8 Best Morning Routines of Highly Successful People
They say if you win the morning, you win the day and they’re right. Mornings are the best time to set the tone for the rest of your day. That’s why having a successful morning routine is a non-negotiable for you to achieve the results you want.
As you work hard to realize your goals and dreams, you may be looking for quick fixes and shortcuts to help you on the journey. But these won’t take you far. Routines and habits are the best way to achieve great success. They also make you a better person who is organized, walking with purpose, confident, and has a work-life balance.
Successful entrepreneurs and leaders have an early start to the day and use the morning for creativity, focus, and personal growth. The 8 Best Morning Routines of Highly Successful People help you increase your productivity and clarity.
These routines of successful people are just a guide. You need to factor in your context and situation and see what your own morning routine could look like.
Why you need a consistent morning routine
Before we get to understand why a morning routine is important let’s first understand the difference between habits and routines.
Habits are the behaviors we’re not aware we’re doing. It’s things that you do unconsciously and automatically. For example, brushing your teeth before you go to bed, driving your car, or drinking water after a meal.
Routines take a deliberate and conscious effort. They’re not automatic. For example, engaging in physical activity. Walking is a habit that we do on autopilot but jogging and exercising is an effort.
Most people who are night owls often think “I’m just not a morning person.” But this can be a self-limiting belief. A great way to look at it is to understand the benefits of an early start and change your thinking.
Tell yourself “I’m excited to try something new that will transform my day.” Our thoughts and words are powerful and they affect our attitudes and behavior.
Routines save you time. Instead of spending much time thinking about what you need to do and wasting precious time, when you have a consistent routine you know exactly what do to. This increases your productivity and makes you more efficient.
A consistent morning routine helps you take action to reach your goals and dreams. They give you room for more creativity, gratitude, and innovation.
An early wake-up time gives you quality time before the workday starts. You get time to reflect on the previous day and plan for the rest of your day. A morning routine helps you prioritize your well-being and start the day on a positive and confident note.
If you are not intentional about how you start your day it negatively affects the rest of the day. Morning routines just like evening routines help you establish healthy, meaningful, and productive ways of starting the day.
Remember your routine should be non-negotiable. Guard this time fiercely.
8 Best Morning Routines of Highly Successful People
Discipline happens daily. You have to daily make the choice to be disciplined because that is what is going to get you to your ultimate goal.
A person who is not disciplined is a lazy person. Period. People who choose discipline feed their drive and desire. They feed their purpose. So choose today to become that disciplined person one habit at a time.
In this article, we explore the 8 Best Morning Routines of Highly Successful People that will inspire you to create your own routines and new habits. The aim is not perfection but progress. You can start with one routine at a time and once it’s established add another and another. Let’s dive in.
Prepare the night before
Research shows that adults make an average of 33,000-35,000 daily decisions daily. That’s a staggering number. The end result is we are drained emotionally and mentally and it slows down our mornings.
Making decisions the night before ensures a better morning with reduced stress and decisions to be made.
Preparing for the following day helps you focus on meaningful work in the morning. So what can you prepare? Plan your outfits for the day and lay them out on a desk or hang them in your closet.
You can also pick out your accessories. Pack your bag for work, your kid’s bags for school, meals, and snacks for the day ahead to ensure they’re healthy.
Another good way to have a productive day is to take time in the evening to make a to-do list of 3-5 priorities for the following day. This helps to motivate you and directs your focus. Again this reduces the number of decisions you make in the morning so you’re ready to start the day.
The good news is all these decisions can take as little as 5 minutes but they are game changers.
They Incorporate Morning Exercise
Most of the world’s most successful people move around in the morning. Vogue’s editor-in-chief Anna Wintour starts the day with an hour-long tennis match and co-founder and former CEO of Twitter Jack Dorsey goes for a run and takes a cold shower afterwards to get ready for the day.
Successful individuals go to the gym to boost their energy levels and reduce stress. Even a 10-minute morning exercise on your treadmill, a brisk walk around the block, or yoga will get your blood flowing and improve your vitality.
