Here’s why a morning routine is more important than you think

...and how your alarm clock is not your enemy.

5 min

©Maskot

By Franzi Orthey
March 23, 2022

Why trust us?

The early bird gets the worm, and you snooze, you lose. How often have you heard these expressions when it comes to establishing a morning routine? These well-intentioned tips to get up earlier would all be well and good if it weren’t for the never-ending urge to throw your alarm clock somewhere far away. No matter how early or late we sleep, it usually doesn’t feel close to long enough. But instead of giving in to the short-lived reward of hitting snooze and turning over again, it really is worth getting up and making time for a morning routine and, with it, a good start to the day. Once you’ve made it out of bed and introduced this time into your life as a daily constant, you’ll notice how much more energy you’ll have.

So having a morning routine doesn’t just remain a good resolution but becomes something you can commit to, we’ll give you enough reasons why you should try it out tomorrow.

By the way, you can read more here about whether early risers are really better off.

What is a morning routine?

Routines make life easier. They are habits that you perform almost automatically, and not having to think about them saves you time and energy — once you’ve already established your routine, that is. The same goes for a morning routine, where you take time for yourself right after you get up. It’s about creating a space in your hectic everyday life where it’s all about you. All beginnings are hard and take effort, but once you manage to practice a morning routine on a regular basis, you’ll see how much you benefit from it.

So, a morning routine is….

… something you do every day.
… time you spend with yourself.
… something that gives you peace.
… something that you integrate into your everyday life in the long term.

How long does a morning routine take?

For a morning routine to work, it’s not necessarily about how long it lasts. Of course, this isn’t something that should add on extra stress to your days, so whether it’s 10 minutes or half an hour is up to you. You should, though, intentionally schedule this time, which also means setting your morning alarm accordingly. You want to really use your morning routine to collect yourself so you can start the day relaxed.

Ideas for a morning routine

There is no one morning routine that will change everything, because it’s not just about what you’re doing exactly, it’s that you’re doing it for you. It needs to be something that meets your needs and adds peace, stability, and balance to your everyday life. Maybe it’s a mix of several activities that helps you kickstart your day. Of course, you can also do something different every day and just stick to the time. It’s even more effective, though, if you stick to the same thing every day. That way, the question of what to do just fades away. And as you know, the less you have to think about it, the more energy you save for other things. If you’re short on ideas, here are a few for you:

Meditate: for example, with a meditation app or a timer
Practice yoga or move in another form
Go for a walk or jog
Move, for example with morning stretching
Read or listen to an audiobook
Write down your thoughts and set an intention for yourself

Feel free to try your way through some of these ideas until you find the kind of morning routine that works for you.

Maybe add a mindful breakfast without your phone and other distractions to your morning routine. Treat yourself to a delicious breakfast bowl while you’re at it!

What’s the point of a morning routine?

After all, the whole thing is supposed to pay off in the end. And with a little strategizing, it definitely will. These surprising reasons to get into a morning routine definitely speak for themselves:

You gain time for yourself

A morning routine means time for yourself. It’s far too frequent that we leave what we couldn’t finish in the evening for the next morning and cutting into this valuable time too often is a slippery slope. This way, no matter what comes, you already know you have this crucial time carved out for yourself.

You feel less stressed

In order to savor the last second of sleep, we often rush out of bed stressed, bring our coffee to go, and don’t take a conscious breath until the work day’s long begun. It’s a recipe for pure stress that lasts all day. With a morning routine, you escape this cycle. Yes, you have to get up earlier. But in return, you get a big dose of calm and serenity that ensures nothing can throw you off track, even on stressful days.

You’re more productive

If we’re being honest, it’s mainly at night that we shave into valuable sleep time. The trick to a morning routine is to trade one unproductive hour in the evening for one productive hour in the morning. And even if it’s only half an hour or 15 minutes, it’s time you’re using (more) wisely.

Of course, you can still use the evening hours productively and can always establish an evening routine.

Your life feels more self-determined

Instead of letting others tell you when to get up, consciously decide for yourself how you spend this time. It feels fantastic to be able to make self-direct, conscious decisions, all for yourself.

You live more mindfully

To live mindfully means to be completely in this moment, to perceive all that is right now and to dedicate oneself to only one thing: the present. Without distractions. Your morning routine, which is all about you and your needs, helps you practice and prioritize this awareness. You’ll quickly notice how this new mindfulness applies to other areas of your life!

You become more focused and present

Most of us are everywhere and nowhere, constantly chasing after the next item on the to-do list and distracted by a thousand things. A morning routine acts like a reset button. It helps you quiet your thoughts so that monkey-mind doesn’t keep jumping around all day. This will give you not only a great start to the day, but keep you more focused, more present in the moment, and more able to concentrate on the task at hand.

Your days are more stable

Life is chaotic without a plan. Every day, unpredictable things that can throw you off track can happen. A morning routine provides structure and stability. Even when things don’t go as planned, you’ll find the calm you need to cope with stormy weather.

More things to know from foodspring:

* Vitamin B12 contributes to normal functioning of the immune and nervous systems, normal formation of red blood cells and normal energy metabolism, as well as reducing fatigue and tiredness.

Sources for this article

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