MORNINGRITUALS
SUCCESSFUL
THE
EXACT
MORNING ROUTINES
18
SUCCESSFUL HIGH-ACHIEVERS IMPLEMENT TO START THEIR DAY
You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.
~ JOHN C MAXWELL ~
“ ”
MORNING ROUTINE
CASE STUDIES
:
WAKE-UPEXERCISE
30 Minutes of Aerobics20 Minutes of Weights
MEDITATEGRATITUDEVISUALIZATIONSHOWER
Goals on Front (Written as Affirmations) with an image on Back. Example, Google search a picture of Bali:“I’m so happy and proud about running a workshop in Bali for 20 people, having earned $3000,000 profit”
JACK CANFIELD
AMERICAN AUTHOR AND MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER
Writing down what I’m grateful for or rampage of appreciation
BLENDER DRINK
ProteinSupplements
LEAVE FOR WORK90 MINS OF FOCUS
Uninterrupted time spent on my #1 goal
20 MINS5 MINS3-4 MINS
REVIEW GOALSDAILY RITUALAPPRECIATION
“I close my eyes and ask my higher self to show me places today where I could have been better/more efficient/more loving. The key part is to recreate that movie in your head of doing the thing right, this puts a blueprint into your subconious mind so you do it right the next time.” “My wife and I go back and forth with 5 appreciations. ‘I appreciate this about you’, ‘she appreciates this about me.’ We always end the day appreciating each other.”
EVENING ROUTINE
MORNING ROUTINE
CASE STUDIES
:
WAKE-UP & MEDITATEBREAKFAST
“We eat breakfast together as a family. I walk Arabella to school a few mornings each week, but if I’m going directly to the office, I usually head in between 7:45 and 8:00am”
WORK OUT READING NEWSPAPERSSHOWER & TED TALK
“I shower and listen to a TED Talk while I moisturize and do my makeup (eight minutes!)”
IVANKA TRUMP
REAL ESTATE EXECUTIVE + ENTREPRENEUR
“I dress and read the paper — always the New York Post, The Wall Street Journal, and the front section of the Times. I like getting my news in the morning and I prefer the paper to online, with the exception of Observer.com, which I read when I get into my office each day.”
INBOX ZEROSLEEP BY 11PM
“I aim to be in bed by 11:00pm each night, but that doesn’t always happen.”
EVENING ROUTINE
“I meditate for twenty minutes, ideally twice daily. Sometimes I miss the afternoon session, but I always make the morning one. It’s been invaluable in terms of calming my mind and allowing me to think more clearly.” When I’m in town, I like to work out at the gym in my building. My trainer, Peter Monge, put together a workout program for me.“I answer email at night — my goal is to achieve inbox zero before I go to bed. Some days I’m successful, other days, less so. Regardless, I aim to wake up to a clean slate.”
MORNING ROUTINE
CASE STUDIES
:
WAKE-UP
“Wake up using an app called Sleep Cycle (might wake you up as early as 5am)”
EXERCISEWASH UP + RE-HYDRATEGRATITUDE
Wash My face and brush teeth and then drink some water to rehydrate
MEDITATIONSHOWER + COFFEE
“I head to my office with my pajamas still on. Sit in the a special chair that is dedicated to mediation.. the “meditation chair”. Using the Muse Headband and the Calm App- I meditate for 7 minutes.” “I turn on itunes radio- Motoart Channel. While listening to classical music, I write in my 5-Minute Journal”
I have recently injected a morning routine in my life over the past couple months, and it has made a dramatic difference in my productivity, creativity, my focus, my business life, my personal life, and all different ways.
5:30
I either bike or I run (30 minutes)“Turn on the hot pot that is used to make coffee and while that is heating up I jump in the shower. Come back downstairs after getting dressed and make some coffee (bulletproof).”
READING
“While I drink my coffee I read for about 20 minutes. Then by that time it will be 7am and my son will just be waking up.”
PAT FLYNN
FOUNDER & HOST OF SMARTPASSIVEINCOME.COM
I have not always had a morning routine but now that I have it, I feel more accomplished by 7am then when I didn’t have a routine.
