Do you need a morning routine checklist to finally set your day up for success?
It seems like every motivational video and motivational speaker is always talking about the importance of morning routines.
For good reason in my opinion. There are nearly endless benefits of waking up earlier and spending time for yourself.
Creating a morning routine can give you more time for your goals and start the day on your terms.
Unfortunately, the majority of the population hit the snooze button, skip breakfast, and start their day reactive to the world around them. This can lead to high stress, low productivity, and living the same day over and over again.
Sound familiar to some of your mornings?
It’s time to flip the script and finally start the day on your terms.
It’s time to start creating the life that you deserve.
Disclaimer: Implementing this morning routine checklist could change your life!
Table of Contents
Morning Routine = Key to Success
One of the biggest differences between successful and unsuccessful people is a great morning routine.
People like Oprah, Tony Robbins, Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates and tons of other highly successful people win their morning. They focus on themselves, their goals, aspirations, and intentions for the day.
The cool thing is that you don’t need millions of dollars in the bank or best-selling book to start your morning routine!
Use this simple and effective morning checklist to create a structure for your mornings and create a routine that sets you up for success. While this morning routine checklist is effective, don’t be afraid to make it your own!
As Hal Elrod said, “If you win the morning, you win the day. But when you waste the morning you’re likely to waste the day.”
Here’s how to get started…
Start With an Evening Routine
A great morning routine actually starts the night before. If you plan ahead, you will be able to wake up and start your day focused. Spend five-ten minutes the night before planning these three things:
1. When Will You Wake Up?
The night before you need to establish when you will wake up and commit to getting up on time.
Scientifically, hitting the snooze button is a huge mistake. In her book, The 5 Second Rule, Mel Robbins explains why snoozing is a horrible habit to develop.
We sleep in cycles that take about 90 to 110 minutes to complete. About two hours before you wake up, these sleep cycles end and your body starts to slowly prepare to wake up. When our alarm rings, your body is in wakeup mode. If you hit the snooze button and drift back to sleep, you force your brain to start a new sleep cycle that is 90 to 110 minutes long.”
When you hit the snooze button and wake up 15 minutes later you are forcing yourself up in the middle of a sleep cycle. This is why you might feel worse and groggy after snoozing!
Now, set the time you will wake up and get up tomorrow morning.
2. Plan Your Fitness
Are you planning on going to the gym or for a run tomorrow morning? If so, make sure you lay out your clothes, shoes, and any snacks so you aren’t tempted to skip your workout.
Be sure to pack a lunch or figure out what you will need to make tomorrow to get ready for work as well.
3. Create a Plan for the Day
What are your intentions for tomorrow? What do you need to do before work, at work, or afterward? Do you have plans the next night with friends or family?
Write down 3-5 main priorities for the next day. Spend a few minutes picturing the day going just as planned and accomplishing everything you need to do.
Remember a great morning routine begins by planning ahead the night before.
Morning Routine Checklist (for Adults)
Here is a list of great morning routine ideas. Don’t feel like you need to do all of these or you will set yourself up for disaster.
Instead, make sure you start with a short evening routine and then wake up on time. The rest you can add to see what works for your schedule. Don’t be afraid to mix up your schedule either!
1. Wake Up on Time
Winners wake up early.
One of the best ways to feel great each day is to get up 2-3 hours before you have to be at work. This morning time is the way you can get ahead, focus on your goals, and enjoy some “you” time.
Some of the most successful people in the world wake up 3-4 hours before they do any actual work.
2. Make Your Bed
As Admiral William McRaven said, “If you want to change the world start by making your bed.”
This simple task will help you feel accomplished and set the tone for your day. This will establish a positive habit to your brain that you get things done.
3. Avoid Technology
As Mel Robbins said, “Do you think Oprah or Bill Gates are lying in bed looking at social media when they wake up?”
Of course not!
Make it a point to avoid technology at least the first hour of each day. Don’t look at your phone, check your email or turn on the news. Using technology will make you become reactive instead of proactive.
