Win the morning, win the day.

On morning routines.

Reminiscing & Inspiration

When I think about morning routines, I think about my dad and how he had so much energy for most of his life. Maybe it was his peculiar physiology, but as my siblings and I get older we are continually amazed at what he did – becoming a farmer in his late thirties and starting a family at 45 while being an engaged and present father of three. In addition, he was also fond of volunteering, got involved in local politics serving on council for a decade, and frequently helped out neighbors as an active community member.

With him in mind, an interesting heuristic to diagnose quality of life is: how excited are you to get out of bed?

This simple question orients so much. It means your sleep is dialled in. It means you have something worth getting up for and that you’re passionate about doing it. Rest, work and meaning are all dialled in.

Those are three substantial pillars of a good life. And while that may be enough for some, I’ve found there’s more to unpack.

So how do I think about morning routines?

While experimenting with them for years, many self-help and productivity experts converge towards common and helpful habits like meditation, exercise, and journaling.

In the past few years, as I’ve familiarized myself with Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda and Andrew Huberman’s podcast, I notice they emphasize managing circadian rhythms and the timing of activities like exercising and nutrition.

Let there be light

Regulating light exposure has become an important consideration in my morning routine as it is recognized as the primary zeitgeiber or “time-giver” by which the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) conducts the symphony of circadian processes. There is a seasonality to it depending on where you live and I’ve noticed a much smoother transition to wakefulness with the inclusion of a few other behaviors.

In the fall and winter when I get up while it’s still dark, artificial lighting helps stimulate circadian rhythms while in the spring and summer it’s easy enough to simply go outside and get enough light.

What does that actually look like? Going for a ten minute or so walk around the block before anything else. An easy rule of thumb is to head towards the sun while taking care of your eyes though it is important not to wear sunglasses as that blunts the physiological effect.

Other facets of my routine include cold exposure, movement and breathwork with a bias to help move along the cortisol spike towards full wakefulness. 

Water & Words

Cold exposure has been a staple of my morning routine for years and is really as simple as taking a cold shower or splashing some cold water in my face which stimulates the dive reflex. On occasion I’ll make the extra effort to get together with some friends for a cold plunge combining social cohesion, adversity and physiology all at once. 

While the particulars have evolved over time, some form of spiritual practice is included in there as well, which may overlap with movement and breathwork elements.

Another piece which has also evolved over time is journaling. As of this writing and for several years, it’s taken the form of a Julia Cameron morning pages style free write with no particular aim. This has been largely aided in the past year by the web app 750 Words.

Flexibility & Mind

Something useful to consider is to design a telescoping aspect to your routine and each element depending on available time. For example, having a 10, 30 or 90 minute routine on hand will buffer against variations in schedule or circumstances.

For example, over the years my meditation practice has gone anywhere from ten minutes to an hour as I tend to value consistency over quantity. Techniques have varied but basic mindfulness has been tried and true. I’ve explored vipassana body-scanning, metta, techniques from The Finder’s Course, Shinzen Young’s techniques, the Mind Illuminated, and a recent foray over the past year into the jhanas from Buddhist tradition. Apps certainly help: over the years I’ve used Oak, Insight Timer, and Waking Up. 

Breath & Body

Breathwork can also be as simple or as complex as you want to make it. The recent popularity of Wim Hof has certainly made breathwork and cold exposure less fringe while yoga and qigong have no shortage of techniques – some of my favorites include breath of fire, alternate nostril breathing, and variations on box breathing which I detail in another piece. I usually allot anywhere from a few minutes to fifteen. There are also techniques that can be layered on while walking that don’t take any extra time. For instance, a simple one is matching your breathing rate to your walking pace – inhale for five steps, exhale for five steps. And so forth.

Movement also has many variables. It could be as quick as cranking out ten or so air squats while holding my breath, performing one slow sun salutation, or as involved as a full-on workout. For years, I’ve adopted a micro-movement habit of doing a little here and there throughout the day. At this stage of my life, I prioritize joint mobility. I’ve been a lifelong connoisseur of movement and fitness. Over the years I have borrowed from yoga, qigong, powerlifting, calisthenics, Crossfit, the Happy Body program, Foundations movement, martial arts, kettlebell training, and probably more than I can recall.

Final Thoughts

I’ve experimented with morning routines for many years now and I attest to their contribution for my overall well-being. As a creative person, my attraction to morning routines was motivated largely to reduce decision fatigue to free up those precious cognitive resources for more important decisions and to ensure I have the energy and clarity to make them.

To recapitulate the elements I consider including in a morning routine:

• Light exposure

• Cold exposure

• Breathwork

• Movement

• Meditation & spiritual practice

• Journaling

The sequence may vary depending on season but these are the recurring elements for me.

Even with a perfect routine, it’s more important that what you spend most of your time on is meaningful. Ideally, that’s what you would resolve in your journaling and make life changes accordingly to reflect that.