21 tiny habits for a healthy and happy morning routine
Mornings can be challenging, and waking up is often dreaded. A solid morning routine with intentional habits can brighten your mood, give you more energy throughout the day, reduce anxiety, boost your productivity levels and make you feel better overall. Adding even the tiniest habits to improve your morning routine can make a world of difference.
We like to use the Tiny Habits Method to break our habits down and make them almost impossible NOT to do. It’s based on the work of Dr. BJ Fogg, who is a world-renowned habits expert. If you're not familiar with his work, we highly recommend checking out his book, Tiny Habits. In a nutshell, the Tiny Habits method says that you should make your habits as small and easy as possible, and anchor them to an existing trigger in your day. This makes them much easier to stick to, and eventually, they become second nature. You may have also heard about this concept in the book Atomic Habits, where author James Clear labels it "Habit Stacking."
For each of these examples, we use an anchor habit that may already exist in your life. Then, we attach a new Tiny Habit that takes less than 30 seconds. We make it small so that it can become automatic for you. You can do extra credit by doing more than what's written most days.
Adding any of these Tiny Habits, or just using them for inspiration, will guarantee a more productive and positive morning that will inspire a similar vibe for the rest of the day!
Here are 21 habits you could add to your morning routine:
“After I turn off my alarm, I will think of three things I am grateful for.”
“After I sit up in bed, I will pick up my journal and write for five minutes” (instead of picking up your phone).
“After I put on my slippers, I will drink a glass of water” (fill a glass of water before bed and put it next to your bed to hydrate right away).
“After getting up, I will make my bed.”
“After making my bed, I will open the window to let the light in.”
“After I start brushing my teeth, I will do five squats.”
“After I dry my face, I will say one positive affirmation” (to practice positivity and self-love).
“After I get ready, I will wipe down the bathroom counter.”
“Before getting dressed, I will do some simple yoga or stretching” (to start the day by moving my body).
“After rolling up my yoga mat, I will set a timer for five minutes and meditate.”
“After getting dressed, I will put my dirty clothes in the laundry basket.”
“After I start the coffee brewing, I will unload the dishwasher.”
“While breakfast is cooking, I will take my vitamins and supplements.”
“While breakfast is cooking, I will cut up one fruit to eat with breakfast.”
“After I start eating breakfast, I will make a to-do list for the day.”
“After I push in my chair at the kitchen table, I will grab a healthy snack and put it in my work bag for later.”
“After putting away my dirty dishes from breakfast, I will get out my prepare lunch” (whether you eat lunch out or at home, checking that off the list early in the day will create less stress).
“After cleaning the kitchen, I will check at least one thing off my to-do list”
“After I get dressed (before getting started with work or leaving for the day), I will do one thing that brings me joy” (reading a chapter of a book, working on a craft, etc.).
“After putting on my shoes, I will put on a playlist or podcast to help set intentions for the day.”
“On my morning commute (After I pass a specific landmark), I will call a family member or friend” (work and life can consume us, checking in with our loved ones is important).
Let us know how you incorporate these habits into your routine! Message or tag us on Instagram or TikTok
Incorporating new habits into a routine can be challenging. Any addition or positive change no matter how small is a WIN and can snowball into much bigger long-term goals. We highly recommend reading Tiny Habits or exploring our habit coaching options to further your habit-building. Having someone to hold you accountable or just to celebrate those small wins with can make a world of difference. The real-human buddies at Shelpful help their members with sticking to their daily goals with reminders and celebrations!
