My Morning Routine

My Morning Routine Plot Summary

Introduction

Have you ever found yourself rushing through the morning chaos, barely awake, gulping down coffee while frantically searching for your keys? That frenzied start—a blur of notifications, spilled cereal, and mounting stress—sets the tone for your entire day. Meanwhile, you can't help but wonder how certain people consistently appear so composed, productive, and fulfilled. What morning magic are they practicing that you're missing? The truth is, those remarkable individuals rarely leave their mornings to chance. Through intimate conversations with hundreds of successful people—from Olympic athletes and Fortune 500 executives to renowned artists and military leaders—this book reveals that how you spend your first waking hours has an outsized impact on everything that follows. You'll discover that good mornings don't happen accidentally; they're intentionally designed. Whether you're naturally an early riser or more of a night owl, whether you're a busy parent or a solo entrepreneur, you'll find practical wisdom here for crafting morning hours that serve as a foundation for the life you want. These pages offer a rare glimpse into the private rituals that fuel extraordinary lives—not to prescribe a one-size-fits-all formula, but to inspire you to experiment until you discover what works uniquely for you.

Chapter 1: From Chaos to Calm: Transforming Mornings with Intention

General Stanley McChrystal, the retired four-star U.S. Army general, rises at 4:00 AM every morning—a habit he's maintained for decades, even when deployed in war zones. "I wake up about 4:00 and I get out of bed, shave, and then I work out for about an hour and a half," he explains. This wasn't always easy, particularly during his deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. There, his routine had to be split in two parts—an hour run in the morning, followed by thirty-four minutes on a cross trainer before bed. The schedule was further complicated by the night operations, which meant going to bed at 6:00 AM as daylight broke, sleeping until 10:00 AM, and then starting his workout. What's remarkable about McChrystal's approach isn't just the early hour or the discipline, but how he's engineered his environment to make his routine almost inevitable. "I am a pretty organized person," he says. "I set my life up whereby I can get up in the morning and I can walk into the bathroom off our bedroom, and it's all set up with my running clothes; I've got a little shelf for my running shoes, and I have exactly what I know I'm going to need." This careful preparation eliminates decision fatigue and resistance. As he puts it: "If you make it hard to work out, you won't do it. You have to follow the path of least resistance and make it easier to do it than not do it." The general's dedication extends beyond convenience—it's about creating stability in an unpredictable world. Even when traveling, even when jet-lagged, he maintains his routine. "I travel an awful lot," he acknowledges. "Sometimes I'll get into my location at midnight, or even later. That affects me, but I tend to stick with my routine anyway. I just sleep less on those days, because I've found that as closely as I can stick to the basic things in my morning routine, the better it is for me." This approach to mornings isn't just about physical fitness—it's about mental preparation. McChrystal has discovered that when he doesn't follow his morning routine, his mood suffers, and he finds himself constantly checking the clock, wondering when he can work out. "My body expects to do certain things at certain times," he explains, "and I find if I don't do them I just don't feel physically right." What can we learn from McChrystal's disciplined approach? The power of preparation and consistency. By setting up your environment the night before and creating a clear path of least resistance, you make it dramatically easier to follow through on your intentions. Your morning routine becomes not just something you try to do, but something that feels strange not to do—a natural extension of who you are and how you operate in the world.

Chapter 2: The Power of Consistency: How Habits Shape Success

Ryan Holiday, bestselling author of "The Obstacle Is the Way," has a morning philosophy that's both simple and profound: "If you want to be more productive, get up early." Holiday rises around 8:00 AM and follows one essential rule: "Do one thing in the morning before checking email." That "one thing" is usually writing—the creative work that matters most to him. For one to two hours, he sits in his office/library and writes before the day's demands begin cascading in. "The way I see it," Holiday explains, "after a productive morning in which I accomplish my big things, the rest of the day can be played by ear. It's all extra from there." This approach creates a psychological win first thing in the day, establishing momentum that carries through everything that follows. The morning becomes a protected space for his most important creative work, free from the reactive mode that email and other communications inevitably trigger. What makes Holiday's routine particularly instructive is how it has evolved over time. "Routines are an iterative process," he notes. "You add and adapt them over time." When he and his wife became parents, he expected major disruptions but found ways to maintain the essence of his practice. "I take the baby for an hour in the morning to let my wife catch up on sleep," he shares. "He sits in my lap while I write in my journal. I'll hold him while I go let the chickens out. Sometimes I will read to him. It's just a nice, slow, and peaceful addition to the routine." Perhaps the most significant evolution in Holiday's practice came with his "no email in the mornings" rule. "It means I'm not starting the morning behind the ball," he explains. "Instead, I start with wins." This boundary creates the mental space necessary for deep work. "The last thing you want when you're writing is the specter of 46 UNREAD EMAILS looming over you. That doesn't lend itself well to existing in the moment." Holiday's approach demonstrates that consistency doesn't mean rigidity. The core principle—protecting morning hours for your most important work—remains constant, while the specific implementation adapts to life's changing circumstances. Whether you're writing a book, building a business, or raising a family, this flexible consistency creates a foundation for long-term success. The key insight here is about prioritization and boundaries. By deciding in advance what deserves your freshest mental energy and creating rules to protect that time, you ensure that what matters most actually gets done. In a world that constantly pulls us toward distraction and reaction, this intentional approach to mornings becomes not just productive but revolutionary.