![](data:image/svg+xml,<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="904" height="1393"><rect fill-opacity="0"/></svg>)
MORNING ROUTINE
CASE STUDIES
:
WAKE-UP
“Sleep Cycle wakes me up between 5:10 – 5:40 am, according to my Sleep Cycle app”
EXERCISE
Uses the 7-Minute Workout app
INNER BATHSMOOTHIESTART WORK
“I take an ‘inner bath’ of 18 ounces of water with lemon, himalayan salt, and trace minerals.“
30-MIN POWER JOURNALING
“Snaggin’ my iPod and hitting a 35 minute power walk around the bay is my next move, making sure to take DEEP breaths during the walk to really oxygenate my blood.” “I make a killer green smoothie with 14 ingredients (mostly veggies) as well as a green matcha tea mixed with Ghee.”
“I refer to my morning routine as ‘First 80’. My first 80 minutes are VERY regimented.” My routine sets me up for success because it prioritizes my agenda, which is rest, hydration, fitness, nutrition, and quiet time. After these blocks are checked, I am ready to take on other people’s agendas.
JOHN LEE DUMAS
FOUNDER & HOST OF ENTREPRENEUR ON FIRE
MORNING ROUTINE
CASE STUDIES
:
MORNING ROUTINE
CASE STUDIES:
COFFEE
Coffee maker starts at 6am. My phone alarm goes off 6:05am in the kitchen
6:05 - 6:30
DRESS / SHAVE
“I change into my running clothes, which are in the bathroom, where I left them the night before. I shave. Etc.”
WALK THE DOGPLAYTIME
“I play with my 13-month-old son Shep for 45 minutes and chat with the nanny from 8:00 - 8:15.” “I put my running backpack on (which I packed the night before) and run to the gym. I listen to audiobooks or podcasts. I rarely listen to music.”
RUNNINGSHOWER + CHANGE
I get to the gym where I shower and change into the clothes in my backpack
ARRIVE AT WORK
“By about 7am the dog is walked. The cat & dog are in the backyard with their food and water for the day.”
READING
6:006:306:457:15 - 8:008:159:159:45
ANDREW WARNER
FOUNDER & HOST OF MIXERGY.COM
MORNING ROUTINE
CASE STUDIES
:
WAKE UP
“I get an average of 6-7 hours sleep per night and wake up at around 6am each day” “I grind some coffee beans, occasionally I make it Bulletproof and make 4 eggs.”
DIRECTIONAL STATEMENT
While I’m eating, I read through my direction statement. My direction statement is a list of the things I value in life. What I want in my life and What I don’t what in my life.- Reason Why I’m doing what I’m doing- My core Values- Reasons I’m existing- Why I’m going after my goals
JOURNALMEDITATION
If I’m not surfing I’m doing PeakState fitness which is working out with positive affirmations
EXERCISE
- 3 Things Grateful For - 3 Things That Would Make Today Great- The Most Important Thing to Do Today which comes omes out of MAP and must Align with Core Values
COFFEE + FOOD
CARL MATTIOLA
CLINIC METRICS, BREAKTHROUGH PT & CLINIC RISE
START WORK
“Without my morning routine I don’t know if I would have gotten where I am today”
MORNING ROUTINE
CASE STUDIES
:
WAKE-UP
“I don’t set an alarm, but I’ve learned that my natural sleep schedule is about 9:30pm to 5:30am”
EXERCISECOFFEE + SUPPLEMENTSREADING
Creatine, Vitamin D, Fish Oil, Coconut oil, Potato Starch
TIDY UP ROOMMEDITATE
After reading Washington: A Life and T he Japanese
Art of Decluttering and Organizing both inspired me to start attending to the details of how my living and work space are organized. I’ve noticed a tremendous difference in how the space feels and how creative it lets me be.” “One of my hard life rules is that I read for an hour everyday. I agree with Charlie Jones that, “You will be the same person in 5 years as you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read”
Getting an extra hour of work done each day won’t dramatically increase the impact I have, but coming from a place of confidence and equanimity and executing on the most important, highest leverage tasks will. That’s what I get from my ritual.
5:30
5 pullups, 25 pushups and 3 sun salutations to get my blood flowing and loosen up for the day.I use the
Headspace app for guided meditation
6:45 - 6:555:45 - 6:456:55 - 7:20
VISUALIZATION
I’ve explicitly written out the most important goals I have in my life and business. I read it each morning before I do my planning for the day to force myself to ensure my priorities for the day line up with long term priorities.
