How to Design Your Best Morning Routine

by Amelia Brooks
December 7, 2022

A relatively new productivity and wellness trend, the morning routine is having a moment.

The morning routine—or a set of actions you perform to start your day—is popping up everywhere from ABC Australia to Instagram. Posts tend to spotlight the famous morning routines of successful individuals and celebrities, which always seem to involve daunting feats like leaping out of bed at the crack of dawn, running a marathon backwards, and drinking a smoothie made from lemon juice, egg whites, and self-foraged mushrooms.

But don’t let the saintly morning routines of the rich and the famous discourage you. While everyone has the same 24 hours in a day, not everyone has the same biological predispositions: some people have high energy levels in the mornings, while others feel more energetic at night. Not everyone needs a multi-hour workout first thing in the morning, and not everyone has the freedom to devote multiple hours to journaling or mushroom foraging.

Everyone’s perfect morning routine will look different. Yours should align with your unique life, career, personality, goals, and preferences. Your best morning routine is one that gets you grounded, settled, and energised for your day. And—perhaps most importantly of all—your morning routine should be one you are able to stick to (more or less) every day of the week so it becomes a habit.

Here’s how to create a strong morning routine that works for you:

Start Your Morning Routine at the Right Time

A successful morning routine doesn’t have to begin at 4 a.m. The “right” time to wake up varies from person to person. What’s more important than starting super early is listening to your body and setting a wake-up time that is realistic for you. While experts generally agree that going to bed early and waking up early promotes productivity, this isn’t always practical for everyone’s work schedule and internal clock. The best time to wake up for you is one where you can get at least seven hours of sleep per night and sufficient time to complete all the actions in your routine.

Add Some Movement

The benefits of working out in the morning have long been lauded. But you don’t need to force an hour-long, intense morning sweat session to reap the benefits. Simply moving your body can give you a boost of energy while setting a healthy tone for the rest of your day. Ten mere minutes of walking, stretching, or yoga (Robyn Ayers, Executive Director of Arts Law Centre of Australia, reportedly does strength exercises in bed) can alert your body that it’s time to wake up and kick off your day with a feeling of achievement.

Make Time to Meditate

Meditation is a science-backed way to change the structure of your brain. While there is still a lot about meditation we don’t understand, research has linked meditation to sharper attention, reduced stress, improved mood, and even enhanced compassion. Meditation can be a powerful tool to calm and focus your mind for the day ahead. There are many different types of guided and unguided meditations out there, as well as beginner-friendly meditation apps that can get you started!

Set Aside a Few Seconds for Making Your Bed

The simple action of making your bed might be the easiest to add to your morning routine—and it can come with life-changing benefits. Making your bed gives you a sense of accomplishment and starts a chain reaction of other good behaviour. By starting off your morning tackling this task, you’re setting yourself to make better decisions for the rest of the day!

Plus: Making your bed with crisp corners and tightly tucked sheets doesn’t have to take a lot of time or luxury hotel bed-making skills. With a set of bedsmade tailored sheets, you can fold up a masterfully made bed with three simple steps - slip, align and tuck.