Chapter 3: Family, Flexibility, and Finding Your Own Rhythm

Biz Stone, co-founder of Twitter and Medium, has a morning routine centered entirely around his son. "My five-year-old son, Jake, wakes me up at 6:30 or 7:00 A.M.," he shares. "The first thing I do is play with him." For years, their go-to activity has been Legos, though recently they've discovered they can play Minecraft together over their local area network. Stone cherishes this connection time before the workday begins. What's striking about Stone's routine is its simplicity and focus on relationship rather than productivity. After playing with his son for about an hour, he gets dressed—a process he's streamlined by adopting a personal uniform of jeans, a black T-shirt, and blue Converse shoes every day. His wife often makes a simple breakfast, and then Stone heads to work, dropping Jake off at school on the way. No elaborate workout regimen, no meditation practice—just pure presence with his child. "If I don't get a chance to play with my son in the morning," Stone admits, "I feel like I missed something that I'll never get back. It's such a joy to wake up and be in the mind-set of a five-year-old before transitioning into the role of 'executive.'" This sentiment captures something profound about mornings—they offer a unique opportunity to connect with what truly matters before the world's demands take over. Emily Schuman, founder of Cupcakes and Cashmere, has similarly adapted her routine around her daughter. "I used to be a lot more spontaneous with my mornings and less routine oriented," she explains. "But kids really thrive on routine (as do I, in fact), so it's been a nice change." Her mornings now revolve around quality time with her two-year-old—reading books while her daughter lies in her crib, preparing varied breakfasts, and playing pretend kitchen where they make "cookies," "pasta," and "soup" together. For parents, morning routines require flexibility and adaptation. As Bob Ferguson, Attorney General of Washington State, puts it: "I like to be the one to wake them in the morning. Katie gets right up with a smile on her face. Jack can be a little more of a project." Ferguson prioritizes this family time because he knows the rest of the day holds uncertainties. "It's easy for meetings to go late at work, or for other events to come up, and I'm not always guaranteed much time with them later in the day, so I like to lock in that morning time." The wisdom here is about finding your own rhythm and priorities. Your morning routine should reflect what you truly value, not what someone else thinks you should value. For some, like Stone and Schuman, that means prioritizing family connection. For others, it might mean creative work or physical health. The key is intentionality—choosing how to spend your first waking hours rather than letting them slip away unnoticed.

Chapter 4: Morning Movement: Energizing Body and Mind

Three-time Olympic gold medalist Rebecca Soni starts her day with movement. After waking around 5:30 AM and a brief meditation, she heads out for a workout—running, swimming, paddleboarding, or yoga. "It feels great to get everything moving before sitting down to work," she explains. This physical activation isn't just about fitness; it's about setting a tone of energy and accomplishment that carries through her entire day. What makes Soni's approach particularly effective is her preparation the night before. "I plan my day before going to bed," she says. "Being an entrepreneur working from home I have a lot of small decisions I need to make every day, so I've found this planning helps to avoid decision fatigue the following morning." If she has an early workout scheduled, she'll lay out her clothes the night before, removing any potential friction that might derail her morning plans. Kevin Cleary, CEO of Clif Bar & Company, takes a similarly strategic approach to morning movement. "My day starts anytime between 6:00 and 6:30 A.M., and it always begins with exercise," he shares. With three young boys at home, Cleary recognizes that mornings provide his best opportunity for consistent physical activity. "If I don't take advantage of the mornings, I don't know when I would find that time." What's particularly noteworthy about Cleary's routine is his systematic planning. "Every Sunday I sit down and plan out my workouts for the following week—what I'm going to do based on my schedule, work, and kids," he explains. This weekly planning allows him to manage expectations and adapt his workouts to life's changing demands. Some mornings he might ride his bike to work—a forty-five-mile round trip—while other days call for different activities. For both Soni and Cleary, morning movement isn't just about physical health—it's about mental clarity and emotional well-being. As Sarah Kathleen Peck, writer and long-distance swimmer, puts it: "A ten-mile run in the summer followed by a cold shower is ten times as good as any cup of coffee." The physical exertion creates a natural high, a sense of accomplishment that transforms how you approach everything that follows. The essential insight here is that movement doesn't have to be complicated or time-consuming to be effective. Even a brief workout—ten minutes of yoga, a quick jog around the neighborhood, or a series of bodyweight exercises—can dramatically shift your energy and outlook. The key is consistency and preparation: making movement a non-negotiable part of your morning and removing any obstacles that might stand in your way.

