The Complete Guide to Your Best Morning Ever

Cover Image: dannyforest.com

An in-depth guide to doing only the right things to set you up for a successful morning, and beyond

“Win the morning, win the day” — Tim Ferriss

Are mornings overrated?

No. Tim Ferriss was onto something when he said that to win the day, you have to win your morning. Surely you’ve realized that the way you start your day affects your mood, your energy, and productivity for the rest of the day.

A successful morning is one where you wake up energized, can accomplish a set of predetermined activities, and are primed for the rest of the day. Know that for a morning to be successful, every part of your day has a role to play.

In this in-depth guide, you’ll learn all the things you should and should not do the night before, during the morning, and for the rest of the day. For each point, you’ll learn how to do it and be equipped with extra resources should you need them.

If you want to read a simpler version, check out this other article I wrote: How to Build a Strong Morning Routine: The Essential Guide

Table of Contents

Night before
Do: Prepare for the next day
Do: Set up your environment
Do: Prime yourself
Do: Wind down
Don't: Do activities that arouse you
Don't: Take sleeping pills
Don't: Eat fatty foods
Waking up
Do: Stand up or sit down
Do: Drink a glass of water
Do: Some physical movement
Do: Use SAD light
Don't: Snooze
Don't: Stay lying in bed
Don't: Jump on your device
Morning
Do: Important things
Do: Write
Do: Physical exercise
Do: Practice skills
Don't: Start with breakfast
Don't: Be reactive
Don't: Do things for others
Day
Do: Power nap
Do: Manage your energy
Do: Eat just enough
Do: Block time
Don't: Have stimulants past 3 PM
Don't: Start without a schedule
Don't: Avoid bright light
Evening
Do: Entertain yourself
Do: Eat a healthy meal
Do: Physical exercise
Do: Reduce blue light exposure
Don't: Eat sugar
Don't: Work
Don't: Drink alcohol

Night before

Photo by Noah Silliman on Unsplash

Photo by Noah Silliman on Unsplash

Do: Prepare for the next day

When you know the things you’ll do the next day, you help your brain relax and let your subconscious work on problems overnight.

How to prepare for the next day:

  • Have a pen & paper ready.

  • Take 10 minutes before bed to jot down everything that comes to mind.

Additional resources:

Do: Set up your environment

Most people are at their sharpest a few minutes after waking up in the morning. Because of that, you don’t want to waste precious energy doing mundane things. Instead, prepare the mundane things the night before.

How to set up your environment:

  • Prepare a glass of water next to your bed or in the bathroom.

  • Lay your workout clothes where you’ll see them and use them.

  • Lay the clothes you’re going to wear for the day in the bathroom.

Do: Prime yourself

Priming yourself before bed means getting inspired and uplifted.

How to prime yourself before bed:

  • Listen to 10 minutes of music that inspires you.

  • Read biographies of people that inspire you.

  • Watch a short clip of an inspirational video (do that at least one hour before bed, and not in bed).

Do: Wind down

A lot of people watch TV before bed. The problem is that this is arousing and is preventing you from sleeping. The best thing you can do for your sleep hygiene is to “get back to the basics”, without involving technology.

How to wind down before bed:

  • Read a book before bed (not on a device, except for a Kindle).

  • Take a hot or warm bath or shower.

  • Meditate.

  • Journal.

  • Practice gratitude.

Don’t: Do activities that arouse you

Any activity that stimulates your brain should be avoided before bed. They will keep your mind racing and prevent you from falling asleep.

How to not do activities that arouse you before bed:

  • Don’t scroll social media by putting your phone in airplane mode.

  • Don’t watch TV by not having a TV in the bedroom.

  • Don’t play video games by not allowing video games in the bedroom.

  • Make it hard for you to look at the time.

Additional resources:

Don’t: Take sleeping pills (unless you’ve been diagnosed with insomnia)

Many sleeping pills are addictive. They change your standard and make it hard to go back. They also have many side effects.

How to not take sleeping pills:

  • Don’t allow them in your home (unless someone living in the same home has a prescription)

Additional resources:

Don’t: Eat fatty foods

Fat takes longer to process in your body, and when you’re at rest, you’re not burning it as fast. This leads to you being bloated and not sleeping as well.

