Morning Routine Before Work That Will Change Your Life and Make You Happier Than Ever
Morning routines are an important and inevitable part of our lives.
We all have them, and most of us want to change them.
The moment we wake up and get out of bed, our morning routine kicks in and defines the day ahead… or at least the first part of it.
So, how do you spend your mornings?
Do you snooze your alarm five times before dragging yourself out of bed?
Do you stay on your phone, scrolling social media?
Maybe you’re rushing through the morning to get ready for less than ten minutes?
Probably you’re promising yourself that, starting from tomorrow, you will finally get productive, take more time for yourself, or at least stop rushing through life so much.
It all starts with the creation of your perfect morning routine.
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Why You Should Have A Morning Routine?
Here’s a shocker for you: You already have a morning routine. The question is: Does your morning routine need adjustment and revision?
Here are a few benefits of creating a productive and energizing morning routine before work:
- A good morning routine will drastically improve your mood and increase your overall happiness.
- Getting up earlier than usual for a long period of time will build up your discipline, and you will suddenly realize you’re able to stick to your goals and habits easier.
- You will start your days with less stress and frustration because you won’t have to jump from the bliss of deep sleep into the hectic life you probably have.
- A morning routine dedicated to your own self-development is extremely satisfying; your self-confidence and self-belief will be improved.
- You will also discover the flexibility of doing “nice things” for yourself – things you never did before, such as staying in silence and enjoying the present moment or scribbling ideas on a piece of paper.
- Getting ahead of everyone who still snuggles at 7 a.m. is one of the best ways to improve your life faster.
Don’t copy-paste your morning routine before work
Have you ever browsed the net for morning habits and routines that you could just copy-paste in your life? I’ve done it. When I like someone’s work and get inspired by their achievements, goals, and lifestyle, I used to try and copy what they do to be so successful.
And while there’s nothing wrong with that, the problem is that successful people have created their routines in a way that serves their goals, not mine or yours.
For example, instead of copying Winston Chirchil’s morning routine (although I don’t mind staying in bed till 11 a.m.), you might want to see which part of his routine could answer your needs?
What makes a morning routine before work good for you?
You see, I work from home and my morning routine is almost 3 hours long as I include work in it. Writing is the very first thing I do in the morning, and that has been the key to my success in blogging.
But you might not have 3 hours in the morning. You might not even have one full hour (although, unless you start work at 5 a.m. I believe you surely can afford to have an hour for yourself).
In case you have limited time before work, you want to design your morning in a way that answers your needs and goals.
So, the first rule of creating a morning routine before work that is actually life-changing is to do only what serves you and makes your life more focused on your success.
I’ve found out that there are 5 essential elements your morning routine should have and they will set you up for success, productivity, and happiness.
The beauty in these five elements is that they only build a frame for your morning routine. It’s up to you how you fill that frame.
Your morning routine starts the night before
Before I get to the five elements of your perfect morning routine, it’s time to work on your evening habits.
You cannot expect to have an awesome morning routine if your evening routine is terrible.
There are just a few tips you want to follow in the evening (I bet they won’t surprise you):
- Don’t eat food that your body doesn’t digest well, such as junk food, lots of spices, sweets and so on.
- Put your phone aside for at least an hour before going to bed.
- Same goes for the T.V.
- Go to sleep at a time that allows you to have a good night rest, follow your sleep cycles.
- Don’t drink too much water before going to sleep as this might cause you waking up several times at night to use the bathroom.
- Relax your mind by meditating for a few minutes, reading a book and simple breathing.
Default morning habits that will make your life easier
There are some default morning habits I won’t include in the five elements as I believe there’s enough material on them already.
- Don’t hit the snooze button – you know that those 5 minutes of bliss only make you irritated, just stop snoozing your alarm already.
- Breakfast – I firmly believe that breakfast is the most important meal for the day. It wakes up your digestive system, and that helps your metabolism, meaning your body will use the food instead of storing it.
Five elements of your morning routine before work
Here we are, finally. It’s time to talk about the most important five elements of your morning routine.
Your task, while reading them, is to take the idea and implement it in your life in a way that serves you. I’ve also given you examples of morning habits, but you shouldn’t feel obligated to use them. They are listed just to help you have a deeper understanding of how your productive morning routine before work could look like.
Let’s dive in.
1. Wake up your body
The first part of having a great morning routine that makes you happy and successful is to wake up your body. When you exercise or have any physical activity, your heart beats faster, and your blood flows better, carrying oxygen and vital nutrition to your cells. On top of that, you help your body get rid of any toxins and waste products.
Moving your body also increases your estrogen levels, reduces stress, and helps you maintain good mental health.
Doing something so healthy for yourself early in the morning, sets the tone for the day and helps you start your day with self-care.