Instead, use this time to consume new information and spend time on your goals. Block out the rest of the world.
4. Exercise Early & Often
As Tom Bilyeu says in this video, “Exercise, in general, has a tremendous impact on helping the brain rewire itself.”
You might not want to work out every single day but if you make it a habit during the week you will create discipline. Anyone who has ever achieved anything great has had a ton of discipline.
Exercise in whatever form you enjoy the most. It could be walking, running, working out, swimming, racquetball or whatever else.
The point to get moving, change your physiology and set up your day for success.
Also, it’s much easier to skip the gym after a tough day at work. Do the hard stuff in the morning so you never skip what matters most.
5. Spend Time on Your Goals
Every morning routine checklist should have a strong emphasis on manifesting your goals. Spend the first 30-60 minutes each morning doing something that will get you closer to your goals.
6. Write in a Journal
Journaling is my personal favorite part of my morning routine checklist. This is a time where you get to write out the vision for your future.
Write out in detail exactly what you want to accomplish in the next week, month, and year. Do you want a big house, a new car or start your own business? Start writing about it!
Everything that has ever been created around us was once an idea. Give your brain as much clarity about your goals and focus on the feeling of achieving them.
Ask yourself questions out loud and write out the answers:
- Who will I need to work with?
- What will I need to learn?
- How can I make progress this week or month?
- What habits can I change to improve my life?
The more (and better) questions you ask will help clarify exactly what you need to do to focus on your goals.
7. Practice Meditation
Meditation has nearly unlimited benefits and is a great way to 10X your mornings. If you’ve never meditated there are tons of different ways, find what works best for you.
You might be able to listen to music in a room alone, follow guided meditation or use an App. My favorite mindfulness apps for morning meditation are Primed Mind, Mindvalley’s Om Harmonics, and Headspace.
When meditating, imagine one or two of your big goals as being complete. Imagine what it would feel like if you got a new job or signed the paperwork for your new house. What would it smell, sound or even taste like?
Studies have shown that the more senses you bring in the more effective it will be.
8. Invest In Yourself
Once the day gets going it is easy to be pulled in every direction and lose focus on yourself.
Spend time in the morning focusing 100% on yourself! This might be the only quiet time you get each day.
9. Read 15-30 minutes
As Tony Robbins said, “Leaders are readers.” The average person reads 1-2 books per year but the average CEO’s reads 52 books per year.
Coincidence?
Spend time each morning consuming information that is helpful to your future. Check out my full recommended reading list for some ideas.
10. Listen to Something You Love
Find something to listen to in the morning that you love to listen too. This could be your favorite podcast, motivational videos, or even song that gets you in a good mood.
This could also be a great way to pass time on your commute. Check out the best motivational speeches to get some morning inspiration.
Morning Routine Videos
For more morning motivation, check out my favorite morning routine videos:
- Chase Jarvis – 6 Things I Do for a Happy & Productive Day
- Brian Sharma – How to Create a World Class Day
- Hal Elrod – Miracle Morning (Based on the book, “The Miracle Morning”)
- Brian Tracy – Habits of Successful People
Start Winning Your Mornings
Hopefully, this post will get some ideas flowing so you can start crafting your perfect morning.
Remember, a great morning routine starts with a great evening routine. Spend time each night preparing for the morning so you can crush your day.
Once you hear the alarm get up, make your bed, and start focusing on your goals. If you get up on time every day on time, you will see more discipline in every area of your life.
I’m confident that done over time, a morning routine can literally change your life. I know because they personally helped me changed mine.
If you want to take your morning routine to the next level, make sure to check out Win the Morning.
This course will help you…
- Wake up earlier (finally)
- Start the day off on your terms
- Help you create space in life to find clarity
- Quiet the mental chatter and reduce stress
- Give you time to work on your biggest goals
And so much more!
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I will try to follow this checklist.
Awesome Tracey! I’d love to help in any way I can to help you win the mornings. Please let me know 🙂
wow i read a full post this morning i guess i’m starting right
Awesome to hear!