Physical activity is good for your cardiovascular system and great for your mental and physical health. The fresh air and morning light you get to trigger the production of serotonin and give you more energy for the day.
It also promotes mental clarity for a productive morning and day. Along with exercise, it’s also important to drink water and keep your body hydrated.
Being an early riser will lead to success
Being an early bird is a daily routine that successful people have. Apple CEO Tim Cook and former First Lady Michelle Obama, wake up well before dawn to have a quiet and productive time before the day begins.
Having an hour or two in the morning leads to improved focus and productivity and regulates your circadian rhythm, which can lead to better hormone regulation and metabolism.
An early morning also gives you extra time to incorporate good habits into your day. This is especially important when you have small children because you can accomplish daily tasks without interruption.
Gratitude and Meditation
A new day gives you a fresh start and is a gift from God. You can take a few moments to express your gratitude to God through journaling and prayer. Engaging in meditation when you wake up is also a good idea.
These important ways of taking care of your mental health and well-being lead you to clear the mind, bring a sense of calm and focus, and sets the tone for a positive, peaceful, and productive day. Reflection is key as you get to measure the progress towards your goals and make adjustments if you need to.
The morning routine of successful people like Richard Branson, Tony Robbins, and Media mogul Oprah Winfrey includes either writing in a journal, setting intentions, or expressing gratitude.
Meditation and mindfulness which help to control anxiety and stress, and boost self-awareness is a good morning routine that Arianna Huffington the Founder and CEO of Thrive Global practices.
Reading is a morning routine of highly successful people
Reading even for a small amount of time is a powerful and transformative morning ritual that the likes of former president Barack Obama, Warren Buffett, and Bill Gates do.
It allows you to nourish your mind by stimulating the brain, ignite your creativity learn new skills, and expand your knowledge and understanding of the world around you.
Whether you read fiction, non-fiction, or personal development books in the morning when your brain is still fresh and relaxed, you improve your concentration and memory and set a positive tone for the day.
Eat a nutritious breakfast
Eating nutritious meals in the morning gives you a great start to the day. It fuels your body and mind, boosts your energy levels, and improves your mood, concentration, and metabolism. Indeed, you should never skip breakfast because when you do, it makes you tired and irritable.
A healthy breakfast with protein, whole grains, fruit, and slow-release carbohydrates like oatmeal are good options that will keep you full for hours. This prepares you for a successful day.
If you’re late and don’t have a lot of time, a smoothie is a great idea. You are what you eat so making a conscious effort to eat healthy, energy-boosting, brain-friendly options with essential nutrients will lead to a positive outcome in the long term.
Do the important tasks first
“If the first thing you do each morning is to eat a live frog, you can go through the day with the satisfaction of knowing that that is probably the worst thing that is going to happen to you all day long.”
Mark Twain
The “frog” in this case is that one important task you’re dreading the most because it’s large and looming over you. Doing the most important things first can help you start your day with a sense of accomplishment and motivate you to achieve your personal goals.
It helps you overcome procrastination as well and makes the rest of the day feel lighter. Your chances of sticking to your goals increase because you’re able to prioritize your tasks better.
Avoid spending time on your phone
You may be tempted to reach for your phone as soon as you wake up. But once you start checking emails, messages, and social media in the early hours of the morning, you might find yourself scrolling for hours and losing track of valuable time.
Phones are a distraction that can quickly steal your focus. When you avoid spending time on your phone first you reduce your stress levels and anxiety. Social media exposes you to negativity and conflict and this can affect your mood for the rest of the day.
Focus on important things first like building an effective morning routine then you can reach for that phone. People who choose discipline feed their drive and desire.
My Morning Routine
I’m going to take you behind the scenes into my morning routine. The first thing I try to do when I wake up is thank God for a new day!
When we start our day in gratitude, we naturally exude more joy. When I wake up in the morning, I’m thankful for another chance. I’m thankful for the roof over my head. I’m thankful to be doing what I love. What are some things you’re thankful for today?
