Photo by bruce mars on Unsplash

You may have come across a lot of written articles or YouTube videos about the perfect morning routines. We all might feel kinda inspired after reading or watching it but how many of us have time for that eh? Waking up at 7.30am may be dreadful enough for some so don’t even start on morning routines. Well, it turns out that most of the successful people have a carefully crafted morning routine.

In this article, we’ll answer your question: What is an ideal morning routine?

• Wake up at the SAME TIME everyday (yes, even on weekends)
  By getting up at the same time everyday, you’re adjusting your body clock which improves your sleep and decreases sleep deprivation. Most successful people and billionaires are known to wake up at 5am everyday so they have an ample of time to perform their set of morning routines and get ready for the day. 

• Make Your Bed
  Not coffee but make your bed first. Why is making your bed every morning so important? US Admiral William H. McCraven, who spent 36 years as a Navy SEAL and was required to keep his room spic and span during his service, says in his 2014 commencement speechat the University of Texas that it’s extremely motivating for the day ahead:
  
  “If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task, and another, and another. And by the end of the day that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed.”

• Morning workouts
  By establishing a routine of morning workouts, you are mentally and physically amped for the rest of the day. According to Robin Sharma, the author of 5am Club, working out in the morning increases energy, gets your brain going and helps you make better decisions. 

• Gratitude practice
  This includes journaling, making a resolution for the day or the week, visualization, positive affirmation or praying. Everyone has something to be grateful and journaling is a wonderful practice to notice things you’re grateful for and also a good way to clear all your thoughts.
  
  Set daily or weekly goals. Resolution doesn’t have to happen beginning of the year. Reach big wins through a series of small wins. 

• Invest some time for self-learning
  Learn something new everyday because life itself is a constant learning progress. Bill gates read about 50 books a year. Warren Buffet spends 5-6 hours a day reading five newspapers and 500 pages of corporate reports. Elon Musk grew up reading two books a day. It doesn’t have to be books if you’re not too keen. It could be learning a new online course or reading online articles. The key is constant learning.

 It’s never too early for self-care and it’s never too late to make changes.