Morning Routine for Productivity, Health, and Happiness

Are you looking to be more productive or just have a more fulfilling life? Are you lacking 
energy throughout the day, and wonder why? It might all come down to your morning 
routine.

Even if you have never been conscious of it, you already have a morning routine. All the 
actions you take in the morning after waking up, from brushing your teeth to deciding 
what to eat for breakfast, is part of your routine. 

Creating a healthy morning routine is not about changing it, but improving upon it. With 
the right habits added to your routine, you can increase productivity, improve your 
health, and create more happiness in your life.

Keep reading to find out how to improve your morning routine by adding in healthy and 
productive habits, and ditching the more toxic ones. 


1. Have a Purpose For Your Morning Routine

You should never start a new morning routine without first having a purpose behind it. 
Not just being inspired by others who shared their morning routine or the promise of it 
changing your life. You need to think about why YOU want a morning routine, and what 
about your current routine isn’t working. 

While your purpose should be entirely yours and specific to your life, here are some 
reasons you might want to have a new morning routine:


Better Productivity

A big benefit to improving your morning routine is being more productive. There is 
something about how you start your day that impacts how much work you get done. 
When you start your day in a happy, healthy way, it changes your entire perspective. 
Suddenly, you want to get more done and tend to be in the “zone” for a longer period of 
time.


More Energy

You may also notice that you have more energy with the right morning routine, 
especially if you add habits that help your physical body. When you have activities like 
yoga, going for a walk, and getting outside for fresh air and sunshine, you will notice 
that you have a lot more energy not just for productivity, but to increase your mood as 
well.


Healthier Lifestyle

For a healthier lifestyle overall, starting with changing your morning routine is a great 
place to start. When you add healthy habits to your morning routine, suddenly you are 
more encouraged to continue those habits for the rest of your day. It is the start to a 
healthier lifestyle.

Less Stress

You will notice that the longer you keep up with your new morning routine, the less 
stress you have in your life. You aren’t starting your day in a rushed, chaotic state, you 
are nourishing your body, and adding habits that are good for your mind and emotional 
wellness as well. This all equals less stress and better sleep.


Get Rid of Toxic Habits

It can also help encourage you to ditch some of the unhealthy, toxic habits you had in 
your morning routine. This includes not checking your phone and scrolling social media 
immediately after waking up, hitting the snooze button as many times as possible, and 
rushing so much that you have to get a drive-thru breakfast on the way to work.


2. Set an Intention to Wake Up Early

A good morning routine doesn’t start as you are hitting the snooze button and trying to 
prolong getting up as much as possible. You will need to set the intention to wake up a 
little earlier and get through a healthy and productive morning routine. This is where you 
will see the most success. 


Decide How Early You Want to Wake Up

Keep in mind that your morning routine can start at any time you want, depending on 
your lifestyle and what you need to get done. When choosing on what time to wake up, 
focus more on having enough time in the morning to complete your morning routine. A 
good place to start is having about an hour of free time in the morning before you have 
to start getting ready for work or the rest of your day. 

Before setting intentions to wake up early, be realistic about how early you need to 
wake up, based on the habits you want to include in your morning routine. It may help to 
spend a few days in the morning just trying one habit at a time, and timing how long it 
takes. 


Prepare the Night Before

What is the secret to waking up early and becoming a morning person? By preparing 
the night before! One of the most important aspects to waking up early enough for a 
successful morning routine is to make sure everything is ready by the time you wake up. 
The last thing you want to do when you wake up is scrambling to find what you need.

Go through the list of habits included in your morning routine, and one by one, see what 
you can do to prepare each one the night before. Here are some ideas:

*	Set out your workout clothes for your morning walk or yoga
*	Fill up your water bottle for the following day
*	Put your smoothie ingredients in a reusable bag and place it in the freezer to be 
blended in the morning
*	Clean and organize your desk
*	Put out your journal and pen if you plan to journal in the morning
*	Put your dream journal on your nightstand
*	Set your alarm


Remind Yourself Why You Are Waking Up Early

It isn’t always as easy as just preparing for waking up early and setting your alarm. This 
might work for a few days, but to really set the intention of waking up early every day, 
you need to have the purpose in mind. Like other habits in your routine, this isn’t about 
why other people get up early, but why you do. 