7:20 - 7:30
3 THINGS
- 3 Things I’m Grateful for - 3 Priorities for the day - Personal Affirmations
6:55 - 7:20
TAYLOR PEARSON
AUTHOR OF THE END OF JOBS
I recommend meditation every morning. It helps you handle the endless choices that confront you, and focus on what’s truly important.
MORNING ROUTINE
CASE STUDIES
:
WAKE UP
I jump in a jacuzzi which loosens my muscles and then I jump in freezing cold water , a 57 degree plunge pool.
PRIMING
Version of Meditating- Breathing Pattern- Listening to Music (Oneness Meditation)- 3 minutes of getting back into body - Thinking Gratitude- Total Focus of God- Three Things That are Going To Make Happen
CRYOTHERAPY
Nitrogen Chamber for 3 minutes (3 Times Per Week) for recovery, it lowers your body temperature. It resets your nervous system and takes all the inflammation out of your body.
HOT & COLD WATER
TONY ROBBINS
AMERICAN AUTHOR AND MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER
MORNING ROUTINE
CASE STUDIES
:
LEO BABUTA
CREATOR OF ZEN HABITS
WAKE-UPBREAKFAST + READINGDRINK WATERPREPARE LUNCHPRIORITIZEEXERCISE OR MEDITATE
I set 3 Most Important Things (MITs) for today. The MITs that I set for the day concern at least one item towards one of my goals, and probably the 1-2 things I MUST complete at work. There will be more that I do during the day, but my focus will be to finish at least these three MITs.“Fix lunches for kids and myself.”
The reason I like having a morning routine is that not only does it instill a sense of purpose, peace and ritual to my day, but it ensures that I’m getting certain things done every morning … namely, my goals.
4:306:30
Run, bike, swim, strength, or yardwork
SHOWERWAKE WIFE & KIDS
Run, bike, swim, strength, or yardwork
MORNING ROUTINE
CASE STUDIES
:
WAKE-UP
“I dont use alarm and sleep in dark room so naturally waking up around 8:30 helps me not need / have caffeine in the morning.I leave phone in different room”
READING - 30 MINSSETTING INTENTIONSBREAKFAST
“I sit down and ask myself It helps me be aware of what I’m trying to do today that guide me.”
EXERCISECOFFEE OR TEA
- 130 Situps - 50 Push ups- 10 Hand Grip exercises on both hands- Weigh myself I make egg whites and a protein shake.
That’s my morning routine that helps me have better days. Don’t copy exactly what I do... Go experiment.
“I try to do this before I get on the computer. I find it really helps to stimulate my mind” “Coffee or tea. I do caffeine every other day. Today is a tea day, I like Tazo Zen green tea”
3 THINGS
“I try to write on moleskine the 3-5 things I want ot get done that day”
NOAH KAGAN
FOUNDER OF APPSUMO & SUMOME
Set yourself a morning routine so you can set yourself up for a really great day.
‘What would make today great?’
MORNING ROUTINE
CASE STUDIES
:
GARY VAYNERCHUK
ENTREPRENEUR & CEO OF VAYNER MEDIA
WAKE-UP
“I wake up at 6am Literally. Every day.”
CALL FAMILYCONTENT CONSUMPTIONPERSONAL TIME
The first thing I do when I wake up is grab my cellphone and take it to the bathroom with me, where I start my day by consuming quite a lot of information.TechMeme , MediaREDEF , Nuzzel , Twitter , Instagram
EXERCISEWINE LIBRARY CALL
After all this comes my workout with my trainer Muscle Mike. I usually work out for 45 minutes to an hour.“After the workout, I head back home to say bye to my kids before they go to school.” “This is where, I think, one of the more original aspects of my morning routine happens. In the car to the meeting, I call my mom, dad, or sister, depending on who I called last.” “The last call of the morning is to Brandon Warnke at Wine Library , who is the vice president. We review the Wine Library strategy for the day ahead.”
FIRST MEETING
“You have to use every second you get in a day. For example, later, when I’m in the car, I’ll use the travel time for phone meetings or talking with my team. By the time I step into that first meeting, so much is going through my head already. The day started the minute I opened my eyes.”
