Your entire day is a reflection of how you start your mornings!

It’s easy to hit your alarm snooze button 3 times, ignore making your bed and dash off without a decent breakfast.

However, missing these tiny morning routines influences your productivity for the rest of the day. 

Perhaps you’re trying to create personalized morning routines or break free from unproductive morning habits— I’ve got you covered.

In this guide, you would discover 12 productive morning routines to kickstart your day. 

Likewise, my recommended tips for creating a consistent morning routine.

Ready? Let’s get started.

What Are Morning Routines?

Morning routines are structured activities carried out every morning, beginning from when you wake up still you kickstart your day activities. 

These are simply little activities that make a great difference. A consistent morning routine gradually becomes a habit. 

Hence, you must be intentional about the activities you engage in every morning, choosing the positive over the negative. 

Furthermore, a productive morning routine is a combination of physical, mental and emotional activities. 

What Are the Benefits of Morning Routines?

Staying consistent with productive morning routines might not make you successful within a twinkle of an eye.

But, if you stay at it, you would reap the below rewards and more in the process of time:

• Boost Focus and Concentration: A planned morning activity ensures you stay focused on what really matters beginning from when you wake up.

• Increase Productivity and Efficiency: Morning routines put you in the right frame of mind to carry out your day’s task. 

• Better Time Management and Prioritization: Individuals who maintain a consistent morning routine experience better time management. 

• Boost Physical Energy and Well-being: Morning routines like exercise, and meditation boost your physical health by reducing stress and anxiety. 

• You Gain Self-Discipline and Motivation: Sticking to tiny habits such as making your bed after you wake up boost your self-control over time. 

12 Productive Morning Routines to Kickstart Your Day

Do you want to be successful and fulfilled?

If yes, 

Build consistency around these productive morning routines:

1. Prayers

I know you weren’t expecting to see this on the list, not to mention being No.1 morning routine.

But, starting your day with a word of prayer has been my No.1 morning routine that has influenced my success and life positively. 

Don’t be in a haste to turn off your alarm and head for your mobile device. 

Instead, pause, take out time, at least 10 minutes to connect with your creator and show gratitude for the gift of another productive day.  

In prayers, you’re at liberty to pray concerning your entire day activities, asking God for guidance. 

Believe me, it works—you should try it out first thing tomorrow morning and share your experience with me!

2. Meditation and Positive Affirmation

I know you have a long day ahead with a long to-do list. 

This includes preparing your kids for school, attending to a pile of office files, presenting your business proposals, going shopping for groceries and many more.

If this got you nodding yes, you need to include meditation and positive affirmations as your morning routines.

Meditation disconnects you from your chaotic environment, giving you a focused mindset. 

Also, Healthline rightly states that meditation helps reduce stress and anxiety.

On the other hand, declaring positive affirmations such as positive energy quotes gives you the strength and motivation for the day’s activities. 

Also, you can make your meditation more effective by fixing your mind and thoughts on positive affirmations. 

3. Make Your Bed

There is more to making your bed when you wake up in the morning than you think. 

The simple act of folding your blanket, redressing your bedsheet, or changing it, incorporates discipline into your conscious mind. 

It might be easy to head for work with your bed untidy, besides, no one would know—Better still, you could ask someone to do it. 

But, when you view making your bed as one of your important morning routines, your organizational skills receive a boost.

4. Exercise

Morning exercise helps you start your day full of energy and focus. 

Spare some time to engage in physical exercise that improves both your physical, mental, and emotional health.

Recommended exercise to add to your morning routines include:

• Brisk walking 
• Jogging
• Body weight exercise; push ups, squats
• Weightlifting
• Stretching

5. Morning Self Care

Self care is a necessity and should be given a high priority.

How you treat yourself tells on how you treat others and how others treat you in return. 

This all begins from prioritizing skin care practices like cleansing and exfoliation. Likewise, staying hydrated and taking an Intentional hot shower/bath in the morning is also core. 

What’s more?

Spending a quiet time with nature by simply gazing out the window gives you a positive outlook on life. 

Also, your morning routines should include yoga practice which gives you control over your body and mind. 