What is your main purpose? What is motivating you? What habits do you want to 
complete during your morning routine, and why?

If it helps, writing in your journal about why you chose to have a new morning routine, 
what you are hoping to accomplish, and why waking up early is essential for you can 
help a lot. This not only helps you work through your thoughts about this change in your 
schedule, but you often gain more clarity into what your own purpose is.


Set the Intention Before You Go to Sleep

The last step to setting the intention for waking up early is to get into the mindset of 
someone who wakes up early. Setting intentions in your life when you want to do 
something is often as simple as just telling yourself you’re going to do it.

By now, you have prepared everything you need for your morning routine, set your 
alarm, decided how early to wake up, and know why you’re switching up your schedule. 
The last thing left to do is visualize it and think about getting up early for a brand new 
start as you lay down to sleep.

What this does is keep it fresh in your mind, so that when your alarm goes earlier than 
normal, you aren’t as tempted to hit that snooze button. Your thoughts will go to your 
new routine, and it is easier to remind yourself why you are waking up in the morning.

If you’re still struggling a little with this, a trick to setting intentions before you go to sleep 
is to write it down. Get out your journal and write down your new morning routine and 
what time you plan to wake up. You can also do this in a planner or a to-do list you have 
set up. 


3. Natural Ways to Become More Alert

If you aren’t a morning person, don’t worry, you’re not alone! Many people struggle 
waking up early in order to have a morning routine that works for them. But there are 
some strategies you can use to become a little more alert when you wake up. 

Here are some natural ways to become more alert when you wake up early, and have 
enough energy to get through your morning routine.


Get Out of Your Bed and Make it 

The best way to fully wake up after you turn off your alarm is to get out of bed. If you 
can keep your phone far enough from your bed where you have to actually get out of 
bed to turn it off, that is the ideal situation. But even if you need to keep your phone on 
your nightstand next to your bed, at least have a lamp there you can turn on right when 
you wake up. 

Also think about little habits you have in the morning that tend to keep you in bed 
longer, and try to set those habits aside. For example, you might grab your phone and 
start scrolling social media after turning off the alarm. This may be a good reason to get 
a regular alarm clock instead of using your phone.

If you are someone who has no trouble getting up on time, but you tend to get back in 
bed after using the bathroom, then making your bed right when you get up is going to 
help a lot. Plus, making your bed in the morning is a really great way to start your 
productive morning routine.








Open Your Windows

Once you are out of bed and your bed is made, open the curtains or blinds in your 
bedroom. This makes such a big difference with how alert you are in the morning, as 
long as the sun is up when you wake up, or it will come up during your morning routine.

Artificial light with a lamp in your room is a good start, but it might not really give you 
that feeling that it is time to wake up. Opening up your windows and letting in some 
natural light and sunshine early in the morning as the sun comes up is such a peaceful 
and calming way to start becoming more alert and ready for your new morning routine.


Brush Your Teeth and Wash Your Face

Hygiene is probably part of your morning routine regardless, but you might want to do it 
shortly after you wake up and before the rest of your routine. While it is optional when 
you do it, this can help with waking up early, especially if you aren’t quite ready for the 
new schedule yet. 

If you aren’t alert enough to go through your entire skincare routine, at least splash 
some cool water on your face. If you have the time and energy to wash your face, 
consider using a facial cleanser with citrus scents, as they can also help you feel 
energized and rejuvenated in the morning.


Use Citrus-Scented Candles or Essential Oils

Speaking of citrus scents, this is another great way to become more alert in the morning 
when you have an early morning routine. Set out either an essential oil diffuser or 
candles on your desk or any surface in your home you will be near when going through 
your morning routine. Choose citrus scents like orange, lemon, or grapefruit to wake 
your body and mind up.  


4. Your First Few Minutes of the Day

How you spend the first few minutes of your day makes all the difference. This is also 
where a lot of people go wrong, and see their morning routine go downhill right after 
waking up. It is crucial that you create a routine where the first few minutes of your day 
are relaxing, stress-free, and preferably media-free.

