My Morning Routine

My Morning Routine is the ultimate guide to building healthy habits in the hours right after you wake up with tips backed up by the experiences of some of the most successful people in the world, including Ryan Holiday, Chris Guillebeau, Nir Eyal, and many more.

Of the many similarities among the 64 case studies in the book, the authors found that most of the people they surveyed exercised or meditated right after waking up.

These individuals understand that it’s not just about getting fit or looking good. They know that movement boosts your brain and sets you up to win the rest of the day.

That’s how the former president of Twentieth Century Fox, Sherry Lansing, feels about her workout regimen. She says it gets her pumped up for the entire day whenever she exercises first thing.

You don’t have to make it difficult to reap the benefits, either. Start small, and do what you enjoy. I recently bought Ring Fit Adventure on the Nintendo Switch and now I exercise almost every morning!

Let’s talk about meditation now. Similar to working out, this practice will accelerate your mind and body in dozens of ways.

Ed Catmull, president of Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios, spends up to 60 minutes every morning meditating and has done so for years. Doing so, he says, gets him ready to respond to unexpected situations with calmness and intelligence.

To start this practice, simply focus on being present in whatever you’re doing. Whether it’s exercise or reading, pay attention to the process. And check out our summary of Unplug for more meditation tips!

You could really do any number of activities to have a successful morning. Whether it’s reading, journaling, or whatever else you can think of, just do what’s best for you! It’s important that you’re prepared though, and that starts in the evening. One of the biggest keys to a successful start to your day is to get enough rest. Focus on disconnecting before you go to bed. Especially stay away from technology as it will make your sleep less efficient, which will kill your morning productivity! Nir Eyal, for example, has his router set up to shut the internet off at 10 pm every night. That makes it so he’s almost always in bed around 11 and gets quality sleep because he’s off devices before bedtime. If you struggle to disconnect from work, look to the example of Jenny Blake, who is a public speaker and author of Pivot. She’s made the rule that, to help her disconnect, she won’t check email after 5 pm. She also thinks about what she’s grateful for and considers improvement areas to help her clear…