How to not eat fatty foods:

  • Don’t leave fatty foods in your home.

  • Find a healthier alternative you enjoy almost as much (for me, that’s green beans).

  • Set yourself a time of the day when you’re not allowed to eat fatty foods anymore.

Additional resources:

Waking up

Do: Stand up or sit down

I once read that it takes 10 seconds for the brain to register that you are waking up. If you stay in bed 10 seconds after the alarm goes off, you’re likely going to fall asleep. Instead, do everything in your power to simply sit down or stand up.

How to stand up or sit down:

  • Put your alarm further away so that you’re forced to get to it to stop it.

  • Have an alarm clock that makes it hard to stop (some of them run away from you!).

Do: Drink a glass of water

Hydrating your body as soon as you wake up is a productivity hack everyone should do. It helps you re-energize much faster. Many people jump on coffee, but a tall glass of water is surprisingly more beneficial.

How to drink a glass of water:

  • Keep a glass or bottle next to your bed and drink it as you leave your bed.

  • Keep a glass or bottle in your bathroom.

  • If you work from home, keep a glass of water in your office.

Additional resources:

Do: Use SAD light

Fall and Winter in Montreal are not the sunniest. Using a light lamp in the morning as soon as I wake up has been a game-changer for me.

How to use SAD light:

  • Buy a light lamp for light therapy.

  • Leave the lamp where you’ll be spending your first 15 minutes of your day and turn it on then.

Additional resources:

Do: Some physical movement

Movement in the body “activates” your brain. The sooner you do some activity, the faster your brain will become “sharp”.

How to do some physical movement:

  • Do 100–200 steps. Measure with a phone or wristband; or

  • Do 5 push-ups or sit-ups.

Additional resources:

Don’t: Snooze

There’s hardly anything less productive for your sleep than snoozing to get a few extra minutes of sleep; you cannot wake up rested after snoozing.

How to not snooze:

  • Have an alarm that doesn’t allow you to snooze.

  • Put your alarm at the last minute you really need to wake up.

  • Put many activities in your schedule so that you won’t have time to push things further.

Additional resources:

Don’t: Stay lying in bed

Whether it’s to scroll messages on your phone or to just “be there”, you’re doing yourself a disservice to stay in bed; it’s too comfortable. And if you do that for too long, you’ll create a bad habit that’s going to be hard to get rid of.

How to not stay lying in bed:

  • Don’t let any unproductive devices lying next to your bed.

  • Don’t have a TV in your bedroom.

  • As mentioned above, stand up as soon as you wake up.

Don’t: Jump on your devices

Some people pick up their phones and stay in bed to scroll their messages. It’s a really bad habit that teaches your brain that the bed is not just a place for sleeping and sex, but also a place where it’s okay to work or goof around on social media.

How to not jump on your devices:

  • Don’t let any unproductive devices laying next to your bed.

Additional resources:

Morning

Photo by Emma Simpson on Unsplash

Photo by Emma Simpson on Unsplash

Do: Important Things

What I’m suggesting here is that you do things for your well-being. Things that are important, yet rarely urgent. Before having a baby, I spent four hours each morning on my well-being, including biking, writing, practicing three skills, cooking breakfast, working out, and reading.

How to do important things in the morning:

  • Wake up before others are awake (to avoid distractions).

  • Calculate how much time you can spare in the morning (get creative here).

  • Brainstorm activities that would be most beneficial for you.

  • Schedule these important activities in your calendar.

Additional resources:

Do: Write

You can do this privately in your journal or publicly in a blog. I love to do both. In my journal, I write my thought process and plan ahead. On my blog, I write about my experience on a variety of topics, including productivity, travel, self-improvement, parenting, and more.

How to write in the morning:

  • The night before, leave a journal where you’re likely going to go first after waking up.

  • Write the first things that come to mind. When inspiration doesn’t come, simply write down what you’re grateful for.

  • For writing publicly, create a Medium.com account and write about your day yesterday. Make it as emotional as you can. Publish if you want or leave as a draft for later (or for never).

Additional resources:

Do: Physical exercise

This doesn’t necessarily mean hitting the gym first thing in the morning. For me, it’s either a bike ride or a walk, plus a 15-minute workout. I get the same out of doing that as when I was going to the gym for 2 hours in the morning.

