Introduction
A good morning routine can help you start a day with new enthusiasm. It is not the morning that shows the day, its the morning habits that determine how your day will turn out to be. If you are looking forward to improving your life, you should start by developing new morning habits. This article talks about “10” morning habits of successful people that will help you create the day with a bang!.
What is a morning routine?
A Morning Routine is a set of habits or rituals that you follow every morning after starting the day. Everyone has some habits that they execute every morning; it could be checking your social media, going for a walk, running to your work and so on. Every activity in the morning has an impact on the overall quality of the day. If you have a good morning routine, you are likely to have a fresh start to your day rather than feeling groggy.
Before heading towards 10 morning habits of successful people, let us check out some real examples of famous people following exceptional morning routines.
Why is a morning routine essential for success?
Everyone has this question in their minds. We can be productive even if we wake up late in the day, can’t we? But starting the day with a good morning habit helps us start the day in the right way. Our mood, physical health, and mental health all are affected by it.
That rush to the bathroom after waking up late, running to the counter to have a slice of breakfast, and then shooting towards office routine is unhealthy both physically and mentally. Bad habits do not show symptoms in a day but take years to show effects. The same goes for developing good morning habits. You will not see the impact today nor next week, but soon you will feel the changes that come to your life through these simple habits.
Morning habits of 7 successful people
There is a saying that we might all have heard, “the early bird catches the worm”. When you look at some of the world’s most famous people, you will find that the saying might actually be true. Here are some morning habits of 9 remarkably renowned people:
- Tim Cook (C.E.O. of Apple) gets up at around 4. am and gets through his emails up to 5 am. Then he heads to the gym to work out. By 6 am, he goes to the office.
- Bill Gross (Co-founder of P.I.M.C.O.) gets up at 4.30 am and then gets ready. He goes to the office at 5 in the morning and starts his workday from 5.30
- Tim Armstrong (C.E.O. of AOL) gets up at 5 am and works out. He reads the news, checks email, and then goes to his office by 9.30 am
- Gary Vaynerchuk (C.E.O. of VeynerMedia) gets up at 6.00 am reads the news, checks his social media account. He is to the office by 9 am
- Oprah Winfrey (media proprietor) gets up at 6 am, meditates for half an hour, works out for some time. She is in the studio taping her two shows for around 8 am
- Jack Dorsey (co-founder and C.E.O. of Twitter) gets up at 5.30 am, meditates, and then runs. He takes the bus to work at 7.30 am
- Brad Feld (venture capitalist) gets up at 5 am, makes a cup of coffee, and feeds his dog. He reads the news and starts checking his email beginning at 5.30 am. He later exercises from 7–8 am and starts to work at 9 am (inc.com)
These are just 7 examples. But if you look at the lives of the successful people, they were all morning people. According to a study published by the American Psychological Association, participants who regarded themselves as morning people were more likely to be happier and healthier. *
So, what morning habits should you develop for a better life. Here are some that you should work on.
Morning habit #1: Waking up at the same time every day
Our sleep patterns are maintained by the circadian rhythm, which is the body’s internal clock. To stabilize your biological clock, the first habit that you can try to develop is to wake up at the same time every day. This will help to train your internal clock to understand your sleeping patterns. Waking up early is important, but waking up at the same time can be life-changing. Not only does it help you to have a fresh start, but it is also going to help you sleep better at night.
Morning habit #2: Make your bed
This is such an underrated ritual of the day. We tend to keep the bed messy because you are going to sleep on at night anyway. But making the bed early in the day can create a good sense of responsibility in you. It will make you feel good about yourselves.
Just think about it for a second; you had a bad day, you come home and see a messy bed. It is not going to make you feel good. After an exhausting day, when you see that you have already made your bed, it will make your day a little better. Starting your day with a made bed gives you a sense of accomplishment, and ending the day seeing a made bed will provide you with stress relief.
Morning habit #3: Get exposed to light asap
Our sleep-wake cycle is regulated by exposure to light. If you are more exposed to sunlight, your sleep drive decreases. So one of the first things you should consider turning on the lights and getting some morning light as early as possible. This will help you to wake up and remove the drowsy feeling. It is also going to make you energetic and refreshed!
Morning habit #4: Give up the alarm clock
Amazon C.E.O. Jeff Bezos does not ever give up his eight hours of sleep. He is also a big supporter of waking up naturally. This makes a lot of sense because beginning your day with such an alarm can create a storm of stress and adrenaline, which might not be an excellent way to start the day. You want to have a relaxing and refreshing morning that does not create any extra stress or pressure.
Also, if you are sleeping and waking up at the exact time every day, you will not need an alarm clock to wake up anymore. Waking up smoothly without an alarm is an excellent metric for good night sleep.