6. Healthy Breakfast

Your physical body needs to be intact for you to carry out your daily activities without breaking down. 

A healthy breakfast provides your body balanced nutrition aiding metabolic functions. 

Lest you forget, no matter how superhuman you claim to be, you need a healthy body to achieve your big goals and dreams.

A healthy breakfast should include:

• Proteins: Eggs, Greek yogurt, nuts
• Whole grains: Oats, whole wheat, quinoa
• Healthy Fats: fatty fish, olive oil, seeds
• Fruits: Berries, bananas, apples
• Veggies: Carrots, cucumber, tomatoes
• Healthy beverages: water, green tea, almond milk

Interestingly, many people prioritize breakfast as part of their morning routines. 

Are you part of the above list? 

If not, you can begin tomorrow morning!

7.  Journaling

Engaging in journaling before starting your day gives relief to your mind, body, soul and spirit. 

It opens you to  mindfulness, gratitude, positivity and creativity. 

Get a dedicated journal, and begin documenting memories. The good news is that journaling is all about free writing. 

Hence, you don’t have to bother if your sentences, or words are well spelt. It’s all about pouring out yourself. 

Morning Journaling Techniques

Wondering how to include journaling in your morning routines?

Here is where to begin:

• Create a gratitude log section
• Have a goal setting page for daily, weekly, or monthly goals
• Write out your visualized Ideas and imaginations 
• Write out positive affirmations tags
• Engage more in free writing

8. Reading

“Reading is a basic tool in the living of a good life”— Joseph Collin

I can assure you that the successful life, career, family, e.t.c you seek can be found by engaging in reading. 

In the pages of books lies knowledge, advice, success stories, tips and guidance to better our lives. 

A day without reading a book often looks incomplete to me! Hence, I intentionally added it to my list of morning routines. 

Reading includes a book, novel, an inspiring blog post, a newspaper, magazine or simply an email in your inbox. 

Additionally, reading for 15-30 minutes in the morning can improve focus and concentration. 

9. Listen to Motivational Music or Podcast

Music in one word is life!

The wordings and tone of a song influences your mood. 

For instance, pop songs give energy, gospel and inspirational songs make one feel hopeful and encouraged. 

Likewise, a podcast keeps you motivated and inspired for the rest of the day—You stay informed when you listen to a valuable podcast as one of your morning routines. 

Depending on your area of interest, you could subscribe to the following self-improvement podcast:

• Self-Improvement: The 5 Am miracle podcast
• Inspiring stories: The TED radio hour
• Women empowerment: The women taking the lead podcast
• Mental health: The mindful podcast
• Leadership: The John Maxwell leadership podcast
• Christian inspiration: The Joyce Meyer podcast

10. Reflection

Spend time in thoughtful reflection about your life, career, family, relationship and all the needful. 

Reflection makes you see the goods in every aspect, making you feel genuine gratitude for the people and things in your life. 

Instead of complaining about your weaknesses and feeling bad about yourself the entire day, sit in a serene location and look deep within.

You’ll definitely find those good deeds and traits you possess to be thankful for. 

Reflection also shows you those areas that need improvement, and growth. For instance, reflection on your productivity at work, opens your eyes to see ways you can enhance your efficiency.

11. Spend Time on a Hobby

Creative hobbies like reading, singing, painting amongst others can be engaged briefly before starting your day activities.

Over the years writing has become one of my consistent morning routines that boost my productivity and energy.

Don’t let your hobby lie dormant or pending until you have enough time, you might lose your enthusiasm for it. 

Instead, a 15-30 minute attention won’t alter your day activities, rather you feel more alive and creative having made connections to what makes you happy.

12. Check Your Phone

Yes, it made it on my list of productive morning routines to kickstart your day.

The world is transforming to a digital space and most tasks are being digitized. 

Hence, your mobile device offers both positive and negative benefits. 

You would need to check your phone for work updates, news or important notifications. 

80% of people check their phones within 15 minutes of waking up. 

But, I don’t recommend checking your phone immediately when you wake up as you might get drawn for hours scrolling on social media. 

