Creating a healthy morning routine, so goes the consensus, sets the standard for the rest of the day. And it’s not just a trend of the digital age.
Though the Romans considered it “a virtue” to rise early, author Frank McLynn reveals in his biography Marcus Aurelius: A Life that the emperor-to-be was an “insomniac who hated getting out of bed in the morning”. Marcus Aurelius was well aware of this weak spot and the need for self-improvement, noting in his personal meditations: “In the morning when you rise unwillingly, let this thought be present—I am rising to the work of a human being.”
One of the most famous early risers of them all, Founding Father and polymath Benjamin Franklin, rose each day at 5am and planned each hour meticulously after contemplating, “What good shall I do today?”, while Ludwig van Beethoven began his days by counting out exactly 60 beans of coffee for his morning joe. According to records kept by his son, Charles Dickens would rise with the sun and demand to be left alone until 2pm, sometimes penning up to 2,000 words per day as if “in a trance”.
The award for the most self-indulgent – and unhealthy – start to the day perhaps goes to Winston Churchill who somehow managed to outmanoeuvre the Nazis while beginning each day with a hearty breakfast in bed accompanied by scotch and cigars. Though he woke at a respectable 7:30am, he’d spend the next few hours in bed consuming food and booze while reading newspapers and dictating to his secretaries before taking a bath around 11am, followed by a garden stroll.
Jessica Jackson, psychologist and clinical strategy manager of mental health equity at Modern Health tells CNBC that it’s essential to begin the day free of stress – in today’s world meaning no immediate checking of emails and to-do lists which “tells your brain to go into panic mode.” Instead, we should begin with an intention meditation to be our “north star” for the day.
You need to focus your decision-making energy. You need to routinise yourself.
“You can tell yourself, ‘My intention for today is to feel successful’ or ‘I want to be comfortable today’ and think about what you can realistically accomplish in the next 24 hours to feel that way,” Jackson adds. “It can also be a single, powerful word like ‘gratitude’ that will guide how you react to and reflect on whatever happens throughout the day.”
And for further inspiration, Verve looks at how some of the more recent go-getters get going…
Barack Obama
The former president gets to bed around 1am and rises at 7am, shunning coffee for green tea, orange juice or water, then hitting the gym by 7:30am. “His logic was always, ‘The rest of my time will be more productive if you give me my workout time,’” says Jim Cauley, who managed Obama’s Senate campaign. Obama also chooses predominantly blue or grey suits to not tax his grey matter with time-wasting non-vital decisions, telling Vanity Fair: “You need to focus your decision-making energy. You need to routinise yourself.”
Andrew Huberman
Neuroscientist, Stanford University professor, and podcaster Andrew Huberman is famed for his research on the effects of light on the brain so it’s no surprise that his morning routine revolves around exposure to the sun. Natural light exposure has been proven to help regulate the circadian rhythm, helping with sleep quality and wellbeing. “We’ve now learned that having a consistent to-sleep time, plus or minus an hour, maximises growth hormone release,” he tells GQ. “And so having a fairly consistent to-bed time, it’s going to be almost as important as having a fairly consistent to-sleep time.” Our ideal “to-sleep time” is about seven hours after our afternoon energy dip. Exercise and nutrition, he says, are also important components of a healthy morning routine.
Tim Cook
The Apple CEO is one of the earliest risers on the list, usually waking between 4am and 5am. How, going against the general advice, one of the first things he does is check emails and what’s going on I the world before his workout. “Before I go into the office, I go work out,” Cook tells the Dua Lipa podcast. “I spend an hour in the gym, usually doing strength training. And, I do no work during that period of time at all. I never check my phone–I’m just totally focused on working out.” In another interview, with the Australian Financial Review, Cook argues that “the early morning is yours” and easier to control, unlike the daytime when things “happen through the day that kind of blow you off course”.
Queen Elizabeth II
Serving more than 70 years, Elizabeth II was the longest reigning British monarch, the second longest reigning in history (Louis XIV of France is top at more than 72 years), and lived to the grand old age of 96. Her morning routine comprised waking at 7:30am with English breakfast tea (Twinings, of course!) with a few biscuits in bed followed by a bath then breakfast – usually fruit and cereal – with her husband, Prince Phillip. She then caught up on the news before poring through her daily government documents. She was said to only take some time off for a few days around Christmas and Easter.
Gwyneth Paltrow
From the Queen of the Commonwealth to the queen of wellness, Gwyneth Paltrow’s daily starts naturally have a big focus on self-care. The actor and founder of Goop has smoothies and cappuccinos for breakfast after her morning tongue scrape and oil pull. She also practises transcendental meditation and puts in around 90 minutes in the gym followed by dry body brushing (said to boost the lymphatic system, drain toxins, reduce puffiness, and exfoliate the skin), and a glass of celery juice. Midweek she mixes things up, telling her social media followers, “I start every Wednesday with a dance.”
Tony Robbins
And from the queen of wellness to the king of self-help, motivational speaker and life coach Tony Robbins has an unsurprisingly military-grade morning routine that includes a cold plunge. He gets by on relatively little sleep (usually 3-5 hours), rising between 7am and 9am and first downs an “adrenal support cocktail” that comprises greens powder, vitamin C, and antioxidants, along with a handful of vitamin capsules. The rest of his routine comprises breathing exercises, visualisation and gratitude exercises, and an intense workout. “My whole focus is – how do you get the greatest result with the least amount of time or energy?” Robbins tells Business Insider. “Intensity trumps duration all day long.” Staggeringly, he gets all of this done in 30 minutes!
Making the Most of the Morning
• Morning routines don’t necessarily
have to revolve around rising with the sun. Find your own ‘golden hour’ – the time when you feel most refreshed, alert, and focused. For some it’s 5am, for others it’s 8am, and that’s all good so long as it works best for you. Just stick to it.
• Tailor your routine, don’t simply try
to copy one of your heroes – pick and chose some good habits from a selection of successful people, and try to incorporate something fun like listening to a podcast to keep yourself motivated and on track. Never let the routine become something that you dread.
• Don’t neglect self-care. The emails
and social media can wait, whether it’s a skincare routine, a workout, a healthy breakfast, or all of the above, ensure you set a positive tone for the day. Even following unproductive days at work, at least at the very minimum you can be satisfied that you’ve been for a good run!
• Speaking of breakfast – don’t bite
off more than you can chew! Morning routines don’t need to be complicated, in fact the simpler the better, especially at the beginning. Start small and build over time, that way, you’re more likely to stick with them and less likely to feel a failure if you have a bad day or something unexpected happens and you don’t get everything done. Be flexible and prepared to roll with the punches after you roll out of bed!
