Inspiration to Create Your Morning Routine

I’m fascinated by other people’s morning routines. I’m intrigued by the many many ways people start their day and set themselves up for success.

I don’t, however, believe in copying any individual’s habits verbatim. Their routines don’t guarantee me their success. Instead, I’m looking for inspiration. What to try. What outcomes to aspire. Considerations of how I want to feel.

A quick Google reveals lots of very prescriptive sounding articles outlining the ‘ideal’ morning routine. But really the ideal morning routine has two criteria:

1. You’ll do it. This means it fits within the constraints (not excuses) of your life. And that you want to do it.
2. You benefit from it. You achieve some desired outcome.

They are the two things that need to be at the forefront of your mind. And it means your ‘ideal’ routine is deeply personal. What works for me, won’t work for you. So what’s needed is a little less prescription and a little more inspiration.

Here are my top sources of morning routine inspiration:

• Sacred Mornings: Experience Your Full Radiance While the Sun Comes Up The premise of this article is to focus on starting your day feeling good but what I love about it is that it encourages you to broaden the parameters of what a morning routine is. Five minutes or ninety. Solo or with your kids. And it’s less business/success oriented than a lot of what’s out there. Bonus!
• The Tim Ferriss Show episode Morning Routines and Strategies Tim asks lots of his podcast guests about what the first hour to ninety minutes of their day looks like and he collated the answers into this episode. There are commonalities in the routines of the many accomplished people he has interviewed. But just because 80% of his guests mediate, doesn’t mean you need to.

• Daily Rituals: How Great Minds Make Time, Find Inspiration, and Get to Work This book doesn’t just look at morning routines. Rather it’s a compilation of snippets of routine of everyone from F. Scott Fitzgerald to Beethoven. Some of the more alcohol-fueled habits I wouldn’t encourage but it’s a fascinating look at some of history’s great characters.  Plus the incredible variety really drives home that there is no single best approach.

• 11 Tips For Getting Ready Faster in the Mornings This one is for those of you who are just looking to get out the door a little less harried and a little more together. Efficiency can absolutely be your desired outcome.
• The Morning Routines of the Most Successful People Better throw in one cliched, business article for good measure. Again there are some anecdotes of how high achievers start their day but the really useful part is a list of tips near the bottom of the article.

What’s your current morning routine like? Do you have more of ritual that leaves you feeling energised? Or are you in the mad scramble going to be late camp?