I don’t have a normal 9-5 job. I do much of my work from home, so I could easily just sleep in and take my time getting up. But any day I do that, I’m more groggy and less productive. I normally set my alarm clock (between 5-6 a.m.), and I get up when it goes off.
I will let it snooze once as I adjust to the morning hours, but that’s it. Then I immediately get out of bed, sometimes even before the snooze goes off.
Me Time
Then it’s time to head into the bathroom where my workout attire is set out on the counter. Sometimes I wear it to bed, sometimes I leave it out, it just depends. But if I have it ready to go, then I make less excuses for getting my workout done. I get dressed and head out to the living room to spend some time alone before I go for my morning run.
I have three boys, so to get my quiet time, I have to discipline myself to get up early. I’m not a night owl, so I’m in bed before they are half the time. I know after 8 p.m. I’m going to be useless. That’s just me. You can ask my friends. I’m the party pooper. If it’s going to go later than 10 p.m., count me out!
In my first hour or two, I read the Word of God, pray, journal, and read a personal growth book. I take time to just sit and think, visualize what I want my day to look like, and visualize my goals. I speak my affirmations, promises about who I am, and things I want to be true in my life. These are key pieces to my daily routine and discipline.
Workout Routine
When my quiet time is done, I head out the door for my run. Sometimes I’m headed to the gym to lift, but I love running and there are so many life lessons you can draw from it. Usually, my workouts take about an hour, give or take.
Now, here’s the thing. I also choose not to listen to music while I run. I put on an audio or podcast about success and work on my personal development. It makes me feel extra productive!
So many ideas or revelations come to me while I’m out on my run. Many of my writing or video ideas are thought up while hitting the pavement. Much of this comes from choosing to listen to spiritual, business, or personal growth audio rather than iTunes.
When I get home from my workout, I feel energized and ready to go for the day. Exercise just makes you feel so good and motivated to do things.
I’ve got my endorphins ramped up, and like Elle says on Legally Blonde, “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don’t kill their husbands, they just don’t!” I love that movie!!
OK, so that’s somewhat humorous, but let me tell you, when I miss a workout or two, my boys and hubby notice. I’m less energetic and a bit more edgy. I call myself a crabby bear. I can’t tell you how many times my boys have asked me, “Have you gone on a run yet today?”
Ready for the Day
After my workout, it’s time to hop in the shower and actually get ready for the day. I have my normal outfit set out on the bathroom counter as well, and even if I’m not going anywhere, I work to dress as though I am.
When I put mascara on, I feel better about myself, and my productivity goes up. It’s strange, but it works. My normal outfits are usually athletic still, and I don’t apologize for that. I’m active and coach in different avenues, so that’s what I’m comfortable with.
My goal is to be fully ready for my boys by 9 a.m. The earlier I get up, the more “me” time I get. We homeschool, so the boys need my attention after 9 a.m., and I want to be focused and intentional with them the rest of the morning.
“Discipline is the means to getting what you really want even when you don’t want to do the things necessary to get it. “
— John Maxwell
When I get up early and follow my routine, my day is so much better than when I don’t. I do let myself sleep in one to two times a week — which sleeping in is relative because I still tend to wake up early — but the days I sleep in, my routine is compromised.
It’s kind of interesting because, the days my routine doesn’t happen the way it normally does, I feel like my day is less productive. It’s interesting how those habits, your daily habits, can make or break your day.
There are different things successful individuals do to be productive, creative, and grow. One of them is having a consistent morning routine. A routine is something that we make a deliberate and conscious effort to do.
In this article, we explored the 8 Best Morning Routines of Highly Successful People that will inspire you to create your own routines and new habits. You can start with one routine at a time and once it’s established add another and another.
These routines include reading, preparing the night before, being an early riser, morning exercise, gratitude and meditation, a nutritious breakfast, doing important tasks first, and avoiding spending time on your phone.
Over time, once you establish these routines you’ll crush your goals and dreams and achieve great success.
Remember, you are a winner. Just run YOUR race!