Morning habit #5: The first thing to take in the morning
Now I know most of you are familiar with having a cup of coffee in the early morning. This is quite logical as coffee gives a good boost of energy which might be very good in the morning. But health experts say water is just better. After going many hours without any water while sleeping, a glass of water is the first thing that can help you hydrate your body and aid in digestion and metabolism.
Water is an essential nutrient for the organs of the body to function correctly. You must fill the void of dehydration by drinking a glass of water or more first thing in the morning. A refreshing glass of water can rejuvenate you and your mind and make you feel more positive about starting the day.
Morning habit #6: Move your body
Among all the morning habits of successful people, this is probably the most common one. Morning exercise is the most healthy habit that you can ever develop. Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill gates say he likes to start the day with exercise and watch DVDs, according to the New York Times.
Exercising early in the morning will help your heart pump and flow blood to all the vital organs of the body. This will help to revitalize their function. Also, you are likely to feel much more fresh and energetic after a morning exercising session. Even a 10-min walk is good if you are not into heavy exercising.
Morning habit #7: Having a gratitude journal
While all the habits above mention your physical health, your mental health is just as important. Sometimes in the middle of a hectic life, we forget to be grateful for things we are blessed with. It is essential to remind ourselves now and then about these blessings.
Keeping a gratitude journal is undoubtedly going to have an immense impact on your happiness. By writing down the things you are grateful for, you will be inspired and feel lucky throughout the day. It will shower you with inspiration to look forward and improve the conception of your life. So every morning, sit down with a journal and write down one thing you are grateful for. Consider even the smallest of gains.
Morning habit #8: Make a habit of reading
Look at the morning habits of successful people mentioned earlier. You will see most of them are into some kind of reading early in the day. Reading does not necessarily mean scrolling through social media. Scrolling through social media is just going to bombard your brain with information that might all be irrelevant and unnecessary.
Search for non-fiction books on things that you want to learn. Try to read at least 10-20 pages in the morning. Reading in the morning with a fresh mind is going to help you better remember it. Some self-help books might also give you the necessary boost in motivation to improve your life overall.
Morning habit #9: Soothe your mind with meditation
Meditation is always good for calming your mind. Remember that 90% of our illnesses are related to stress, so we need to forget the rush and start our day with more calm. One of the best ways to achieve this is meditation. Meditation can help you still your wandering mind and keep you focused on the tasks for the day.
You can meditate anytime, anywhere. Developing the habit of meditation can take some time, but it will give results in dividends. Each day is a new opportunity to strengthen your understanding of the mind. If you think you have no idea how to start, remember that the best way to learn meditation is to just do it.
But here is a video that is going to help you teach you to start your morning meditation
Morning habit #10: Eat the frog
Mark Twain once said, ” Eat a live frog first thing in the morning, and nothing worse can happen.”
Don’t get overwhelmed by the statement. This metaphor means you should tackle the most difficult tasks of the day in the very early morning. In simpler words, finish the most complicated tasks early when your brain energy is at its peak. Don’t think about two or more things, just one giant frog, i.e. one difficult task that most influences your life. If there are two frogs, i.e. complex functions in your hand, do the ugliest or the toughest one first. Doing the most energy-draining job early in the day will help you enjoy the rest of the day as other tasks will not be as energy-consuming.
Morning habits book - some suggestions
There are three books that I would recommend you read if you are seriously considering changing your morning habits. These three books will not only change your mornings but also the quality of your overall life.
Miracle Morning - Hal Elrod:
The author does a fantastic job by discovering 6 steps for an ideal morning which he calls the “Miracle Morning”. The 6 steps are abbreviated as S.A.V.E.R.S. that stands for
- S- Silence
- A- Affirmations
- V- Visualizations
- E- Exercise
- R -Reading
- S-Scribing (i.e. Writing)
The 5 am club - Robbin Sharma
In this book, the author introduces the concept of the 5 am club which is based on a revolutionary morning routine that helps people maximize their productivity and creativity. This book talks about how great geniuses and even the world’s wisest started their mornings. In addition, it focuses on some processes that help build good morning and overall sleep habits.
Think like a monk - Jay Shetty
This book is not basically on morning habits. But the author talks about all pathways to a happy and calm day. The chapter “Routine” has unique insights with scientific evidence of why you should wake up early and mentions the monks’ morning routine. Monks are some of the happiest persons in the world. Their morning routine can really be a lesson for you and me to lead a happy and healthy life. Get the complete summary here.
Wrapping up
Adapting to the morning habits of successful people will take some time. But it is going to be worth it. You will feel the energy, enthusiasm, and liberty you will get if you follow these simple habits. Our life is the consequence of the habits we develop. Tweaking in our morning habits can play an enormous role in the overall productivity, happiness, and success and of our lives.
2 thoughts on “10 Morning Habits of successful people: Change your life forever!”
Really good post. Your content ideas are lovely as well as your blog. Love how you broke down the points in this post.
Very educative. Thank you so much