I used to think I needed a long list of morning routines to actually be productive. Wake up at 5 am, exercise, take a shower, eat. Doing all of it just left me overwhelmed, and my days often ended with me feeling drained.
What actually worked was way simpler than I expected. Not some viral tiktok routine, most of it are just small changes that ended up cutting a lot of wasted time.
- Action-based Alarm: The biggest problem I had was hitting snooze over and over and losing 20-30 minutes in bed. I needed something that actually forced me to get up. I use allarm like wayk or alarmy, where I have to complete a task, like fixing my bed and taking a photo of it before the alarm stops. That small action gets me moving, and once I’m out of bed, it’s easier to keep going instead of lying there
- Accessible book/kindle/PDF: instead of reaching for my phone I’ll have my Amazon Kindle or an interesting article readily available to read when I have some down time to keep me from grabbing my phone.
- No phone for the first 30 minutes: I used to lose 20-25 minutes scrolling before even getting out of bed. Now I leave my phone out of reach because I don’t trust myself. As soon as I wake up, I have every app automatically locked for the first hour. This keeps me focused and stops me from doomscrolling
- Skip breakfast: Drink some water and do a quick workout instead. You will be way more focused. A heavy breakfast just makes you sleepy and you won't get anything done because you're full.
- Showering the night before: I can just get dressed and go in the morning without having to think about it. It makes the start of my day feel less stressful, and I can focus on what actually matters.
- Pre-packed bag and organized clothes: I pick my outfit and pack my bag the night before. Sometimes I grab clothes straight from the drying rack as I go. I use Todoist o track what I need to bring, so nothing gets forgotten. This makes mornings feel effortless and stops me from wasting time deciding what to wear or what to pack.
Result: I went from needing about 2 hours to get ready in the morning to 1 hour, without feeling the need to rush to get to work. Now I have an extra hour to do anything I want which makes the rest of the day feel a lot more manageable.
by Glad-Finger-8251
25 Comments
Showering at night changed my mornings more than anything else on this list and i resisted it for years for no real reason
Skipping breakfast is the worst advice you can give :/
Skip breakfast is going to start a war in these comments
Pre packing the bag the night before removes the one thing that makes me late most often which is standing in the hallway looking for something
yea, what the fuck is this reddit? your brilliant plan basically sums up as “just skip breakfast and dont spend 30 minutes on phone XD”
Going from 2 hours to 1 hour means you either sleep an extra hour or do something useful with it, both sound good
I usually just get up, brush my teeth and leave work work. Takes me 20 minutes max
Regarding action based alarms: I just put mine on the desk at the foot of my bed, forcing me to get up.
Also best to choose an alarm that really wakes you up, lik loud music. I personally use the Emerald main menu theme.
No skipping breakfast though.
Glad you found a routine that works for you! Just worth remembering that skipping things like breakfast can be great for some people, but it might not suit everyone depending on their energy needs and lifestyle.
How peaceful. Thanks for sharing that. 🙂
Man, I’m just here to find the motivation to get out of bed, not start a business
Well done for the improvements that you’ve made in your daily routine! It’s shows a lot of self-awareness and discipline. My biggest issue is my phone in the morning so I will try keeping it in another room and have my book handy.
Skipping breakfast is a shit idea. There’s no evidence that helps in any way. Especially with unsubstantiated claims like “You will be way more focused.”
No. That’s not how it works at all.
“Now I have an extra hour to do anything I want.” You mean sleep? 🥱
Not showering in the morning…either blessed and don’t sweat at all, or you’re that guy at work.
How about a to go breakfast like oatmeal in a ball jar? Feel free to soak before hand or pour in hot water when you get to your destination. There are smelly people at my work that shower the night before too. A morning shower also wakes one up.
Breakfast is a requirement for me
So we’re skipping breakfast to get a workout in without showering
Do EVERYTHING the day before, so that you don’t even have to get up today 😉. Follow me for more life advice.
Shower night before but then workout in the morning?
How do you block your apps for the first hour? I’m on iOS. Are there apps for that or native settings?
Thanks for sharing!
I feel like either you shower morning and night, or you shower just at night. I cannot imagine going to bed with the day still on me. I’m not likely to get very grotty overnight (unless it’s hot and I sweat), but there’s no way I’m not dirty in some shape or form after a day out and about.
But yeah, morning showers are optional.
How do you automatically lock all the apps for the first hour after you wake up?
Heavy breakfast doesn’t make you sleepy, unless it’s full of carbs. Savoury, protein oriented breakfast will satiete you better and keep the hunger from coming back longer. Also, doesn’t make you sleepy.
Also, it’s a general idea based on glucose reaction to macros, and since people are different, ymmv.
Also, fast on the morning, or break your fast- do whatever makes you feel better.