I suggest you start with just a few minutes daily and going this way for as long as you feel comfortable. If exercising in the morning isn’t your usual activity, you might find it hard to make it a habit. In this case, start small – just a minute or two of cardio workout should give you the quick boost of energy we’re looking for.
Here’re a few things you could do every morning to wake up your body:
- yoga/pilates;
- intense exercise;
- jogging;
- dancing;
- simple stretch or stay in plank position for a few minutes;
Bonus: Drinking water right after you wake up, opening the curtains, so the light comes into your room, and taking your supplements are also great ways to wake up your body. Some people even take cold showers; I prefer warm showers; it’s less painful.
2. Wake up your mind
Once your body is awake, it’s time to wake up your mind. You want to do that in a way that’s not damaging for the day. Want to know what’s hurting your mornings?
Your phone… or at least the wrong usage of it.
If the first thing you do in the morning is to check the social media or entertain yourself in some way, you’re doing it wrong… and you know it.
But I know that it’s a habit you want to get rid of, you just don’t know how to do it.
As Og Mandino says in his bestseller “The Greatest Salesman in The World” bad habits cannot be removed, they can only be replaced with good ones.
So, that’s your task – find the good habit you want to develop and practice it instead of the bad one. A great source on how to create good habits is Atomic Habits by James Clear. I listen to it for free with Audible, and it’s an absolutely mind-blowing resource for people who want to change their life.
Here are a few ideas on how to wake up your mind in the morning:
- Read a book – I used to like to read a chapter of a book every morning before work. That was giving me something to think about during the day or on my way to work – keeping my brain active and busy is crucial.
- Journal – I journal in the evenings, but I used to do it in the mornings, and it’s a great way to start your day. (I will shamelessly place a link to my Happiness Journal here for you to get a peek inside)
- Play mind games – I play Sudoku every morning for 5 minutes, and it truly wakes up my mind.
- Remember your dreams – something Jim Kwik advises is always to try and remember our dreams first thing in the morning. During the night, our brain analyzes the events from the day and often comes up with creative solutions to our problems. Recording your dreams could help you get access to these solutions earlier.
- Breathing exercises – deep and slow breaths outside or in front of the open windows help the oxygen storm into your body and brain and wakes up your mind very fast.
- Do something that helps you invest in yourself – here’s a list to help you choose how to invest in your better life.
3. Remember your goals
No matter if your goal is to graduate, get promoted at work, start a new business or just create a less stressful lifestyle, try to work on your goals every single morning. Even if it’s just for a few minutes, working on your goals daily will help you stay focused on what truly matters to you.
As I mentioned, my morning routine lasts for hours. That’s because my “working on my goals” part is almost two hours long. I work from home, and my main priority is to write every day, if possible. My morning routine includes working on a new post every morning, checking stats, and planning ahead.
4. Inspire yourself
We often ignore this part of our morning routine before work, but it’s one of the most important things to do. Inspiring yourself every single morning boosts your energy levels up and helps you feel happier and overall satisfied with your life.
Here are a few ways to inspire yourself in the morning:
- Gratitude journaling – expressing gratitude for the things you already have in your life, appreciating the life you’ve got, and sending love to the people in your life – that’s a great way to get inspired every morning before heading to work. See these 10 gratitude journals that will help you fit all that in 5 minutes every morning.
- Find inspirational quotes – Pinterest is full of inspirational quotes waiting for you. You could also create a quote journal, and every morning, collect the best quote to keep you excited for the day.
- Set up affirmations for the day – Affirmations could be your perfect tool for you. See these 77 affirmations for happiness and inner peace to help you start.
- Visualize your dreams – Sometimes it’s hard to keep your energy up and stay inspired every single day of your life. On these days, try to visualize your dreams. Allow yourself to drift away in the future for a few mornings. Get wild and imagine the most wonderful way things could go. Just doing that for a few minutes will help you stay motivated on doing your best today and walking firmly toward that future.
- Visualize your day – Very often, when I have an important day ahead, I would sit and spend a minute or two visualizing it. I imagine how it would be, the people I would meet, and the conversations I would have.
Inside Of My Happiness Journal
Inside Of My Happiness | Journal for Living an Intentional Life
Scared of journaling?
Journaling has so many benefits, and you've always wanted to stick to it but never did. It looks and sounds complicated. You think that there are some rules you know nothing of and can't see the magic everyone talks of.
Inside of My Happiness is your go-to journal for the morning and the evening. Get inspired in the mornings, reflect on yourself in the evening. As simple as that.
5. Set up the good mood
This last part of your morning routine before work could take you just a minute or two.
So far, you woke up your body and mind, you worked on your goals, and you inspired yourself for the day. What’s left?
Setting up a good mood.
Of course, with all other things on the list you’re already in a good mood.
