The Power of the Morning Routine: Rituals to Boost Your Day
Let’s get one thing out of the way: I’m not a morning person. At least, I wasn’t - until I realised that the first hour of my day was setting the tone for everything that followed. When your morning involves bleary eyes, a half-spilled coffee, and a panicked scroll through your inbox before you’ve even brushed your teeth, is it any wonder the rest of the day feels like a chaotic blur?
But here’s the good news: you don’t need to wake up at 5am, run 10K, or meditate on a mountaintop to feel in control. A solid morning routine isn’t about being perfect. It’s about reclaiming the start of your day and choosing how you show up.
I tested a dozen different routines - yes, including the cold showers (no, I didn’t keep those) - and here’s what actually worked:
1. Start before the scroll
We all do it. Alarm goes off. Phone in hand. Straight onto Instagram, emails, WhatsApp. Before you know it, your brain is bombarded, and someone else’s agenda is running your day.
Try this instead: give yourself just ten screen-free minutes first thing. Make a cup of tea. Open a window. Breathe. It sounds small, but this one shift stopped me waking up already behind.
2. Do one thing just for you
This might be a five-minute stretch, journaling, reading a page of a book - or, if you’re like me, dancing like a lunatic to 90s pop while brushing your teeth.
It doesn’t have to be worthy. It just has to be yours. One thing that reminds you: I get to choose how this day begins.
3. Move (a little)
Look, I’m not about to preach a full morning workout. But moving your body first thing - even if it’s just a walk round the block or a kitchen yoga stretch - gets the blood flowing and your brain firing in a way that no amount of coffee quite matches.
Bonus points if you can do it outdoors. Natural light helps reset your body clock, and a hit of vitamin D before 9am is a bit of a miracle.
4. Plan it out - but not like a robot
The to-do list is the holy grail of the productive morning, right? Maybe. But mine used to look like an overachiever’s fantasy and left me demoralised by 11am. Now, I write down three things I actually have time to do. Just three.
We’re not trying to win at mornings. We’re trying to feel a bit more human by 9am.
The magic of a morning routine isn’t in ticking boxes or becoming some productivity guru. It’s in the message you send yourself: "I matter. My time, energy and headspace are worth protecting."
Start small. Try one thing. Ignore what social media says you should do. And if all else fails? A decent breakfast and a quiet cup of tea can still be a revolution.