For a happy, productive morning routine, consider adding these habits:




Have a Media-Free Morning

Now to get started with the rest of your morning routine! If you can, try to have a media-
free morning as you go through your routine. At the very least, keep off social media for 
the first few minutes of the day until after you have meditated or written in your journal. 
You don’t want your early morning thoughts being clouded by what you see on 
Instagram or Twitter. 

Being media-free typically means no social media, but it can also mean no technology 
whatsoever. This means not checking your mail, looking at notifications that came in 
overnight, or even turning on the news. These can all wait another 30 minutes or so 
until you are done with the beginning of your routine.

A great habit to start at night is turning notifications off on your phone, so that all you 
see on your screen when you wake up your alarm and the time. 


Write in Your Dream Journal

This is actually a habit you might want to do before you get out of bed, or shortly after 
opening your windows and making your bed if you have a desk in your bedroom. The 
earlier you can write in a dream journal, the more details you will be able to remember. 

A dream journal is simply a journal where you write down anything you can recall from 
your dreams. What you might notice is that while you just start with a few minor details 
you remember, suddenly you are almost writing subconsciously and keep remembering 
more and more about them.

It can be used in a number of different ways. First of all, it helps you to remember drams 
that you might want to look back later. If you are someone who analyzes dreams and 
what meanings might be behind them, that can also be useful. But even if you don’t 
believe in the meanings of what you dream about, the dream journal also helps you to 
get into the practice of trying to recall details, which helps with your morning cognitive 
function.


Meditate
To finish off this first early morning phase of your morning routine, take a few minutes to 
meditate. People often shy away from meditating, assuming it’s too hard or isn’t for 
them, but don’t skip this section yet! 

Meditation does not have to be sitting on the floor cross-legged and trying to clear your 
mind. It can be as simple as closing your eyes and just focusing on your breathing for a 
few minutes, doing a quick body scan, or listening to a guided meditation. 

In fact, guided meditations are probably the easiest way to start. Once you have gone 
through your first few minutes of no media, turn on a guided meditation on YouTube or 
an app like Calm. It will do the refocusing for you, creating a scene for you to 
concentrate on while your mind relaxes.


5. Journaling, Affirmations, and Setting Intentions

Once you have woken up a little and spent a few minutes just breathing and relaxing 
your mind, you can then get out any negative thoughts you have in your head, and start 
setting your intentions for the day. This is really important because if you are holding 
onto negative or stressful thoughts, you will carry it with you all day. Use your morning 
routine as an opportunity to clear your mind and move on with your day without that 
added stress.


Do a Brain Dump in Your Journal

There are many different styles of journaling you can do, but for your morning routine, it 
doesn’t get much better than the brain dump journal. This is also sometimes referred to 
as “stream of consciousness” style journaling, which is when you just write down 
anything that comes to mind. 

What makes it different from other forms of journaling is that you don’t use writing 
prompts and you aren’t writing about your day or anything specific. Whatever is on your 
mind, you write down. You allow thoughts to jump around as much as they want. 
Whether you write full paragraphs to find clarity about something, you write about your 
dreams, you create a list of goals, or you just write down random things on your mind, it 
is all useful. 

The brain dump journal helps so much in the morning because you can get out any 
anxious thoughts you have, so that you aren’t carrying all that stress around with you. It 
is one of the most therapeutic parts of journaling itself. 

If you don’t want to write for too long, you can either set a timer for 5-10 minutes or 
choose to fill up 3 full pages in your journal. This helps keep it a little more structured, 
where you don’t accidentally spend an hour in your morning just journaling if you don’t 
have the time


Choose Affirmations for the Day

Affirmations are another amazing habit that you can do any time of the day, but have a 
really special benefit in the morning. With morning affirmations, you are helping to set 
your intentions for the day. Choose affirmations you need that day, whether you feel like 
you could use mor self-love, courage, manifestations, or positivity. 

If there is anything you are struggling with or something you are worried about, find or 
write an affirmation that reflects that. It can be as simple as taking a negative thought 
and flipping it into a positive one, which creates your affirmation.

For example, if you have a nagging thought about a meeting you have at work one day, 
instead of thinking that you are afraid of the meeting, write a positive affirmation like “I 
am ready and capable to have a successful meeting”. 