Chapter 5: Mindfulness and Meditation: Building Focus for the Day

Ed Catmull, president of Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios, has made meditation a cornerstone of his morning routine. "I meditate every day," he shares. "I haven't missed a day in years." For thirty to sixty minutes before his workout, Catmull practices Vipassana meditation, focusing on his breath. This isn't just a casual habit—it's a disciplined practice that has transformed how he approaches his work and life. "I have received a great deal of benefit from the simple yet difficult practice of learning to stop the internal voice in my head," Catmull explains. "I learned that that voice isn't me, and I don't need to keep rethinking events of the past, nor overthink plans for the future." This mental clarity has practical benefits beyond personal well-being. "This skill has helped me both to focus and to pause before responding to unexpected events." For Darya Rose, a neuroscience PhD and author, meditation provides similar benefits. "I find that meditation is the main, key habit for my having a good life," she says. "That sounds dramatic, but I absolutely mean it." Rose meditates for thirty minutes after breakfast, before checking email. She's noticed that when she checks email before meditating, it's far harder to focus. "When you meditate you try to focus on one simple thing, like your breath. When other thoughts come in you just acknowledge them and let them go. I noticed that if I had checked email before meditating it was far harder to focus on my breath, with most of my intruding thoughts coming from obligations that I had seen in my inbox." This observation highlights a crucial insight about the relationship between meditation and attention. By starting the day with a clear mind rather than a reactive one, Rose sets herself up for greater focus and intentionality. "Mornings prime your brain for how it will function the rest of the day," she explains. "Are you going to be distracted and bounce around from project to project? Or are you going to be focused and choose your activities consciously and with intention?" Not all meditation practices look the same. Susan Piver, meditation teacher and author, describes her approach: "I practice Shamatha-Vipashyana or mindfulness-awareness practice." Others, like artist Elle Luna, find meditative qualities in creative activities: "My whole morning feels like a meditation. I try to be present to each aspect of my morning routine." The common thread is intentional presence—creating space to be fully aware before the day's demands take over. Even a few minutes of mindful breathing or quiet reflection can create a buffer between sleep and activity, allowing you to approach your day with greater clarity and purpose. As Michael Acton Smith, CEO of Calm, puts it: "I think it's important to let the mind keep wandering and daydreaming first thing in the morning before it gets sucked into the dopamine-frazzled craziness of the online world."

Chapter 6: The Night Before: How Evening Routines Set the Stage

Jenny Blake, author and speaker, understands that a successful morning actually begins the evening before. "I start to wind down for the evening as soon as I leave the house in the afternoon for yoga or a walk with a friend," she explains. "That means I don't respond to email (unless I feel like it or there's something particularly pressing), and I don't put pressure on myself to check it at all after 5:00 P.M." Blake's evening wind-down is deliberate and structured. She has dinner around 6:00 or 7:00, watches a show, reads a little, then goes to sleep. As she lays her head on the pillow, she works through a set of "wind-down" questions: What was my highlight of the day? My low? What is one thing I'm proud of or want to celebrate? What am I grateful for? What is one unanswered question I'm facing? This reflective practice helps clear her mind and often helps her fall right asleep. What's particularly striking about Blake's approach is how she prioritizes her mornings over late nights. "If left to my own devices, I love going to bed as early as 8:30 P.M., which most of my friends make fun of me for," she admits. "I look forward to quiet mornings so much, before the rest of the world is awake, that I really prioritize what time I go to sleep. I don't have FOMO (fear of missing out) for nighttime parties, I have it for the glorious mornings I might miss out on if I stay up too late." Nir Eyal, behavioral designer and author of "Hooked," takes a more technological approach to evening boundaries. "My internet shuts off around 10:00 P.M.," he explains. "I have a router that specifically shuts off the internet connection to many of my devices, and then I'm sleeping by around 11:00." This automated cutoff helps ensure he doesn't get caught in the late-night scroll that can eat away at precious sleep time. For many, cleaning up before bed is an essential part of preparing for a smooth morning. James Freeman, founder of Blue Bottle Coffee, notes: "The kitchen is always cleaned and the house tidied before we go to bed. It's hard to fit it in but it's gratifying to wake up to a peaceful environment." This simple act eliminates the friction of starting the day in chaos. David Kadavy, author and podcast host, has found that his evening routine directly impacts his creative capacity the next morning. "The more I wind down the night before, the better my brain works in the morning," he shares. His wind-down includes turning off screens or putting on blue-light blocking goggles by 10:00 PM, avoiding social media, and allowing himself to feel sleepy before attempting to sleep. "I've found that if I try to close my eyes before my eyelids get heavy, I have a hard time sleeping." The essential insight here is that your evening routine creates the conditions for your morning success. By deliberately winding down—whether through reflection, tidying up, or digital boundaries—you're setting the stage for waking up refreshed and ready to engage with your morning intentions. Rather than seeing evening and morning as separate domains, consider them as two parts of a continuous cycle, each influencing the other.

