How important is a morning routine?

This morning my middle daughter gently reminded me that I had agreed (and then forgotten!) to wake her at 6.30 am to join me in meditation and yoga practices.

Before this morning I hadn’t really considered the importance of a morning routine - it is just something I do. It was this comment, uttered by a still sleepy daughterling, as she headed off to work that got me thinking…

“You have my permission to drag me out of bed ‘Freaky Friday’ style if I don’t join you tomorrow. Whenever I do yoga with you, the rest of my day goes so much better”

And I have to agree. On the rare mornings that I don’t get mindful, get active and get a good breakfast before starting the working day I notice the difference too - often running out of energy and “headspace” by 4pm and riding the hamster wheel of busyness rather than productivity - all leading to an over-stuffed, fractious mind and tense evening with lots of clattering while putting away plates and cups muttering about the dishwasher fairy!

So just what is it about a morning routine that can make such a difference to your day?

• it reduces stress

  Having a “go to” routine in the morning means that you get things done without even really thinking about it. You have nailed the first few tasks of the day while still on automatic pilot. You also make time for YOU before the rest of the day and all those other tasks sneaks up on you and hijacks your energy and thoughts.

• it saves time

  A regular morning routine takes away the need to spend time thinking about what to do next, or remembering to prioritise self-care.

• it maximises your chances of sticking to a new habit

  Your will-power is at it’s highest just after you awake from sleep which makes early morning an ideal time to implement those new keystone habits like exercise, eating a good breakfast and clearing the “big frog” from your to do list.

There are many blogs and articles out there that promote the positive impact of the morning ritual on productivity, and personal experience would back that up. But WHY does following a morning routine make us more productive?

This article by Gregor Moniuszko on the Thrive Global site, gives some real insight and backs up the habit stacking principle advocated by James Clear in Atomic Habits and Charles Duhigg in the Power of Habit

I guess we’ll be re-enacting the Freaky Friday wake up call tomorrow then!