The Ultimate List of Morning Habits: 32 Powerful Morning Routine Ideas

Getting up early and having a morning routine every day is one of the best things you can do in your life.

It’s not a coincidence that all successful people have always done it. The benefits are tremendous.

And it’s not really for everyone, many of those who try soon give up. It takes ambition and purpose to start doing it, from then on – consistency, willpower and motivation.

You need to be patient and responsible if you want to lead a lifestyle like that. But all that happens over time.

The best way is to change one thing at a time, focus on just doing the action for the day, not get distracted by other new behaviors you’re trying to adopt, and to always keep in mind why you do it.

But sometimes, even after people get used to getting up early and they have all that time for themselves that they never had before, they wonder what to do in the morning. Or maybe you’ve been reading so much about how successful people spend their mornings, that you feel overwhelmed and don’t know where to start.

Well, you’re already on the right track.

Now you need to pick the right morning habits to add to your morning ritual. That’s what this guide is all about.

What you need to know about morning routines

You already have a morning routine, whether you realize it or not. But chances are, it’s not ideal and it’s not serving you well.

What is the first thing you do in the morning?

Maybe that’s waking up with the first alarm, making your bed, drinking a cup of coffee and heading out the door. It could be a long shower, big breakfast and getting ready for work. Or sleeping in, watching/reading the news, checking social media, and drinking tea.

Those sets of activities that are repeated daily are your morning routine habits. The good news is you can replace each and turn that part of your day into something that will bring you growth, joy, peace, focus and momentum. And if most of the days in your year start strong, imagine where you could be a year from now!

How many morning habits is too many

Next, you might be wondering how many morning habits is too many.

Below, you’ll find a list of 32 things you can do after waking up. While that can look overwhelming, not all of them and not even most of them need to be part of your morning ritual.

The truth is that it doesn’t really matter how many of them you’ll do, which one will come first, or whether or not you’ll dedicate a lot of time to them.

Your only job is to do the same thing tomorrow, and the day after that.

So pick the morning routine ideas that feel right, that you can actually do and will enjoy.

Try different variations, combine a few of the mini habits I’m about to share with you and see what you like the most, what makes you most productive and what boosts your energy and kickstarts your day.

32 Morning Habits to Change Your Life

So here are some of the best things you can add to your morning routine that can give you great results.

They are in no particular order. Some are related to your personal and spiritual growth, others can keep you healthy and fit, some make you productive, and some are to help you be mindful and enjoy the moment. Pick the ones that resonate with you.

1. Journal.

Writing down in the morning is actually a popular practice called morning pages. Sitting down to right before dawn is a magical experience and can lead to clarity, creating a vision for your life, expressing gratitude or just planning your day.

Here are some resources on the topic:

2. Plan out your day.

Whether or not you are a fan of to-do lists and planning or not, this little habit can help you get more done on a daily basis. Simply write down what you’d like to achieve by the end of the day. You can use your morning journal for that too.

3. Define 3 most important tasks.

To take this a step further, define which of the tasks you wrote are your most important ones for the day. Pick no more than 3 to make sure you actually complete them.

4. Break them down into smaller ones.

Another part of this exercise is to break those 3 main tasks into smaller ones so you can start with the first right after your morning routine.

This is extra beneficial if you begin with your biggest task, the one that requires more effort, energy, time or decision making. Or the one you’re trying to avoid the most and which feels uncomfortable.

Anything after it will feel easy and your day will be more productive (as this research shows).

5. Read something motivational.

The next morning routine idea is to read something motivational right after you wake up. It can be just one page but as long as it’s empowering, it can have a great effect.

I like non-fiction. Anything personal and spiritual growth related makes me high-vibe and ready to win the day.

Of course, you can also listen to audio or watch a video. The point is that the content is uplifting and leaves you in better mood than when you started watching.

6. Meditate.

Our mind is most susceptible first thing in the morning and that’s why this is the best time of the day (together with the moment before you go to sleep) to meditate.

This doesn’t need to be anything complicated or overwhelming. I do guided meditations and visualizations, but you can just focus on your breath for a few minutes and be present.

Relax every muscle of your body, focus your energy on what you’re grateful for. Or on your heart and imagine opening your heart chakra and giving and receiving love for the whole day. This raises your vibration and makes you calm.

7. Make your bed.

The next one of the mini morning habits that can change your life is making your bed. This can be the very first thing you do upon waking up.

You might have been doing it on autopilot, but now you can turn it into a 1-minute ritual. Just add intention to it.

It’s proven to promote self-discipline.

8. Cleanse your face.

Another part of your morning routine can be dedicated to cleaning your face and applying a moisturizer, serum or anything you have.

9. Brush your teeth.

Turn brushing your teeth into another mindfulness ritual. Just be there for the activity, don’t let your mind wonder.

Truly enjoy the moment and find joy in it.

10. Stretch.

Stretching first thing in the morning can relieve any tension from the night. It also kickstarts your body, improves your posture and mobility, increases blood flow and alertness. Plus, it doesn’t need to take more than a few minutes.

11. Have a quick workout.

If you’re a fan of healthy morning habits, you might squeeze in a workout in your morning. If you have the time for it, that can be a great opportunity to get moving and do something your body will thank you for.

When this is in the beginning of the day, you’re likely to eat healthier, have more energy and be in a better mood till the evening, and sleep better at night.

12. Drink a glass of water with lemon.

Starting the metabolism doesn’t need to happen with breakfast. And as we know, coffee has disadvantages. So if you want to incorporate a quick healthy habit in your morning routine, drink a glass of warm water with lemon.

This has an alkalizing effect, improves digestion, prevents dehydration and flushes out toxins.