Chapter 7: Adapting and Thriving: Embracing Change and Imperfection

Leo Babauta, creator of Zen Habits, has moved away from rigid morning routines entirely. "I don't have a fixed routine anymore," he explains. "Lately I've just been trying to make sure that my mornings are 1) intentional, 2) focused on important work, and 3) flexible." While meditation, coffee, and writing remain constants, Babauta allows his mornings to evolve naturally rather than forcing them into a predetermined structure. "I used to be much more rigid with my morning routine, and much more focused on productivity," he reflects. "Now I'm more focused on mindfulness and not being rigid. Every day is different, and I try not to be bothered by that." This approach doesn't mean abandoning intention—it means holding that intention lightly, allowing it to adapt to changing circumstances. Ana Marie Cox, political columnist and culture critic, brings a similar perspective, particularly for those struggling with mental health challenges. "When I read other people's routines in this kind of roundup, I always compare them to mine, and always find my own discipline lacking," she admits. "I'd like anyone reading this to know these things are always aspirational! I've battled depression from time to time, and in those periods, I've needed to remind myself that simply getting out of bed can be a victory." Cox's morning begins with prayer and setting an intention for the day, followed by meditation and journaling if time allows. She makes a point to read something not on a screen for twenty to thirty minutes while enjoying her coffee. But when life intervenes—as it inevitably does—she practices self-compassion rather than self-criticism. "When you come up with a morning routine," she advises, "understand that you're undertaking it in order to do something good for yourself, not to meet some stranger's standard of productivity." Singer-songwriter Sonia Rao demonstrates how routines can evolve through different life phases. "I keep changing it up, playing with different routines to see what feels best," she shares. Her current routine includes meditation, free-writing, vocal warm-ups, and violin practice—but she knows this will shift when she goes on tour. "When I'm on tour for the next couple months, I'll be moving between thirty-four cities and I want to feel steady somehow. I will definitely write and meditate each morning; besides these two things, though, I'll leave the rest unscheduled." The common wisdom across these adaptable approaches is the balance between structure and flexibility. As endurance athlete Terri Schneider puts it: "There is enormous power in nailing your morning routine, but there's even more power in adapting to it when it doesn't happen as we'd like. Routine aids us in being our most productive, but change helps us expand our comfort zone. Both are positive." Rather than seeing disruptions as failures, these individuals recognize them as opportunities for growth and recalibration. The goal isn't perfection but presence—showing up for yourself in whatever way the day allows, maintaining core practices when possible, and extending grace when circumstances demand adaptation.

Summary

The true power of a morning routine lies not in rigidly following someone else's formula, but in discovering what energizes and centers you personally. Whether it's General McChrystal's predawn workout, Biz Stone's playful connection with his son, or Ed Catmull's meditation practice, the most effective routines reflect individual values and circumstances while creating space for what matters most. Start small—experiment with just one new element at a time. Prepare the night before to remove friction from your morning intentions. Protect your first waking hour from digital intrusions that trigger reactivity rather than intentionality. And perhaps most importantly, approach your routine with flexibility and self-compassion, recognizing that adaptation is not failure but wisdom. Your morning routine should serve you, not the other way around. By creating consistent beginnings that align with your deepest values, you'll find that your days unfold with greater purpose, energy, and joy—regardless of what challenges they may bring.

About Author

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Benjamin Spall

BENJAMIN SPALL is the founding editor of the online magazine My Morning Routine. He has written on the topic for outlets including the New York Times, the New York Observer, Quartz, Entrepreneur, Business Insider, and more.

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