Why I Started a New Morning Routine
I’ve been trying to get a good morning routine going for years. It wasn’t until early last year that I finally got into a good groove.
The main reason I felt I needed a new morning routine is because I was working multiple jobs, each with inconsistent start and end times. I needed a stability factor in my life. Something I could count on each
day. Time to myself.
The other reason was reflection. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t just falling into life’s inertia which can happen easily.
My Experiment
I decided to start the habit of a new morning routine. I started with one thing: plan my day first thing in the morning when I wake up with the idea I can add more layers later if needed.
At the time, a friend recommended I use Cal Newport’s system. You write down your todos, assign time blocks to them, and adjust as needed. It also includes a “shutdown” checkbox and summary at the end of the day so you can mentally disconnect after your work day is complete.
I started doing this every morning and kept it up for a few months.
The biggest benefit wasn’t productivity. It was awareness. I was actually choosing what to do with my day instead of letting the day control me. I also had this one consistent moment in my day to have time to myself.
What My Routine Looks Like Now
My routine has evolved quite a bit over the last 6 months. Right now it looks like this:
- Wake up between 5:00–5:30am
- Make tea
- Meditate for 10 minutes
- 5-minute mind dump journaling
- Plan the day
As you can see I’ve added a few new layers over time.
One of them is having a morning cup of tea or coffee. Recently it’s been tea. There’s something calm about that first cup of tea before anything else starts. It feels like a quiet buffer between sleep and the rest of the day.
Another layer I added was journaling.
I set a timer for 5 minutes and just write whatever comes to mind. No structure, no prompts, just a mind dump. It’s been a great way to process ideas or problems by getting them out onto paper. It clears up mental
space.
The other thing I added is 10 minutes of meditation.
This has been a great reset for controlling my breath and calming my body and stress. But the biggest benefit has been developing the mindfulness muscle.
After about a month of consistent meditation, I noticed I’m much more aware of my thoughts and thinking patterns. That’s been incredibly helpful for catching negative thought loops and even noticing when I’m procrastinating or overthinking.
The Challenges
Of course, there have been some challenges.
First, I’ve fallen off the time-blocking part of scheduling tasks throughout the day. I still write down my tasks, but I’m not assigning time to them as consistently.
The other challenge is consistency.
There are days when I miss the routine (usually when I’m traveling) but I try to keep those to a minimum.
I’ve intentionally kept the routine simple. I can complete everything in about 30 minutes.
I’ve seen routines online that take over an hour. While that might be nice for some people, it’s not very practical for me.
Keeping it short makes it sustainable.
Where I’ve Improved It
Recently, I started a new job and went from working three jobs to just one. That’s brought a lot more stability to my schedule.
Right now, I’m focusing on consistency. Waking up between 5:00–5:30am and doing the routine first thing, instead of at random times depending on when I wake up.
This also made me realize something: having a consistent sleep schedule is a routine in itself. An underrated one!
Another tweak I’ve made is how I approach my task list.
I now pick one item and make it my “One Thing” for the day. If that’s the only thing I accomplish, it’s still a successful day.
I’m also experimenting with the order of my routine:
- Journaling
- Meditation
- Planning
I’m trying to figure out if journaling first leads to better clarity or if another order works better.
We’ll see.
What It’s Given Me
I’ve been really happy having the habit of a morning routine.
Having focused time to myself before the chaos of the day starts is something I don’t want to lose.
It’s also given me the stability I was looking for. Something I can rely on each day, no matter what my schedule looks like.
And the reflection piece I was hoping for has shown up in ways I didn’t expect.
It gives me clarity, helps me stay mindful, and keeps me intentional about how I design my life.