13. Listen to music.

Sometimes a good morning routine for success might be all about pumping you up for the day ahead. You can listen to music that lifts you up and makes you move, dance on a song you love at home, and take that energy with you for the whole day.

14. Write down a few things you’re grateful for.

2022 Annual Blog Income Report and Year in Review

A day without practicing gratitude is a wasted day, if you ask me. Gratitude has such a healing effect and yet, we don’t express it enough.

There are many levels of gratitude. You can be grateful for what you have in front of you right now, but also for all the challenges in your life so far and the powerful lessons that came from them. You can also thank for the beautiful reality you’re manifesting before it has materialized.

Write these down in your journal, read them out loud while placing your hand on your heart. Do this every morning and find new things to thank for.

15. Have your goals written and read them out loud.

Another thing to do as part of your morning pages is writing down your goals, your vision for the whole year, or even describe how your life will be some time from now.

Write as if it has already happened. Read this out loud every next morning after that until you feel like the person already living that reality.

That’s one of my favorite manifestation practices and it makes turning your desires into reality a quicker process.

16. Say some positive affirmations in the mirror.

Who else is a fan of affirmations here? This can turn into a morning habit you add to your ritual.

Here’s how to use affirmations effectively.

And if you want to get access to many journal prompts and affirmations for building your dream business, join the free journal challenge by signing up below.

17. Take your vitamins.

Don’t forget to take your vitamins. That’s a little morning routine habit that takes 30 seconds but which can change your life in the long run.

18. Go for a jog.

If you’re feeling brave, get outside and move your body. Jog for a bit, breathe the fresh air and enjoy your surroundings. Your body will be so happy you did this.

19. Take a cold shower.

Did you know that some of the benefits of taking cold showers include reducing inflammation and muscle soreness, increasing your metabolic rate, improving your fertility, and keeping you from catching a cold?

They are also strengthening your willpower. A little trick I do when I try this is to only do it at the end of my shower. Even 10 or 20 seconds counts and can make you stronger in many ways.

Over time, you build resistance and can handle cold better. Your immune system will be boosted too.

20. Read a powerful quote.

Oftentimes, one quote can make our day. Choose your sources carefully and make sure the quotes are empowering and put your mind in the right state. Then carry that message with you for the whole day and act from the energy of it.

Here are some good morning quotes.

21. Have a healthy breakfast.

Having breakfast as part of your morning isn’t a necessity. Many of us don’t really want to eat in the morning. In that case, there’s no need to.

But if you’re naturally hungry after waking up and a meal is definitely happening, here are some healthy morning breakfast ideas.

22. Let some fresh air in your room.

Open the windows and let some fresh air in your room. It can help you wake up naturally, become more alert, refresh the air in the room after having slept there for a long time, and get you moving.

23. Breathe deeply.

Right after that, take a few deep breaths. You can also do a whole breathwork exercise if you feel like. Here’s one by Owaken breathwork. I do it often these days.

24. Get excited about the things you can achieve today.

The energy of excitement is transformative so get into it from the very first hour of your day.

Be excited for all the possibilities coming your way today, for all that might happen, the people you can meet, the growth you can experience, and the fun you can have.

That puts you in a state that will actually attract more of these and makes your morning routine more enjoyable.

25. Ask yourself “If I get one thing done today that will make me feel accomplished in the evening, what would it be?”

Ask your brain the right questions and it will give you the right answers. Here’s one question that can change everything for you and that many successful people swear by.

You can also journal on it.

26. Read fiction.

If you’re a reader but don’t want non-fiction, you can read a few pages of a fiction book every morning.

This habit will boost your creativity and provide you with some ‘me’ time where you can switch off and be part of the story. It can also ease anxiety and lead to mindfulness.

27. Drink tea.

As I gave up coffee some time ago, I became an even bigger fan of tea. Turning it into a mindfulness ritual and combining it with any other activity works wonders.

You can take sips while meditating, reading, journaling, visualizing, and more.

28. Track your sleep.

A productivity morning habit is to write down the time you went to bed, how many hours you slept and when you woke up. You can even journal about your dreams if you remember some from last night.

What gets measured, gets improved. And a good sleep is crucial for a good day and a good life.

29. Write down 3 things that will make today great.

Let’s do something great today. If failure wasn’t an option, if other people’s opinions didn’t matter, if there were no limits, what 3 things would make today great?

Write these down and declare them. Turn that into one of your morning routine habits and watch yourself take bolder action day after day.

30. Write a blog post.

If you’re a blogger, you can use the solitude of the early morning when there are no distractions to get some writing done.

It’s easier to focus, you have plenty of energy and you can feel accomplished before the day even begins.

31. Start a blog.

And if you haven’t started a blog yet but want to, here’s my free guide on it.

Blogging changed my life and those early mornings I was investing in the business many years ago definitely paid off. Here’s my last annual blog income report, for example.

You can use your morning routine to start and grow a side hustle, and that can change your life.

32. Tapping.

Something I do daily is tapping. It’s also called EFT, emotional freedom technique. It’s a practice during which you tap on acupressure points on your body while focusing on a situation that causes you stress or trauma.

And you can feel better in minutes. You can overcome fear or anxiety or an eating disorder or a breakup by doing this for some time. You can forgive yourself and others. You can use it to boost your confidence, be more social, attract your dream life, feel worthy, love your body, etc.

Here’s an example of a tapping session with Gala Darling (who’s one of my mentors and my go-to person for tapping).

Which morning habits will you add to your morning routine?

I can keep going with some more morning habits that you can pick from for your morning routine, but I believe these are enough.

Most of these take no longer than a few minutes. But finding the willpower to do them daily is what will get you ahead of other people.
By the time they get up, you’ll have done a lot for your personal development.

Choose a few of the morning habits above and work on yourself mentally, physically and spiritually on the daily, and you’ll see improvement in every area of your life.