Lost Your Morning Routine? Here’s Why You Should Bring It Back
How 20+ Years of Evolving Morning Routines Shaped My Life (and My Bank Account!)
Do you have a morning routine? What does it look like? How is it serving you?
A morning routine can make or break your day. But they can also induce anxiety, if you’re a perfectionist or a high achiever. Here is why you must not give up on your morning routine and how to take it from FOMO-inducing to cornerstone of your day.
10 Powerful Benefits of an Intentional Morning Routine
Makes Healthy Habits Easier to Complete
Starting your day with intentional actions naturally prioritizes healthy habits, making consistency in exercise, nutrition, and mindfulness effortless.Shifts You from Survival Mode to Peak Performance
A structured routine helps you transition from simply getting through the day to thriving and performing at your highest level.Reduces Decision Fatigue
Having a set routine eliminates the mental load of deciding what to do first, conserving mental energy for more important decisions later in the day.Sets a Positive Tone for the Entire Day
Your morning choices create momentum and positivity, improving how you handle challenges and boosting productivity throughout the day.Separates Amateurs from Pros
Professionals approach their day with intention. A morning routine reflects a commitment to personal growth and success.Boosts Cognitive Function and Productivity
Research shows early risers perform better on cognitive tasks, and morning exercise improves mental clarity and focus. (The Atlantic)Strengthens Mental Resilience
Consistent routines build mental discipline, helping you stay calm and focused when facing stress or unexpected challenges.Improves Physical Health
Simple habits like drinking water in the morning improve hydration and mental function, while oral hygiene can even reduce cancer risks. (Vogue, NY Post)Enhances Creativity and Problem-Solving
The quiet, early hours are ideal for journaling, brainstorming, or meditating—boosting creativity and innovative thinking.Aligns You with Natural Circadian Rhythms
Aligning your routine with your body’s natural cortisol peak in the morning can improve alertness, focus, and energy. (Core Happiness)
Back in the dark ages of the late 90’s/early 2000’s, when I was first married and with a newborn baby, I didn’t know a thing about morning routines, until I came across Steve Pavlina’s personal development blog: Personal Development for Smart People, where he posted a long-form introduction to his morning routine.
I had a few semesters into my part-time master’s program at Georgia Tech in 2000, when I found out I was pregnant with our first child. After he was born, I had to pause my studies briefly due to unexpected health complications we only discovered the day before his birth. Once things stabilized, I returned to school to finish my degree—and six months later, we found out we were expecting again!
(Word to the wise: Yes, you can get pregnant while breastfeeding, even if your periods haven’t returned.)
I could barely keep it together with one child, and I was lucky to have savings that allowed me to finish my master’s and be a full-time mom to our first baby. On top of that, my mom was battling breast cancer, and Nico’s kidney situation pushed me into a full-blown health DEFCON 5.
Back in 2002, I was still breastfeeding, making all of Nico’s baby food from scratch (without any of the conveniences available now—there wasn’t even a Whole Foods in Atlanta yet!). I had to hunt down organic fruits and veggies at specialty stores and use DIY ice cube trays with lids to freeze bite-sized portions. It was a thing.
The planning it took to pull all of this off was insane. I needed sleep, time to study and do homework, time to make baby food, time with the baby, time with my husband, time for endless household chores, errands, grocery shopping—and if I was lucky, maybe some exercise and a little fun.
Priority #1 became to finish the Masters before Kika was born.
Enter the productivity triumvirate of the 2000’s:
Steve Pavlina
Marla Cilley, a.k.a. the Fly Lady, and
David Allen, author Getting Things Done
I still remember sitting outside the ISYE building at Georgia Tech between classes, with my GTD lists.
David Allen helped me organize my to do lists and made me productive.
The Fly Lady helped me keep my house clean, organized and therefore kept me sane.
Steve Pavlina taught me how to be successful, by introducing me to the 5 am wakeup and the morning routine. Steve was touting the 5 am wakeup long before Robin Sharma, Hal Elrod, and many others. Before Tim Ferriss, there was Steve Pavlina. And he is still putting out phenomenal courses, content, that are effective and powerful.
And so launched my addiction to personal development, productivity, and time management. Once I got over the first few foggy early 5 am wakeups I became a fan and I have never looked back. I adopted a 9 pm (ish) bedtime sometime around 2003 that I keep to this day.
