I have stick with a morning routine for about two months now, a routine that I have convinced myself it works because of scientific arguments by people like Tim Ferris, Jeff Bezos, David Asprey, Joe Rogan and many others. It is a mixture of many ideas, but it synergizes well with me and my activities during the day, so I’ve been pretty consistent at it.

Why a Morning Routine is Necessary

I utilise my morning routine as a way to not only to kickstart my day, but also to protect me from potential stress, and take care of some healthy aspects along the way. Evenif my whole day goes unlucky, unproductive, unfair on me, I can remember how I could acomplish my morning. You see, the rest of the day does not depend on me, I have no control over it. But in the morning, I’m the only one responsible for the achievements or the defeats.

My morning routine is a commitment I made with my future self, and I’m here to convince you on making one too.



Anyway, straight to the routine:

The Morning Routine

1 Make your bed

Yes, a lot of people say it’s very important and I agree, by making your bed every morning not only you keep your room organized, but it’s already a victory, a goal acomplished and a proof of self discipline.

Not to mention that, if you work in your bedroom, it’s one less distraction. Workplace organization is mental organization.

2 Stretch

I stretch for about 10 minutes right after making the bed, going through mostly legs and back stretches. It’s a nice way to wake up the body, and the more consistent I am, the easier it is to keep at it. Stretching not only improves blood circulation, but also body posture and prevents muscle pain during exercise.

More on Stretching here.

3 Workout

I go through a 7-minute home workout circuit that alternates muscle groups across the week so my body gets enough rest for damage repairing.

The workout consists of two series of exercises I do for 30 seconds each, with no interval in between them.

These are seven calesthenic movements for each day, for 5 days (as I rest for two days in the week). For more details on the movements, check out my article on medium.

4 Cold Shower

Scientific studies on cold showers are not conclusive:

“(…)However, the cumulative clinical effect and relevance for health after adaption of cold exposure (response conditioning) in healthy humans remain speculative as randomized controlled trials are lacking.(…) “ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5025014/

But not only I feel much better after the shower, it is a challenge for me everytime. This is one of the hardest things for me to do in the morning, so I stick with it. I not only feel like the rest of my day is much easier, but that this is a way to keep my willpower in check.

5 Meditate

Scientific evidence is increasing, regarding meditation’s many benefits on the brain as a stress management tool. Meditation is proven to improve various aspects, but focus and the sense of calmness are what are more attractive for me. Although the effect is very subtle, it has significant impact on my day and decision making process.

And it is also one of the hard things for me, I think of it like a brain muscle I have to train everyday.

I’m thinking of trying breathwork as well, eventually.

So, in the morning I manage to work on two of the four arguably most important aspects of health, according do Dr. Petter Attia: Sleep, nutrition, physical exercise and stress management. This is my morning routine, not a recommendation. You should try and experiment with what works best for you, according to your goals. But for me, getting these things done in the morning wins my day, and everything that comes afterwards, as hard as it might be, does not affect me as drastically as it would otherwise.

The Science Behind it

I base my routine mainly on science, so I know I’m not wasting my time/energy in doing something that doesn’t actually benefit me, and I base it on succesful people’s habits, so I know how effective it is. What I decide after those is only a matter of convenience and personalization, testing what works best for me.

You should find your own routine, do your own research about it and keep doing and improving it consistently.

If you’re starting now, I recommend you check out some useful tools to carry in your self improvement journey.