You have to use every second you get in a day.
SOURCE
MORNING ROUTINE
CASE STUDIES
:
WAKE-UPMAKE BED + BRUSH TEETHGRATITUDESTRETCHING
Express to myself what Im grateful for
11 MINUTES MEDITATIONEXERCISE
Light stretching/yoga poses-15minsExercise for at least 60 mins doing something uncomfortable every day
BREAKFAST
LEWIS HOWES
FOUNDER AND HOST OF SCHOOLOFGREATNESS.COM
GET TO WORK
Crush the day in home studioSmoothie, green juice, and supplements
MORNING ROUTINE
CASE STUDIES
:
WAKE-UP
“Usually around 5 or 6 am (whenever our son gets up). The first thing I do is make a bottle and feed the baby, letting my hard-working wife sleep in a little.”
SOCIAL MEDIAMAKE BREAKFASTCHECK EMAIL
“Usually eggs (I try to start the day with protein, not carbs). Start boiling water for French press coffee.”
WRITINGREADING
“This can be a blog post, book chapter, article, or just some random notes to myself. For me, it’s not about what I write as much as it is important just to write. Usually, I wrote around 1000 words; sometimes less, sometimes more. As I do this, I drink coffee and listen to music while my son plays.” “Reply to the most important items. Delete everything I don’t need from the previous day.” “If I’ve written a post for the day, this is when I would share it.” “This may be a novel, the Bible, or one of many nonfiction books I am in the middle of. Whatever it is, it must be analog. I find holding a book activates a different part of my brain than reading on a screen. I also enjoy audiobooks but listen to those throughout the day.”
GO FOR A WALK
“I often use taking the dog for a walk as an excuse to get some exercise. I use this time to think, pray, and collect my thoughts for the day.”
JEFF GOINS
AUTHOR GOINSWRITER.COM
What’s important is not what your routine looks like, but that you have one. Everyone’s is different, but creating your own process for starting the day is a helpful discipline.
TAKE A SHOWER
“Then get dressed and get ready to begin the day”
DRINK WATER
“Drink a large glass of water (at least a liter).
START WORKING
“Then sit at my “desk” (i.e. the kitchen table, couch, or actual desk) and start working.”
SOURCE
MORNING ROUTINE
CASE STUDIES
:
JAMES CLEAR
ENTREPRENEUR, WRITER AND WEIGHTLIFTER
WAKE-UP + SHOWERREADINGDRINK WATERMEDITATION
“I pretty much only drink water and I drink a lot of it.”
GRATITUDESTART WORK
Write down three things I’m grateful for “I’ll usually sit in silence and do some deep breathing for a minute or two before I start reading my twenty pages.”
I think a morning routine should be simple and repeatable (at some point, if you add too many pieces to the mix, you’re not really doing a morning routine anymore, but simply a daily routine).
I read twenty pages of a book
MORNING ROUTINE
CASE STUDIES
:
WAKE
“Coffee too early in the morning gets me a little too wired, whereas tea lets me ease into the day”
STRETCHING
“I’ll spend fifteen minutes or so doing nine stretches as part of the Starting Stretching program – this warms up my body while my brain doesn’t want to function.”
MEDITATIONBREAKFAST
I’m on a Soylent kick so that’s my breakfast”
SHOWER + DRESSEXERCISE
“I do starting strength on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. I swim on Tuesdays and Thursdays. My workout program is very simple – I do starting strength which means just three exercises each day: squats, deadlifts, and either military press or bench press every other day.” “I’ll walk to work with my headphones and listen to an audiobook as I walk.” “I’ll meditate for twenty minutes using the Headspace app – I used to meditate at night but now I find that I’m more likely to actually do it in the morning; and I have to do it before I consume any media.”
CUP OF TEAWRITING
I use an app called Sleep Cycle to measure my sleeping patterns and wake me up at the ideal time.
MATTAN GRIFFEL
CEO OF ONE MONTH
GET TO WORK
“I’ll write 750 words using 750words.com – I mostly write my thoughts, it’s pretty incoherent but sometimes this turns into a blog post later.“
WALKING W/AUDIOBOOK
I’ve tried a lot of different routines, but this is what’s worked best for me.