Getting up at 5 (my kids would rise around 6:30) gave me time to myself. I did yoga to get back in shape post birth, I read, journaled and planned my day. And that little habit, done consistently over 20 years, is what changed my life.
It was the first spark that led me to a system that not only helped me enjoy having three children under 3 (did I mention a third came long 20 months after Kika?), but to also survive two divorces, financial hardships, and single motherhood, and, later, to thrive—emotionally, physically, and financially. Spoiler alert: it paid off big time!
Morning Routines Through Life Stages
2004–2006: Full Time Mom Era
☕ 5:00 am: Yoga, which evolved into walks, gym-time, and triathlon training
🌞 6:00 am: Breakfast prep and morning chores.
📚 6:30 am: Reading, writing, and planning up until the kids got up
2007–2010: Single Mom (The Divorce Era, Part 1)
🏋️ 5:00 am: Workout, meditation, reading
👨🎓 6:30 am: Get the kids ready for school, get ready for work
🍳 7:00 am: Breakfast with the kids, and school drop-offs before work
2011–2015: The Blended Family Era
🏋️ 5:00 am: Workout, meditation, reading, morning pages
👨🎓 6:30 am: Get the kids ready for school, get ready for work
🍳 7:00 am: Breakfast with the kids, and school drop-offs before work
A typical Monday morning in 2013: wake, meditation, journaling, tarot, course in miracles work, exercise while listening to life vision recording, coffee and breakfast, walk the kids to school. I might then get started on that day's work which includes Wholly Pops, planning for the rest of the week and putting things on autopilot.
2015-2018: Single Mom and Author (And Divorce Era, Part 2)
📖 4:30–5:45 am: Writing my book (Practical Weight Loss) before sunrise.
🏋️ 5:45 am: Workout, meditation, reading, morning pages
👨🎓 6:45 am: Get the kids ready for school, get ready for work
🍳 7:30 am: Green Smoothie, breakfast with the kids, and school drop-offs, work
This was the most fun time I had with my kids where I could enjoy them. These three years I see as the ones were the kids and I connected at a level that made us all so much closer. But, life keeps moving. My career became stagnant, and opportunity knocked in California. We agreed we were up for the adventure. So we went west.
2018–2020: The California Era (non-travel days)
☕ 5:00 am: Coffee, meditation, morning pages, read
🌞 6:00 am: Shower and get ready
📚 6:30-7am: green smoothie, breakfast with the kids, take older ones to high school, Thomas waited for the bus.
After the move to California my routine changed drastically. I had a very tough job and the kids were not yet driving so 2018 and 2019 were one of my hardest periods as a single parent. I no longer had the help of my parents and I did not know any other parents at the new schools. And to compound that, my new job required travel up and down the west coast. From San Diego to Seattle and everywhere in between. I only did day trips, I never spent nights away, but that made for 4 am wake-ups to go to the airport and making the kids walk to school, until they were old enough to drive.
2020–2021: The Covid Era, and a New Beginning
☕ 6:00–8:00 am: Meditation, coffee, morning pages, planning
🥾8:00–8:45 am: Hiking near my office, on Marshall Canyon
✨ 5:00–6:00 pm: Evening walks and meditation at sunset.
The COVID-19 pandemic slowed life down in ways I never expected. With no commuting, sports practices, or extracurriculars, I suddenly had the space to rethink how I started my days. That shift allowed me to create a more intentional morning routine, focused on what truly mattered.
I doubled down on meditation, learned my natural wake-up time (without relying on an alarm), recorded more podcasts, and spent more time in nature. These small but consistent habits grounded me during an uncertain time and gave me clarity and energy to move through each day with purpose.
That experience taught me that when life feels overwhelming, simplifying your mornings can bring a sense of control and calm that carries into everything else.
2021–2024 The Frazzled Executive Era
☕ 5:00-5:30 - coffee, meditation (sporadically), morning pages, planning
📤 5:30-6:30 - emails, messages and sometimes meetings with my team in Atlanta
🚿6:30-7:00 shower and dress
The meditation, contemplative walks, and deep inner work I committed to during COVID led me to launch my own consulting business. But by July 2021, I had accepted a demanding leadership role that required constant transcontinental travel—testing every spiritual practice I had built.
