I recently hosted a Zoom presentation about morning routines. I had planned to publish the entire presentation, but it turns out the recording only recorded me, not all the participants.
I decided to create some slides and add the video as an overlay so it’s easier for you to retain all the info.
Below is a quick summary of everything in the presentation. For extra color, I encourage you to watch the full presentation. Feel free to ask any questions in the comment section if you have any!
What Is A Morning Routine?
A set of actions you complete every morning.
Why Is A Morning Routine Important?
Here are my top 3 reasons:
- To cultivate an optimistic and positive mindset
- To build confidence and self-belief
- To condition your mind and body to take action
And here are some other reasons not mentioned in the presentation above:
- Get focused on what you want and what’s important to you
- Helps ground us during calm and turbulent times
- A morning routine creates better habits throughout the day
Luminary Morning Routine Examples
1. Richard Branson
With regards to his overall health and well-being, here’s what Richard Branson says, “I love to look after the body. If I feel great, I can achieve anything” 1
His day starts at 5:00 a.m. He knocks out his workout right away, either playing tennis, biking, going for a run, or kitesurfing. Exercise, he claims, boosts his productivity significantly. Then he eats breakfast and spends time with his family, then gets down to business. 2
2. Tony Robbins
Tony Robbins full routine is more extensive than below, this is just an overview.
Here’s what he has to say about the importance of a morning routine:
“I don’t hope that I’m going to have a great perspective on the day; I prime my nervous system: I prepare it, and I train it, for the perspective I want.” 3
- Wakes up, jumps in the hot tub, and then jumps into a cold plunge
- Takes time for gratitude for three things
- “Feeling the presence of God” – Mediation practice where he focuses on spirituality
- Thinks about his “Three to Thrive”
3. Dwayne Johnson “The Rock”
“The only thing that’s regimented is I have to wake up before the sun gets up,” he said. “And I have my two hours alone when no one else is up and the house is quiet.”
“I often sacrifice two hours of sleep just so I can have the quiet two hours that I need before the whole house wakes up, including the animals”
“I need the mental time in the beginning, and the next thing is my training time,” he said. “Those are my two anchors, and once I’m able to anchor myself, I’m able to go to work.” 4
Marc Perry Routine Example
Full Routine
- Wake up at 6am or earlier
- Make bed
- Cold shower
- Get ready in bathroom
- Morning mobility / workout
- Meditation
- Hyperhydration
- Get dressed
- Affirmations
- Morning questions (Gratitude + Intention)
- Nutritious shake
The entire routine takes around 1 to 1.5 hours depending on the workout. The sequence of everything makes a difference.
10-Minute Routine
Here’s what my 10-minute routine looks like:
- Cold Shower
- Get Ready
- Morning Mobility (Spider Stretch With Rotation)
- Affirmations
- Set Intention – What are my top outcomes today?
Other Morning Routine Habit Ideas
- Power breathing
- Drinking tea
- Writing out thoughts on a page
- Writing out a full page of gratitude
- Going for a walk
- Daily alignment with your wife or partner
- Planning
Morning Routine Implementation Tips
- 7 days a week. Morning routine is a morning routine. Can make some changes on weekends, but core components are changeless.
- Consider time stamping
- Consider waking up at a consistent time, or naturally. If you need to catch up on sleep, go to sleep earlier.
- Emails / messages / social media after the routine. Proactive vs. reactive
- Play around with it. See what works best for you.
A morning routine is portrayed as a solid building block to a productive life. It seems that these ultrasuccessful men all woke up early. The key seems to be doing this every day not just weekdays coupled with an active lifestyle. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for leaving a comment, Hank!
Thank you Mark. What you say makes a lot of sense, especially concerning checking emails. They key seems to be getting up early. I find this most difficult in January/February, when it’s cold and dark and I want to hibernate. Roll on March!
I hear you, Wendy. It gets dark so early that I tend to go to bed earlier, sometimes really early! Thanks for sharing your thoughts.