But adding this last bit of spice to your day will make it even more enjoyable (or manageable if it’s going to be a hard day).
I’ve got some good ideas for you to get yourself in a good mood early in the morning:
- Listen to music you love – nothing that makes you cry or ruins your mood, though.
- Play with your pet – that’s always enjoyable.
- Talk to a person you love – be sure you maintain a good relationship with the important people in your life.
- Hug someone – I suggest you always start your day by hugging someone you love. If it cannot happen in the morning, you should do it at some point during the day. It’s proven that hugs reduce stress, protect you from some illnesses and increase overall happiness.
- Do one thing that makes you happy – You probably have some ideas of your own. The rule of that last part of your morning routine before work is just to be something that makes you happy.
Weird things successful people do in the morning
These were the top 5 things you might want to do every morning. Be flexible and include things of your own. Remember, you want to create a morning routine that serves you and your goals and lifestyle.
However, if you’re curious about some things successful people do in the morning, here’s a simple list:
Marrie Kondo, author of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up likes to open her window in the morning and burn incense.
Jim Kwik brushes his teeth with the opposite hand.
Nikola Tesla was taking six 20-minute naps throughout the day to keep the productivity levels up.
Tim Cook wakes up at 3:30 a.m. and hits the gym before work.
Brian Guttman, the founder of Jeremy Argyle, spends five minutes every morning telling his toddler how the previous day was. He says it helps him summarise the day in just a few sentences. (Source)
Best books on creating the perfect morning routine before work
If you want to improve yourself and change your life, you know that reading is one of the most important habits you need along the way to success.
No matter if you prefer reading hardcover books, listen to audiobooks or reading on Kindle, if you want to get more inspiration for your morning routines, these are the books you need in your life.
The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life – Before 8 AM
Hal Elrod’s bestseller is all about how to design your mornings so you could become your best self. He gives you six tools to do that and calls them S.A.V.E.R.S. They stand for: Silence, Affirmation, Visualization, Exercise, Reading, and Scribbling.
The Greatest Salesman In The World by Og Mandino
Atomic Habits by James Clear
Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy
Brian Tracy’s classic Eat That Frog is a smart way to understand how to work smart instead of hard and how to prioritize things in life. I listened to it months ago, and it’s still on my library in Audible so that I will go through it again very soon. 
Habit Stacking: 127 Small Changes to Improve Your Health, Wealth and Happiness
S.J.Scott shows us exactly how to make the most out of our habits and make them stick almost instantly by simply stacking them. He also gives us 127 ways to improve ourselves without even noticing drastically. Listen to it for free with Audible
5 AM Club by Robin Sharma
One of the best mentors for hundreds of powerful and wealthy people, Robin Sharma, is truly one of the best in the field of self-development and building your best self.
5 AM Club is the book that contains his top tips on how to build your mornings and days in a way that will help achieve absolutely anything you desire. I’ve got the audio version of it, and it’s 11 hours long – a lot of good wisdom that won’t disappoint you.
7 Habits of Highly Successful People by Stephen Covey
A bestseller was written in 1989, and it’s still on top of the list of best self-development books to choose from. Over 25 million copies sold worldwide and counting, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is a classic you need to read at least once in your life. You could also listen to it for free here.
Daily Ritual: How Artists Work by Mason Currey
Inspired by the lives of hundreds of artists around the world – poets, painters, philosophers, novelists, and many more. This book will help you understand how an artistic mind works and how small daily rituals have created the best masterpieces we know and love. It’s probably my next read.
Make Your Bed by William H. Mc Raven
If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed. You’ve most likely heard Admiral William H. McRaven’s speech from May 2014. It’s still one of the most shareable videos out there where he explains in detail why making your bed every morning sets you up for success throughout your day. But there’s much more to it, and it all comes in his book Make Your Bed.
The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg
My last suggestion on this list with the best books about habits is The Power Of Habit. With a little bit of more scientific way of learning how habits work and how to change them, this book must be your choice if you’d like a more in-depth understanding on human’s brain, nature and behaviour.
Want To See What Journal I Use?
This is my gratitude journal at the moment. It's my Happiness Journal that helps me practice daily self-care and kindness, reflect on my life, set intentions for the days, and stay inspired no matter how crazy the world around is.
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Morning routine before work – 5 Elements of your Perfect Morning
Blogger, dreamer, procrastinator, and lover of everything soul-touching. My mission is to make you laugh, provoke your thoughts, light up your day and inspire you to fall in love with life and yourself.
Shivvya
Monday 10th of April 2023
Valuable post Rachel...& thanks for book recommendations.
All the bestâ¨
RachelJo
Tuesday 11th of April 2023
Thank you, Shivvya!
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Thursday 6th of January 2022
[…] a part of your before work routine, you might want to consider finding time to set a few goals or intentions for the day. By the end […]