The constant time zone shifts pulled me away from my morning routines and my body’s natural rhythms. My carefully crafted practices fractured: a pared-down version in hotel rooms and a fuller routine at home. Gradually, I let go of the very habits that grounded me.
By 2022, I had completely replaced meditation with writing, losing the stillness that anchored my day. I learned the hard way: the more you think you don’t have time to meditate, the more you need it. Please don’t do what I did—dropping the one thing that was a lifeline to my sanity.
In 2023, I started making small adjustments—adding in yoga some mornings, pulling oracle or tarot cards to understand my feelings, navigate uncertainty at work, and inspire journaling. These practices slowly helped me reconnect with myself, but it was a powerful reminder of how essential morning routines are for resilience and well-being.
2024–Now: The Empty Nesters in Florida Era
☕ 5:15–6:00 – Coffee, Meditation, Reading
📝 6:00–6:45 – Writing and engaging online (exclusively on Substack these days)
📌 6:45–7:00 – Daily planning with Ugmonk MITs
🧘🏻♀️ 7:00–7:30 – Yoga or Weight Training (and yes, bathroom time—it’s part of the routine!)
🚿 7:30–7:45 – Shower, Dress, Makeup
🐶 7:45–8:00 – Feed the dogs and walk them around the block
I choose to be “camera ready” every day—something I carried over from the pandemic. While I respect those who prefer to stay off-camera, I feel more focused and prepared when I’m showered and presentable, even if no one sees me.
Here’s the truth: life will always reveal where your morning routine is falling short. The only real failure is refusing to adapt. Flexibility and honoring your current needs are just as important as being consistent over time.
Over the past 25 years, my mornings have evolved. I’ve dropped and picked up exercise (and it showed). I’ve dropped and picked up meditation and journaling (and it showed). But one thing has remained almost 100% consistent: reading, learning, and growing.
That commitment to continuous growth pulled me out of debt, out of unhealthy relationships, and into a healthy partnership. It got me in shape, into better professional opportunities, and skyrocketed my earning potential.
You already have a morning routine.
The question is: Does it serve your dreams, goals, and priorities?
Your routine doesn’t need to be perfect—it needs to evolve with you. Keep learning, stay flexible, and let consistency shape your future.
Create Your Own Morning Routine—Starting Now
1. Start Small
Claim just 15 minutes in the morning to breathe, move, read, or reflect. This small shift can lead to big results. Don’t overwhelm yourself by trying to overhaul your entire morning at once. Start simple and build from there.
2. Make It Work for You
Use other people’s routines for inspiration, but don’t feel pressured to copy them. Honor your current season of life, your available time, and your personal goals. Take what resonates and leave the rest.
3. Focus on What You Need Right Now
Design your routine to support your most pressing needs:
For Stress Management: Add 5–10 minutes of meditation, breathwork, or journaling. If you already meditate, consider extending that time.
For Nervous System Regulation: Try somatic practices like 5–10 minutes of yoga, Qi Gong, stretching, or vagus nerve stimulation (like deep breathing or cold exposure).
For Better Organization: Spend 10–15 minutes reviewing your yearly, quarterly, monthly, and weekly goals. Check your calendar and prioritize tasks that move you closer to your goals—plan your day with intention.
For Weight Loss or Fitness: Start with something easy, like a short walk, light stretching, or bodyweight exercises. Focus on consistency first, then gradually build up intensity.
For Intentional Living: Incorporate affirmations, visualization, or vision board review. Do this after meditation to deepen the connection with your goals.
4. Stack New Habits onto Existing Ones
Make building your routine easier by attaching a new habit to something you already do. For example:
Meditate for 5 minutes right after your morning coffee.
Stretch while waiting for the shower to heat up.
Review your goals immediately after brushing your teeth.
5. Prepare the Night Before
A successful morning starts the night before. Set out your workout clothes, journal, or book. Prep your coffee or tea. Make it as easy as possible to follow through.
6. Be Flexible but Consistent
Life will challenge your routine. Adapt when necessary, but don’t give up. If time is tight, do a shorter version of your routine. The goal is to stay consistent, even if it’s imperfect.
Start Today: Pick one small action and commit to doing it tomorrow morning. Just 15 minutes. That’s it.
Your future self will thank you.