Morning routines in general have become a popular peak performance topic, with suggestions ranging from meditation, gratitude journaling, an exercise session like mine, or just working on your to-do list before getting hyperconnected. And if you follow me on Instagram, you have seen that my devotion to my own routine is so unwavering that I will perform it quite literally anywhere that it’s possible to do so—even in an airport lounge! Sure, a venue like a beautiful oceanfront lawn is always nice, but location ultimately holds zero importance for me—five years of this habit has taught me that commitment (not circumstance) is what ensures that the routine continues to happen every morning, no matter what.
However, I would like to make one important clarification: I strongly disagree with the common bad ass recommendation to “just get up earlier” to perform an amazing recommended routine, increase personal productivity, and transcend from being the dreaded lazy ass lingering in bed to a bad ass getting sheet done. My recommendation for making time for a morning routine when you feel you have zero free time? Instead of just getting up earlier, why not simply go to sleep earlier? That way, you’re implementing a new healthy habit, instead of starting an unhealthy one (like not getting enough sleep). Setting (and sticking to) an earlier bedtime could also be thought of as a keystone habit, like making your bed—something The Power of Habit author Charles Duhigg describes as a highly effective method of implementing healthier habits, because just one keystone habit will dissolve into countless other good habits, which of course helps you become a more productive person in general.
New habits can take time to get used to, so many people will try to naturally remedy the issue of waking earlier by setting an “alarm” (an apropos name for having a sound wake you up at an arbitrary time) and attempting to start the day by 4:34am or 6:00am through sheer force of will. However, not only can this overly-glorified strategy have destructive consequences on your short-term health, it will also be difficult or straight up impossible to sustain long-term. And worst of all, relying on an alarm could cause your motivation to adhere to your lifestyle goals to dwindle with every passing day. For this reason, I see no better solution to the time issue than the simple effectiveness of having an earlier bedtime. Sacrificing sleep is simply not the way—but going to bed earlier and cutting out the unnecessary pre-bedtime/winding down activities to free up your mornings is. The importance of getting optimal sleep every day instead of bulldozing your way to morning routine productivity cannot be underestimated!
Regardless of what your peak performance goals are, just be sure to first tackle the issue of getting all the sleep you need, as well as all the rest and downtime you need every day. Then, you can really shift your energy towards staying disciplined and adhering to new habits. As I’ve said before, the creation of my morning routine and my continued commitment to it has been nothing short of life-changing. But as I also acknowledged in a recent blog post, I started my routine during a time in my life when my mornings had been freed up for the first time in a while, so I can really relate to people who feel like there is no way they will ever have enough time in the mornings to do something as “involved” as a morning movement routine.
Lately I have been posting more frequent videos showcasing the different elements of my morning movement routine to Instagram, and I’ve started receiving more and more positive comments and all kinds of questions from people about it. Knowing that so many people simply do not have the time to create their own personalized routine for flexibility and mobility and that many others could use the foundation of my pre-existing one for inspiration and guidance inspired me to take action. This is why I am so excited to share that The Comprehensive Guide To Developing The Ultimate Morning Exercise Routine is finally available—an online course I created that utilizes my personal experience with this life-changing habit, shows in detail what I specifically do and precisely how I do it, and allows you to customize your own routine that you too can stick to with dedication every morning. To learn more about it and enroll, click here!
