Morning Routine

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about habits and routines. I’ve had always routines in my life, but I wanted to build a better morning routine because I’ve come across many sources, that emphasized the importance of routines for success in life.

You are not automatically successful with routines, but it’s unlikely to be successful or happy without one. Jordan Peterson, a clinical psychologist, author, and speaker, mentioned in his talk 2017 Personality 02/03: Historical & Mythological Context the importance of a schedule and routine:

You need to pick a time to get up, whatever time you want, but pick one and stick to it because otherwise you dysregulate your circadian rhythms and they regulate your mood.

A morning routine does not only give health benefits, but if you include time for learning, reflection, thought, and fitness, you will improve in all aspects of life.

After reading many articles, and watching plenty of talks about morning routines, a similar pattern appeared in all these routines. I sat down a month ago and created a routine for myself, which included these patterns. I took inspiration from Tim Ferris, Ryan Holiday, and other inspiring people.

My Morning Routine

  • Wake up at around 7:00 AM
  • Get up, make my bed
  • Open the windows everywhere to get fresh air in (Stosslüften)
  • Record weight
  • I use a nasal douche with hot salt water to clean my nose
  • Drink half a liter of water with a bit of juice
  • Take vitamins D3/K2 and zinc
  • Stretch for 10 minutes
  • Read RSS feeds for a few minues
  • Learn Japanese and Spanish in Anki and Duolingo for around an hour
  • Workout with Calisthenics for 30-45 minutes (3 times a week)
  • Bathroom & Clothes
  • Prepare and eat breakfast
  • Prepare for the day, by checking the calendar and selecting To-Do items for the day
  • Get Ready

I do this routine every day, the only difference is, that I do not use an alarm clock at the weekend, but instead wake up when I wake up, which is around 7:00 AM. I’m doing it now for a month, and I’m happy with it. Update 2022: I don’t use alarm clocks anymore, I don’t need them, and I always wake up at the same time.

Details of My Morning Routine

Wake up

I wake up at around 7:00 AM, after 7-8 hours of sleep. My bedroom is cold (open window) and pitch dark due to opaque blinds. I don’t have mobile devices in my bedroom, except for two bed Slamp lights and my Apple Watch to track sleep. Additionally, I track my sleep with a Withings Sleep Analyzer.

Get Up

Then I stand up and get up, and make my bed. Because if you want to change the world, start by making your bed, says William McRaven, a former US Navy Admiral and Navy SEAL:

If you wanna change the world, start off by making your bed. If you make your bed every morning, you’ll have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride and encourage you to do another task, and another, and another. And by the end of the day, that one task completed, will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact, that the little things in life matter. If you can’t do the little things right, you’ll never be able to do the big things right.

Fresh Air

I open the windows to all the other rooms to let in the fresh air. My bedroom always has fresh air during the night.

Record Weight

I step on my Nokia Body Cardio scale to measure weight, fat, muscle, bone, and water. It’s important to always do this every day at the same time. It’s the only way to see health trends early.

Nasal Douche

I have a dust mite allergy, and I use a nasal douche with hot salt water to clean my nose. This helps me to breathe better and reduces the risk of getting sick.

Drink

Next, I drink a half a liter of water (with some juice mixed in), this will refill lost water of the night and add quick energy for the workout.

Take Vitamins

I take vitamins D3/K2 and zinc every morning. In winter, 5,000 IU of D3/K2; in summer, 3,000-4,000 IU. And 25 mg of zinc for the immune system.

Stretch

Next, I stretch for 10 minutes the whole body while listening to a podcast with the news.

RSS Feeds

I read my RSS feeds for a few minutes. I use Feedbin as an RSS aggregator. I follow blogs, news sites, Reddit, Hacker News and YouTube channels. I use the Reeder app on my iPad to read the feeds. Interesting articles I save to Raindrop.io for later reading.

Learn

Then I learn languages for 45 to 60 minutes. I start with learning vocabulary with Anki and then learn Spanish and Japanese with Duolingo.

Workout

I do Calisthenics three times. I start with a warm-up, followed by a full-body workout, including pulling, pushing, core, and leg bodyweight exercises. In the end, I do skill work like working with rings or practicing handstands. The workout lasts between 20 and 45 minutes. Once or twice a week, I run instead for 30-45 minutes.

Bathroom & Clothes

Then I take a shower. The benefits of cold showers are well-known, but I take a warm one. In the end, I switch to a cool temperature for a minute. I shower my legs in ice-cold water, but not the whole body. I’ll leave this to Wim Hof. 😄

I put on my clothes, which is easy since I changed my style to a minimalistic one: black jeans, a black, gray, white, or colored shirt, and a belt. Furthermore, I took inspiration for my wardrobe from filmmaker Matt D’Avella, who showed his wardrobe in this video.

Breakfast

My breakfast varies throughout the week. I usually have bread with hard-boiled eggs, air-dried sausage, or honey. Twice a week, I enjoy scrambled eggs, fried sausages, and bacon with bread. On weekends, I treat myself to bread rolls and a croissant with butter and chocolate sprinkles, accompanied by a hard-boiled egg. I drink juice made from apple, orange, maracuja, acerola, and kaki.

Prepare For the Day

I prepare for the day, by checking my calendar for upcoming events, meetings, and birthdays. I open my To-Do app Things on my tablet and select my tasks for the day.

Conclusion

I’m happy with my routine for now and hope you see the benefits of building a routine in your life. The morning routine is for me the one with the most benefits. Because if you start your day successfully, the chances are high that you end the day successfully. And as Jordan Peterson said: You cannot be mentally healthy without a routine. I recommend, building yourself a morning routine.

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