This is such a simple and oft-repeated piece of advice that I thought twice about whether I needed to write about it at all. But developing a good morning routine has been a foundational habit that has underpinned and created space for so many others that it really does bear repeating.

My ideological goal is to wake at 5am. Sometimes that sits at odds to another target of mine – to get 7.5 hours of sleep every night – so in reality it can be more like 5.45 or 6am. But regardless, the important thing is that I’m carving out plenty of quality time to do the things that are most important to me before the working day begins at 9am.

It’s the polar opposite of how I approached my day in my early 20s when I would set my alarm for the latest possible moment that I could get away with. Therefore starting each day with a mad rush to get ready and every bit of traffic or transport delay on the way to work adding another dash of stress – and that was before I even reached the office.

These days, thanks to this simple habit, I can have as many as three-and-a-half hours of total me-time before the working day begins, to do frankly whatever I choose.

So how do I spend this magical morning me-time?

I will pretty much always do some kind of physical exercise, because I find it’s essential to clear my head and energise me for the day ahead. A strength & conditioning session, yoga, maybe a run, or a HIIT workout with some stretching.

30-40 minutes are gone with my commute to the gym so before that, depending on how early I woke up, I’ll write morning pages (a form of journaling that helps unclog my mind and draws awareness to my thoughts and feelings), I’ll meditate, and I’ll note down my plan for the day, listing a maximum of three things that I want to get done – along with writing prep notes I may need before for day’s meetings.

As ManBodySpirit grows, I imagine this will be a key creation time for it too.

Putting yourself first

The result? Each day I’ve already completed a number of things that are most important to me before I’ve read a single work email, I’m feeling physically and mentally sharp, I’m prepared for the most taxing challenges that the day may throw at me. And best of all I feel calm and satisfied with a me-orientated morning well spent before I’ve even eaten breakfast.

It’s a far cry from those days of shambling out of bed and madly rushing to the office, then feeling like I’m playing catch-up the whole day.

Mindset shift and preparation

Waking up at 5am can seem very daunting at first (and as I say, I rarely achieve 5am exactly). I don’t suggest for a second that you get less sleep overall, and it can be hard to give up the long established habit of staying up late.

The best way I found to change my sleeping pattern was to ease my way into it. I started with just a couple of times one week, then the next, then the next. You will probably feel tired by late afternoon the first couple of times, which is why I recommend sticking with it for a few of weeks to allow your body to adjust.

And I found it was so important to have a plan for that early morning time.

I recommend you know exactly what you are going to do with the time before you go to sleep. Have your pen, paper, gym clothes, whatever you need, laid out the night before and ready to go, or you’ll just be walking around like a zombie wondering why the hell you decided to get up so early.

But if you set a plan you’re excited about, you get up and dive in, and you do it multiple times, you’ll be  amazed at just how much more productive this golden morning time is – before the world has woken up to distract you.

And you’ll soon realise just how more precious and potentially powerful those morning hours are than their poorer, tired later siblings that you experience at the end of each day when you really should be going to bed.

Switch those Netflix hours for morning power hours.

My morning habits in full

1. Wake up at 5:45ish, brush teeth etc

2. Drink a pint of water, with a sprinkle of salt and squeeze of lemon

There’s extensive evidence to support the benefits of this quick and easy two-ingredient morning elixir, including boosting your metabolism, removing toxins in the blood, improving skin and feeding our brains.

Most noticeably for me it rehydrates and refreshes me from my morning grogginess. After eight hours without any liquid, it’s natural that our bodies are dehydrated, so I look to fix that fast.

I also take a multivitamin, as well as supplements bromelain and grapefruit seed extract, which are natural remedies for the sinus and allergy issues I suffered with in my twenties.

3. 15-30 mins mental exercise time

For meditation, reading positive quotes or affirmations, and/or writing morning pages.

Even just 5 minutes to check in on what my mind is thinking at the start of a new day, and to replace any negative thoughts and emotions with positive ones, is time well spent.

Our mind is responsible for shaping so much of our reality that it pays to build a relationship with it, either through the quiet observation of meditation, or through stream of conscious writing like morning pages.

Observe, understand, condition positively, and then I’m ready for my day, and far more likely to act consciously throughout it.

4. Eat a banana

Quick, easy energy for the workout coming soon.

5. Drive to the gym – listening to a podcast or audiobook

I always have a ready supply of podcasts and audiobooks to match my mood or area of interest in a given week. I am a strong proponent of using commuting time for learning and growth.
For more on my podcast habit, read this.

6. Exercise (Yoga, EXOS, or an improv workout)

Most days I join an organised class at my local gym. I especially recommend this if you have trouble motivating yourself and know you will benefit from the support of a coach and peers. Or if you’d rather do other things with your time than researching and planning your own workouts.

Classes are also a good way to make new friends with people who likely have similar goals to you.

Most Sundays I go for a run of at least an hour. This I find to be fantastically restorative mentally. And it also gives me another hour to indulge in a podcast.

7. Eat breakfast

Most days I’ll have some kind of overnight soaked oats with fruit that sets me up with energy for the day.

For a long time I used to have a protein shake or smoothie, but recently I’ve realised that, although it seemed to fill me up at the time, by 4pm in the day I would be feeling very low on energy. The switch to oats seems to give me that extra bit of lasting power.

What does your morning routine look like? Is there anything I’m missing that really works for you? Let me know in the comments below