Affirmations should always be positive and help lift you up, but also be short enough for 
you to remember.


6. Nourishing and Moving Your Body

The morning is the perfect time to start treating your body with kindness and nourish it 
properly. This sets you up for success for the rest of the day and gives you the healthy 
mindset you need for lasting change. 

Here are some healthy habits that will nourish your body on the inside and out.


Hydrate

Try to drink water before you consume anything else in the morning. Your body is likely 
very dehydrated from the night before, since you didn’t have anything to drink for 8 
hours or longer. If you have a habit of drinking coffee first, you might actually be making 
the hydration worse. Coffee does also have water in it, but it can cause more 
dehydration.

Make a habit of drinking a small glass of water in the morning during your morning 
routine, perhaps after you have brushed your teeth and when you sit down to journal or 
meditate. Once you have had your water, you should be hydrated, and can then drink or 
eat the rest of your breakfast.


Move Your Body

An excellent habit for your body during your morning routine is to do some form of 
physical exercise. Don’t worry, you don’t have to go to the gym at 5 in the morning if you 
don’t want to. Just find a gentle, enjoyable way to move your body. It will help wake you 
up and give you more energy, plus set a healthy intention at the start of your day.




Some ideas for morning exercise include:

*	Going for a walk
*	Doing yoga or Pilates
*	Using your treadmill or elliptical
*	Stretching


Eat a Healthy Breakfast

After you have had your full glass of water, it’s time to eat a nourishing and healthy 
breakfast. Instead of thinking about restrictions or “diet” food, focus on balance and 
getting in a good amount of nutrients in the morning. This includes a combination of 
vitamins and minerals, with lean protein, healthy carbs, and fruits or vegetables. 

For breakfast, you are eating to fuel your body, set yourself up for a healthy day, and to 
get enough energy. If you are intermittent fasting and don’t eat your first meal until noon 
or later, then your first meal of the day whenever it is can follow these same balanced 
principles.



7. Self-Care in the Morning

You may not have time for it every morning, but when you can, adding in a little self-
care is a wonderful way to start your day. Self-care doesn’t need to be complex, 
expensive, or take a long time. With just 5-10 minutes in the morning, there are plenty of 
activities that help you take care of yourself and boost your mood.

Ideas for morning self-care:


Read

If you have a few minutes to relax and do something for your mind in the morning, why 
not read a few pages of a book? This can further help wake you up and provide some 
peaceful self-care at the same time.

One thing to keep in mind about reading in the morning, is you might want to choose a 
different genre than what you would read at night or during another routine in your day. 
Since you likely have a limited period of time to read in, you don’t want something like a 
suspense thriller that will get you hooked and make you accidentally read a little too 
long. 

The morning is the perfect time for personal development books or anything non-fiction. 
If you have been trying to get through a self-help audio book, you could also listen to it 
while doing other things as you get ready in the morning.


Do Something Creative

Another great way to practice self-care in the morning is by doing something creative. 
Again, this will depend on how much time you have, and might only be saved for the 
weekends or when you wake up earlier than expected. 

Creative projects don’t need to be involved or require a lot of time or money. It can be 
as simple as sitting down with an adult coloring book, sketching, or doing creative 
writing. If you play an instrument, it might also be a good time for a few minutes of 
practice before you go on with your day.


Listen to Podcasts or Music

The great thing about listening to something as self-care is that you can either do it 
while sitting quietly and getting some much-needed rest, or you can listen while doing 
other things. Maybe you get through a podcast while cooking breakfast, or you listen to 
music while walking your dog. You can combine it with other activities and still include it 
as part of your self-care routine.


Upgrade Your Skincare Routine

 Finally, consider upgrading your skincare routine and adding a few more steps to it. 
Instead of just washing your face, you can add in a serum and toner, do some 
exfoliating, or even a morning face mask if you have the time. Remember you can keep 
a mask on while you journal or do other things, so you don’t have to have 10 spare 
minutes to just sit and do nothing while the mask is on. 


When it comes to your morning routine, it should always be customizable to you. It can 
do wonders for your productivity, happiness, and health, but it is vital that you always 
remember why you are doing it and what you hope to benefit.