I try not to look at email until my most important task of the day is done, at least until about 10:00am. There are always a ton of urgent and important tasks to do. I’ve found that checking email usually derails me from all of the things that aren’t in my inbox.
MORNING ROUTINE
CASE STUDIES
:
WAKE-UP
“My alarm usually goes off at five o’clock, usually up and out of bed by five-thirty. I’ll sit in bed for ten or fifteen minutes, check email, check Twitter, go to Facebook, just mindless of waking up. I’ve found that helps me just wake up and be able to actually hit the floor at five-thirty.”
DAILY CHECKLISTSHOWERBREAKFASTPRAYER + YOGACREATE ZERO-BASED CALENDAR
“I have a short prayer time and I do a short yoga routine, just to, kinda stretch the body, to get mind engaged, get guidance for the day.” “I eat breakfast, I cook the same thing every morning – turkey, bacon and eggs, three eggs two pieces of bacon.” “My daily checklist just really sets up my entire day. .. But it’s just a list of 31 things. I’m always adding to and taking away from this. The majority of it stays the same.“I set-up my to-do list for the day. So every, every moment of the day, is planned out before the day starts. And I call this the “zero-based calendar”. So every moment of the day until five-thirty, which is I start at seven-thirty and end up at five-thirty, and every moment is take- is accounted for.”
START WORKING
BRYAN HARRIS
CREATOR OF VIDEOFRUIT
[With Zero-Based Calendar]
...all I have to do during the day is not think of what I need to do next, I just do what I’ve already planned to do next. And I found this works extremely well, and it helps me stay productive
SOURCE
MORNING ROUTINE
CASE STUDIES
:
WAKE
“I get up around 5:30. My first alarm wakes me at 5, then my second alarm at 5:20 is the one that really means it’s time to get up.”
WEATHER + COFFEE
“There is hardly anything negative happening on the weather channel. Growing up my dad would watch Jerry Springer in the morning and it would me sick to start my day like that” 3 mile run30 min of YogaWeightlifting & pullups
MEDITATION
“Sometimes guided meditations with the Headspace app, other times just silence with occasional chimes”
WORKOUTBREAKFAST
3 eggs over easy with 4 pieces of bacon“I “enjoy” an ice cold shower as I read my personal affirmations aloud. My affirmations are around business, friendships, relationships, and health”
SHOWER + AFFIRMATIONSGRATITUDE & GOALS
“I use the Self Journal to do my daily gratitude, I write one thing I’m grateful for each day and 3 reasons why. I also write my goal statements so I’m mindful of what I’m working towards”
MORNING ROUTINE
READING
“I read 3 different books in the morning, spending 15 minutes on each. The books are based around each topic, personal development, business and ideas/future growth” “I use the Self Journal to map out my day, what my 3 big things of the day are and time block when they will be completed” Varies by day
{
(20 - 30 min)
ALLEN BROUWER
ENTREPRENEUR. COFOUNDER OF BESTSELF.CO
MORNING ROUTINE
CASE STUDIES
:
WAKE
“I drink 16oz of ice cold water to re-hydrate and get my metabolism kickstarted.”
7 MIN WORKOUT
Uses the 7-Minute Workout app
COLD SHOWERMEDITATION
I use the Muse headband to meditate for between 7 - 12 minutes each morning.“I write a 3 page stream of consciousness of whatever is on my mind, this gets my brain working and thinking more creatively.”
MORNING PAGESREADING
20mins of reading every morning, books on mindset, personal growth,and business inspires me in the beginning of my day and gets the creative juices flowing“I use the Self Journal to map out my day in 30 min increments, what my 3 big things of the day are and time block when they will be completed” “When I first heard friends talk about taking cold showers in the morning, I thought they were nuts. Then I tried it. Yes it sucked at the time but I felt so energized and alive after it that I’ve been doing it every day since.”
ICE COLD WATERBULLETPROOF COFFEE
I use Sleep Cycle app to wake up
CATHRYN LAVERY
GET TO WORK
“I start my day by doing the hardest task on my prioritized list in the Self Journal first”
ENTREPRENEUR. COFOUNDER OF BESTSELF.CO
STEVE JOBS
For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself:
‘If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?’
And whenever the answer has been ‘No’ for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.
