your day, which you can realistically follow through with.
In the long run, those less extreme plans will add up and lead to exponential returns.
Tip #10: Keep Your Routine Consistent
One of the best ways to start your day off right is to have a well thought out routine that you stick with for the long haul.
Sure, every once in a while, you can make an adjustment. But you don’t want to constantly tweak things searching for that “perfect morning routine.”
If you change things up too often, you won’t stick with anything long enough to see the real benefits.
Also note, that “consistent” doesn’t mean you necessarily have to do the same thing every day. Just that you should try to follow a preset pattern.
For example, I work out only on certain days of the week. So, my routine is slightly different on workout days vs. non-workout days.
Stuff like that is totally fine. If you have some degree of logic and regularity to it, you will be good.
Bonus Tip: Try Listening to Affirmations
This one is optional, but can be highly effective for some people (and if the right affirmations are chosen).
Affirmations help you feel more positively about things, which makes it easier to tackle the tasks that lie ahead.
Additionally, they allow you to challenge self-defeating thoughts.
Read more about affirmations and get over 50 positive affirmations for self-discipline & focus (in video & text formats).
Tip #11: Don’t Feel Guilty if You Procrastinate a Little
Don’t feel guilty if you procrastinate.
Learning how to stop procrastinating is an important thing to work on. But it’s going to happen sometimes and feeling guilty about it will just make it worse.
If you miss part of your routine or get delayed, the best thing to do is to forgive yourself, move on, and try to get back on track.
Tip #12: Determine When You Are Most Energized and Do the Hardest Tasks at That Time
Are you thinking about adding something difficult into your morning routine?
If you are, consider what time of the day you are most energized.
There are a lot of pros to starting with the hardest tasks when you are most energized.
- If you are at your best in the morning, that may be a good time for you to start with something hard.
- On the other hand, if you aren’t at your highest energy in the morning (e.g., if you are a night person), then you might be better off waiting to do those harder tasks until later.
The one potential exception to this if “waiting until later,” means you are going to end up putting it off and not getting it done at all.
Tip #13: Exercise is Incredibly Important – But Whether You do it in the Morning is Up to You
Exercise is critical for your health. But WHEN you exercise is entirely up to you.
What matters most is that you schedule your workouts when you are most likely to follow through with them.
If that’s the morning – great.
But if you prefer afternoons or evenings, that’s cool too.
The same thing applies whether we are talking about weightlifting, running on the treadmill, yoga, stretching, light morning walks, etc.
If your routine requires you to do squats at 4am, but you can’t stick with that routine for more than a week – it’s useless. Whether or not there is any real advantage to the time restriction the routine calls for.
At the end of the day, it is much more important that you exercise at some point as opposed to what time you exercise.
Side note – If you are interested in more on exercise, check out my article on how to stick to a workout schedule.
Tip #14: Eat the Foods That Fit Within Your Overall Diet Plan, Which You Like, and Which Energize You
When it comes to breakfast, as well as morning drinks, there are 3 things to factor in:
- Whether the foods/drinks fit within your overall diet plan
- If you have enough energy in the morning to have a productive start to your day (with or without certain foods/drinks)
- Whether you like the foods/drinks
For example:
- If you like coffee, it energizes you, and/or it aligns with your overall diet goals – go ahead and have it.
- If you don’t like coffee, it doesn’t energize you, and/or it doesn’t fit within your diet goals – don’t have it.
Same deal with every other food/drink you can think of.
Tip #15: Drink Water
One exception to my above “do what is best for you” advice for what you eat in the morning is drinking water.
Getting adequately hydrated has huge positive health benefits for everyone, including improving energy levels and brain function
Drinking water is pretty much a no-brainer, and will make it easier to start your day off on the right foot.
Tip #16: Brush Your Teeth and Floss
I couldn’t leave this out despite it being obvious. This is required!
Tip #17: Hold off on Things Which Could Demotivate You
You are definitely not going to start your day off right if you do something that demotivates you first thing in the morning.
I like to avoid anything that could mentally discourage or demotivate me for the first few hours of the day.
That way, at least I’ve gotten something productive out of the way before I risk getting sad or demoralized.
Here are a few examples of things you might consider waiting until after your morning routine to do:
- Looking at social media accounts where people may have said negative things that make you upset
- Having a difficult conversation with someone about something that could lead to conflict
- Spending time thinking about a particularly stressful or tough situation
Of course, there is also an argument to get some of these things out of the way, so you don’t have to worry about them the rest of the day.
There are certainly some things like that which I prefer to knock off early.
But for other things, I know that I am likely to get stressed out or thrown off a bit emotionally afterwards.
And I usually prefer to start my day off on a positive note. Then later, when I’ve gathered some momentum, I can take on the potentially stressful stuff.
Of course, it’s not always possible to push these things off, I totally get that. But when you have the option, it’s something worth considering.
Tip #18: Clear Your Head
Do whatever you need to clear your head to be well prepared mentally and emotionally to handle the day ahead.
Things that you can consider adding to your morning routine that put you in the right mindset for the day ahead:
- Meditation
- Taking a shower
- Reading
- Quiet time (sitting and reflecting on things without any other distractions)
All these are important things to consider doing at some point during the day. But it’s completely up to you whether you do them in the morning.
Speaking of which…
Tip #19: Create the Morning Routine Which is Best FOR YOU
I’ve said this a few times throughout this article, but it’s so important it deserves its own tip.
At the end of the day, a morning routine is a personal thing. In order to start your day off right, you need to create the morning routine which is best for YOU.
Not what is best for someone else.
There is a lot of ultra-specific advice out there on what you need to do to have a good morning routine and start the day off right. Things like:
You HAVE TO:
- Do yoga
- Drink lemon water
- Mediate for exactly 30 minutes
- Etc.
Don’t get me wrong, some of the specific things people recommend might be worth considering.
But they aren’t things everybody has to do in every situation. And certainly, aren’t things you have to do first thing in the morning.
At the end of the day, it’s up to you to pick and choose the details of what morning routine works best for you.
Conclusion
I hope the tips outlined in this article help you develop your ideal morning routine.
And that they make it easier for you to start your day off right.
Get a Free Editable Checklist to Plan Your Morning Routine!
If you want additional help planning your morning routine, I put together an editable PDF template, where you can fill out YOUR plan.
This checklist pairs primarily with my article on How to Change the Habit of Sleeping Late, which you may be interested in.
It includes checklists for your morning and night routines, as well as behaviors you want to cut out.
You’ll also get access to my newsletter, that focuses on how to build self-discipline.