Therefore, I advise you to set notifications for important tasks you need to check your phone for. Also, this should come after you have carried out other productive morning routines. 

7 Tips for Creating a Consistent Morning Routines

Oftentimes, starting and sticking with productive morning routines can be difficult. 

To combat this, apply my recommended tips for creating a consistent morning routine—It worked for me, yours won’t be different.

Let’s dive in:

1. Plan Your Day Ahead

Have a dedicated notebook for your everyday’s activities. With this, you know what you have to accomplish for the day and where to begin. 

Similarly, you’re able to utilize your time judiciously and focus on those things that matter. 

Hence, to have a productive morning routine, write out the activities you wish to carry out for the next day, today. 

Yes, you ask, Happiness, what about unexpected events that show up out of the blues?

Tips No.7 will do justice to the above questions. 

2. Have a Good Night Rest

You’re eager to wake up when you have a good night’s rest.

There were days I returned home late, tired, and hungry. Often, I would get junk food out of the fridge, still in my office outfit, turn on the Tv, and sit on the couch.

Guess what? 

By the time I open my eyes, it’s 5am in the morning with my alarm clock ringing. 

Of course, I didn’t rest well as I would wake up feeling more exhausted—That’s not a good way of having  a good night’s rest. 

In contrast, to have a good night rest:

• Avoid caffeine, nicotine, and heavy food close to bed time
• Have a cool bath
• Change into a comfortable outfit
• Avoid screen (Phones, TVs, tablet) at least one hour to bed time
• Dim or turn off the lights
• Sleep on a comfortable mattress

This way, you’re sure to wake full of energy to carry out your daily morning routines.

3. Don’t Snooze the Alarm

Wake up, don’t even think of hitting the snooze button!

Yes, you reading this, I’m guessing you snoozed your alarm more than twice this morning.

I’ve been in those shoes, and I know it was never intentional. 

Resist the urge to snooze your alarm and sit up on your bed, if possible stand up and have a good stretch.

This alerts your body that sleep time is over.

Often, we snooze our alarms because we haven’t rested well and want more sleep—Instead follow tips No.2 to have a good night’s rest.

4. Have a Consistent Wake Up Time

To stay consistent with your morning routines, have a defined wake up time. 

This is totally up to you to decide. 

However, I would recommend waking up between 5am – 7am. 

This gives you enough time to engage in your morning routines before you kickstart your day.

Besides, successful entrepreneurs wake up before 7:00 am.

That said, stick to a specific time and avoid random wake up time—5am on Monday, 5:30am on Tuesday, or 6:30am on Wednesday is not going to get the job done. 

5. Start Small and Grow

All explained productive morning routines are essential for a successful life. However, if starting out, don’t get overwhelmed with numerous routines.

Instead, start small with 3 to 4 morning routines, and build consistently. 

As time goes on, you can grow by adding more routines to your morning activities.

My candid advice to you, start with morning routines that seem easy for you and suit your activities. 

6. Mix and Match Morning Routines

There are no rules guiding how you go about your morning routines.

The above routines are suggestions and guidelines not rigid instructions. 

Hence, you’re at liberty to merge, mix, and rearrange your morning routines to suit your needs. 

7. Be Flexible

What about unexpected events that pop out of the blues?

That’s where being flexible about your morning routines comes into view— Include extra space at least 1 hour to handle the unexpected. 

While we hope for a productive day, be prepared for unprecedented events that could take you off balance. 

Perhaps, you get an emergency call, and you could not do your morning workouts. 

That’s fine!

Attend to the emergency and if there is still time you could catch up with your routines. On the contrary, don’t feel your day won’t be productive because you missed your morning routines.

Instead, engage in your other routines that are possible while on the run like affirmations, or listening to a podcast while riding to work.

Remember, tomorrow is another day to get it right. 

Final Thoughts on Morning Routines to Kickstart Your Day

Daily success is a result of daily morning routines.

Make up your mind to succeed by practicing the productive morning routines discussed in this guide. 

However, start small with manageable routines that suit your daily activities and schedule and build upon it. 

That said, what are your favorite morning routines? Do let me know in the comment section.

Frequently Asked Questions