The hardest thing about entrepreneurship is managing your own psychology. As long as you stay psychologically strong, you won’t give up. And if you don’t give up, you’ll eventually succeed. Because startups rarely die mid-keystroke.

So, how do you stay psychologically strong? Surprisingly, I’ve found that more than anything else, a morning routine keeps me happy and productive.

My Morning Routine

7-minute workout: instructions here. 5-minute breathing meditation. Breakfast: protein, carbs, fruits/veggies. Plan my day: write down 3 things I need to get done today.

Why It Works

This routine makes sure I get a minimum dose of exercise, meditation, and nutrition. Planning my day then provides the direction to channel my energy.

I’ve tried a bunch of different techniques and routines. At the end, this is the minimal set of things that works for me. It works partly because…

It’s efficiently designed. The 7-minute workout wakes you up for the meditation. The 5-minute meditation helps you cool off from your workout. The workout before breakfast helps your body absorb nutrients. The three things combined helps to reset your mind, so that you can plan your day better.

It’s habitual. If you do this every morning, it becomes a habit. It then gets easier and easier to have the discipline to do it.

It’s minimal. It’s hard to make excuses for not exercising, when you only need 7 minutes. And usually, you want to sit down to catch your breath after the 7-minute workout, so you might as well meditate. A minimal routine makes it far more likely you’ll do this for years, not just a few weeks. I’ve been personally doing this routine daily for over a year now.

This routine seems almost too minimal. But if you do some research into exercise or meditation, you’ll discover that the 80/20 rule applies: you just need to do the bare minimum to get most of the benefit.

What’s more, it’s pretty enjoyable. It’s something I look forward to, each morning when I wake up. Eating, meditating, and exercising all help boost dopamine levels in the brain, increasing your level of motivation for the rest of day.

Got a routine of your own? Email richard@baylaunch.com or tweet @richardgong — I’d love to hear about your personal productivity hacks.