I Implemented The Same Morning Rituals For 61 Days Straight
Here’s what I learned
Jack Dorsey wakes up at 5:30am every day. Richard Branson exercises before breakfast. And Jeff Bezos reads the newspaper every morning.
The internet is full of content about “billionaire morning routines,” “morning secrets to success,” and “energizing morning habits.”
Top athletes, successful entrepreneurs, and productivity coaches like to share their morning rituals to highlight the importance of a well-defined morning routine.
But do morning routines live up to the hype?
Do they truly make or break your days?
Does the repetition of certain rituals ensure consistency or create pressure?
To find out, I implemented the same morning rituals for 61 days straight.
I should stress that my morning routine was already in place; I simply followed my habits with more zeal and consistency during this experiment.
My morning rituals for a rejuvenated start to the day
My usual morning routine consists of the following five elements:
- a cold shower
- ten minutes of meditation
- making the bed and getting dressed
- breakfast
- reading a coffee table book
I sometimes go for a walk before breakfast, but this habit wasn’t part of my 61-days experiment.
All five components further my productivity and mindfulness in the morning.
First, a cold shower helps you wake up and also supports your mental and physical strength. The benefits of cold water dripping down your shoulders are unquestionable.
For thousands of years, warrior cultures like the Spartans used cold showers to harden up and stiffen their body’s tolerance to pain.
Secondly, meditation is the perfect way to start your day with a clear mind and positive thoughts.
The third habit ensures a tidy and clutter-free bedroom. In the morning, the simple act of making your bed helps you feel organized and ready.
In that same vein, getting dressed as early as possible puts you in the right mood to encounter the day with poise and motivation.
Breakfast is another significant component. Find your perfect morning elixir by giving your body the fuel it needs. I like to eat eggs, fruits, some ham, and whole-wheat toast in the morning.
Combined with coffee and juice, this breakfast formula contains all macro-nutrients and lots of energizing ingredients.
Finally, my fifth ritual is to read a coffee table book during and after breakfast. I usually read about architecture, design, or photography.
This activity is purely recreational and prevents me from checking emails and social media early in the morning.
The benefits and disadvantages of a well-defined morning routine
My morning rituals defined, I started to implement them for 61 days straight.
The experiment began on June 1 and ended on July 31.
Benefit n°1: The establishment of a routine
Throughout the first week, I started to notice the first main benefit: the power of a daily routine.
Morning rituals are the basis for a well-tailored daily routine. And this routine will help you stay on track both on a personal and professional level.
You start to realize that personal growth is nothing more than an accumulation of small daily acts of self-improvement.
Consequently, morning habits set the foundation for daily self-improvement and consistency.
Benefit n°2: Starting your days with the right mindset
After 20 days of following my morning routine fervently, I noticed a clear shift in how my mind got out of bed.
I knew exactly how my days should start, and this helped my brain wake up with inspiration and determination.
Positive affirmations are an integral part of this revamped morning mindset.
Because your morning rituals are defined, you spur yourself on after getting out of bed.
Right, I survived a cold shower, now I’ll organize my room, meditate for a bid, and smash the day.
Benefit n°3: Morning routines guarantee your mental wellbeing on bad days
After 40 days of following the same morning rituals, I inevitably encountered some bad days.
Personal problems, professional setbacks, and moodiness started to kick in, but they didn’t prevent me from continuing my experiment.
Even though my motivation had waned, I forced myself to continue following my morning rituals for another 21 days. And the effect was profound.
On day 41, my morning routine became a safeguard for my mental sanity.
I had to deal with professional problems, but I knew that they were temporary. My morning routine, on the other hand, felt solid as a rock.
To overcome adversity at work, I took inspiration from that solidity.
If I can implement the same morning habits for 41 days straight, I can undoubtedly also work consistently to fight my current woes.
The trick worked.
My morning routine fueled my mental strength, and through days 42 to 61, I managed to get back on track in my professional life.
My experiment highlighted the advantages of a well-defined morning routine, but it also accentuated its downsides.
Here are some less positive conclusions from implementing the same morning rituals for 61 days straight.
Disadvantage n°1: The lack of flexibility
If you follow morning habits as zealously as I did, flexibility will not be part of the equation.
As an example, on day 46, I forgot to call my grandmother for her birthday because of strictly defined morning rituals. I couldn’t reach her after my reading stint and only got hold of her in the evening.
It worked out in the end, but my morning routine nearly prevented me from talking to loved ones.
As such, morning rituals secure your routine, but they sometimes take some joy and value from your mornings, all in the name of productivity.
The solution is to set aside ten minutes for contingencies. If you have to do something unrelated to your morning rituals, take these ten minutes for unexpected activities.
Disadvantage n°2: Stringent rules can add stress and pressure to your life
Much like killing off your flexibility, stringent morning habits can become stressful in the long run.
Between day 50 and 61, I started to feel the weight of following the same rituals every morning.
Even though they helped me stay on track in my professional life, they also created stress in my personal life.
My sole focus was to become more productive and to grow as a person, but my social life suffered.
My morning routine didn’t allow for time with my loved ones, and this was ultimately its biggest flaw.
I needed more balance.
Finally, after day 61, I decided that the experiment was a success with a few caveats.
I needed to incorporate time with my loved ones into the morning routine, and I also needed more flexibility.
Final thoughts
- Morning routines work well as bases for daily routines and personal growth.
- Morning habits are excellent ways to start your days with the right attitude.
- Thanks to their regularity, morning rituals can secure your mental sanity during challenging periods.
- Morning routines lack flexibility, sometimes preventing you from completing significant personal actions.
- If your morning rituals are too stringent, they can add stress and pressure to your life.
- In conclusion, morning routines are great personal growth boosters, but they shouldn’t lack flexibility, and they should allow time for loved ones.
If you enjoyed this article, join my email list to stay in touch.