How to do physical exercise in the morning:

  • Start small. You have to build a habit first. Do something you like doing and keep it short if that’s going to make you consistent.

  • Schedule your workout routine ahead of time.

  • Remind yourself of the benefits of doing that every day until it becomes natural.

Additional resources:

Do: Practice skills

This is my favourite thing to do! In October 2018, I started learning three new skills every month, practicing each skill for 30 minutes daily. This is the best habit I’ve ever built.

How to practice skills in the morning:

  • Schedule a block of 15–30 minutes every morning for each skill you want to practice.

  • Pre-research what you want to practice beforehand so that the morning of, your only job is to practice it.

Additional resources:

Don’t: Start with breakfast

With so many benefits of intermittent fasting, it’s surprising the vast majority of people still eat breakfast as soon as they wake up. I started eating 4–5 hours after waking up before I even knew about intermittent fasting and it made a massive change to my energy levels.

How to not start with breakfast in the morning:

  • Drink a tall glass of water as soon as you wake up.

  • Do something active to occupy your time (work out, learn skills, etc.).

  • Reduce carbs and sugar throughout the day.

Additional resources:

Don’t: Be reactive

Most people are reactive when they wake up. They check their emails, social media, etc. The problem is, your brain is at its most creative when you wake up. Therefore, the time after you wake up should be used to do things for yourself.

How to not be reactive in the morning:

  • Find something you can create as soon as you wake up (and that you enjoy doing).

  • Practice skills you’ve always wanted to learn.

  • Write your thoughts in a journal as soon as you wake up.

Additional resources:

Don’t: Do things for others

It’s fine to be proactive, but you have to do things for yourself, not just for others. Most adults do things for others, whether it’s their family, their boss, or friends. In the morning, be kind to yourself and do things you really want to do.

How to not do things for others in the morning:

  • Realize how much you’re already doing for others.

  • Assess your wants and needs beforehand.

  • Practice your hobbies for at least a few minutes every morning.

Additional resources:

Day

Photo by DEVN on Unsplash

Photo by DEVN on Unsplash

Do: Power nap

This is my number one productivity hack, especially now that I have a newborn son. Power napping is a nap that lasts from 15 to 30 minutes only. When done successfully, you wake up energized as if you had a full night of sleep.

How to power nap during the day:

  • Read the additional resource below.

  • Practice every day for a month.

  • Always use the same song so your brain learns that the song is meant for sleeping.

Additional resources:

Do: Manage your energy

Do you know your Chronotype? In The Power of When, Dr. Michael Breus explains how there are better times of the day to do different activities. The problem is: everyone is different! When you know your chronotype, you can better choose when to do which activity.

How to manage your energy during the day:

  • Learn your chronotype.

  • Plan your activities around their best times to perform.

  • Learn about the circadian rhythm so that you can learn when best to power nap during the day.

Additional resources:

Do: Eat just enough

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a very slow eater. It turns out, that’s the healthiest way to eat. The slower you eat to faster you realize how full you really are.

How to eat just enough food during the day:

  • Eat slower.

  • Don’t watch videos and read while eating (tough one, I know).

  • Drop your utensils after each bite.

  • Eat with people who eat slow.

Additional resources:

Do: Block time

Along with power napping, this is one of my top piece of productivity advice: set blocks of time for activities in your calendar. For example, workout, learn skills, work, reading, journaling, etc. In my schedule, apart from calls and meetings, you only see these kinds of blocks, with no details. I only specify the “what”, not the “how”. If something interrupts my day, I can swap two blocks around.

How to block time during the day:

  • Create your schedule weekly.

  • Review the next day’s schedule the evening before and adjust as needed.

  • Color code your activities by importance and urgency.

Additional resources:

Don’t: Have stimulants past 3 PM

I used to be insomniac until I stopped drinking coffee past 3 PM. Okay, it wasn’t just that, but it certainly helped. Anything with caffeine after 3 PM will derail your sleep.

How to not have stimulants past 3 PM:

  • Cut caffeine before 3 PM.

  • Try decaffeinated drinks in the afternoon.

