“Just one small positive thought in the morning can change your whole day.” - Dalai Lama
How you start your day can shape how your day is spent.
The morning routine you implement can be the difference between a good day and a bad one. But beyond the micro, your morning routine can also extend to the macro. A routine is just that: a sequence of actions that a person follows regularly. The morning is your fresh start. Your new day. The opportunity to shed whatever you experienced yesterday and to start anew.
Combined, good morning routines compound. Healthy morning routines can have long-term positive impacts on your mental, physical, and emotional well-being. In this article, we’ll break down 17 good morning routines to implement to help your overall health and well-being. You’ll also learn about the benefits of a morning routine—and why a productive, energized day can have long-term impacts on the quality of your life.
4 tactics to implement a morning routine
Before you start to implement changes, it’s important to understand what sort of mindset and tactics you have at your disposable to ensure your changes are impactful. We’ve compiled X tactics to keep in mind when implementing a morning routine.
Start small
If you regularly sleep in until 10 a.m., don’t make your bed every day, sit on your phone scrolling social media for 15 minutes before you get out of bed, and order coffee to be delivered to your doorstep from the down the block, you might not want to try to change all of these habits at once.
Sure, you’ve decided that your wallet can’t afford the delivery coffee. You might know that you need to get up earlier or spend less time on your phone. You might make your bed some days but not others—and you want a little more consistency.
But trying to change all of these habits at once is likely not going to bode well for you. Instead, start small. For example, break down each habit into weeks. Perhaps the first week, you decide to get up at 9 a.m. sharp. Then, the second week: you make your own coffee and breakfast. Third week? You start charging your phone outside of your bedroom and use an alarm clock instead of your phone.
Before you know it, you have an entirely new routine—but your routine didn’t form overnight. Brick by brick, you’ve assembled a routine with small, achievable habits. Which leads us to the next recommendation…
Habit stack
If you haven’t habit stacked, it’s a highly effective tactic for implementing behavior change. For example, let’s say you’ve decided that you want to start your morning with an exercise. Right now, you might already have to take your dog out in the morning. Most days, instead of a rigorous walk, you simply loop your dog around the block. What if instead, you committed to a 1-mile walk with your dog instead of a loop around the block? Now, what if after a month, that 1-mile walk turns into 3 miles?
Find ways to look at what you’re already doing in your morning routine and build onto it. This will help to make sure your habits stick—and you’re more successful in reaching your goals.
Find what works for you
Sometimes, there are just things that aren’t going to be your cup of tea. We’re all human and unique, which means that not every habit, change, or implementation is going to feel good for us.
Find what works for you and make it your own. For example, you may want to commit to working out in the morning. But you’re also a mom of three kids, and mornings are hectic. You have to get the kids up and dressed, ready for school. Get their lunches made, their backpacks ready, and drive them to the school twenty minutes away. Instead of squeezing in a morning workout in time that you need for sleep and rest, you might learn that lunchtime workouts just work better for you—and that’s OK! Lean into what feels good and try not to force things that simply don’t work for you.
Don’t pass judgment on yourself
Change comes with challenges. There will be moments where you can’t stick to your routine.
Give yourself some grace. It’s OK if you don’t score 100% every week on your new morning routine. The more you can show up with self-compassion and kindness for yourself, the more resilient you’ll be when bouncing back into the swing of things.
17 morning routine ideas
- Drink a cup of hot water with lemon every morning.
- Make your bed daily.
- Brush your teeth, shower, and maintain a daily skincare routine every morning.
- Brew a cup of coffee or tea at home.
- Read for 10 minutes every morning.
- Journal—or do morning pages—every day.
- Avoid scrolling social media in the mornings.
- Meditate.
- Write down three things you’re grateful for to create a morning gratitude practice.
- Walk outside every morning.
- Make a list of everything you need to accomplish for the day.
- Make a nourishing breakfast for yourself.
- Set three goals—even if they’re small—for the day ahead.
- Get dressed every morning.
- Do yoga every morning.
- Create a conscious stretching routine every morning.
- Do 10 minutes of breathwork.
Of course, these are just some ideas to get started. Whatever your morning routine may be, make sure you’re set up for success with the right mindset and resources in place.
Written by Madeline Miles