Additional resources:

Don’t: Start without a schedule

Always know what you’re going to do for the day. You don’t need to know the details, but at least what the major things are. This is one of my favourite ways to fight off procrastination and snoozing.

How to start your day with a schedule:

  • Use time blocking (see above).

  • Review or make your schedule the night before.

  • Involve anyone who may affect your schedule to make sure you thought of everything.

Don’t: Avoid bright light

One of the best ways for your brain to make the distinction between night and day is to get enough light during the day.

How to get more bright lights during the day:

  • Take a short morning stroll when you wake up.

  • Take walks for breaks.

  • As much as possible, when working indoors, sit close to a window.

Additional resources:

Evening

Photo by Tincho Franco on Unsplash

Photo by Tincho Franco on Unsplash

Do: Entertain yourself

At some point in the evening, you have to disconnect. Anything you enjoy doing and distracts you from work or other worries is beneficial here. The trick is to control yourself and not entertain yourself too much so that it affects your sleep quality.

How to entertain yourself in the evening:

  • Set aside one or two hours each evening for things you enjoy doing.

  • Be totally unapologetic about it. It’s your time, so own it.

  • Do lighter entertainment closer to bedtime (like reading for example).

Do: Eat a healthy meal

It’s important to eat healthily, but even more so in the evening. Think about it, your body has to burn this food, and if you’re sleeping, well, you’re not burning as much.

How to eat a healthy meal in the evening:

  • Favour greens and simple proteins.

  • Reduce carbs and fat.

  • Reduce greasy snacks before bed.

Additional resources:

Do: Physical exercise

Early in the evening is a great time for physical exercise for two important reasons: (1) It allows you to disconnect from work and (2) it helps your brain assimilate things you learned during the day. These are my favourite two reasons, but of course, it’s also great for your physical health!

How to do physical exercise in the evening:

  • Truly believe in the benefits of physical exercise.

  • Make it a staggered habit, meaning, always do it after a specific trigger, like “when I get back home from work”, for example.

  • Do it every day so that it becomes a habit.

  • Start small. If a 5-minute jog is what will make you consistent, do that.

Additional resources:

Do: Reduce blue light exposure

Okay, I’ve been reading that it’s not specifically blue light that’s the problem, but just any light. The reason I’m specifying blue lights here is because let’s be honest, the problem comes from your phone, your computer, and your TV. I’ve seen tremendous benefits from cutting blue lights an hour before bed. Experts recommend 2–3 hours, but that’s not very realistic for most people.

How to reduce blue light exposure during the day:

  • Don’t use electronic devices one hour before bed.

  • Find a new hobby that doesn’t require bright light exposure (like reading, knitting, drawing, journaling, meditating, etc).

  • Don’t allow electronic devices in your bedroom.

Additional resources:

Don’t: Eat sugar

According to Dr. Michael Breus, too much sugar leads to eating later in the day. That obviously affects sleep, which produces an even greater craving for sugar the next day.

How to not eat sugar in the evening:

  • Know what foods are high in sugar (see “Additional Resources” below).

  • Find alternatives to foods with high sugar (see “Additional Resources” below).

  • Make your own snacks and meals.

Additional resources:

Don’t: Work

For fellow workaholics out there, I know this is a tough one. But know that working late in the evening just might be what’s causing you insomnia. I know that was a part of it for me.

How to not work in the evening:

  • If you feel the urge to work, simply take note of your thoughts and refrain from doing the actual work.

  • Prefer waking up earlier to work vs working late.

  • Make it a household rule that no one can work past a certain time.

Additional resources:

Don’t: Drink alcohol

On days you want quality sleep (which is hopefully most days of the week), refrain from drinking alcohol too late in the evening. While you may fall asleep faster, the quality of your sleep takes a hit.

How to not drink alcohol in the evening:

  • Set a time limit when drinking is still allowed (never after dinner, for example).

  • Choose days of the week when you’re allowed to drink late (weekends only, for example).

  • Lock your beer fridge. :)

Additional resources:

Doing your morning right isn’t easy, but when you succeed, your life starts to change for the better. You get more energy. You accomplish more. You thrive more.

So, practice the Dos and Donts from this guide and make your morning right.

You can do this!