My Morning Routine

How Successful People Start Every Day Inspired

By: Benjamin Spall, Michael Xander

Narrated by: Will Damron, Kaleo Griffith, Dominic Hoffman, Hillary Huber, Sumalee Montano, Arthur Morey, Fred Sanders, Karissa Vacker

"The first few choices you make each morning determine whether you'll be productive and mindful all day, or whether the world will clobber you over the head."

Marie Kondo performs a quick tidying ritual to quiet her mind before leaving the house. The president of Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios, Ed Catmull, mixes three shots of espresso with three scoops of cocoa powder and two sweeteners. Fitness expert Jillian Michaels doesn't set an alarm, because her five-year-old jolts her from sleep by jumping into bed for a cuddle every morning.

Part instruction manual, part someone else's diary, the authors of My Morning Routine interviewed
sixty-four of today's most successful people--including three-time Olympic gold medalist Rebecca Soni, Twitter cofounder Biz Stone, and General Stanley McChrystal--and offer advice on creating a routine of your own.

Some routines are all about early morning exercise and spartan living; others are more leisurely and self-indulgent. What they have in common is they don't feel like a chore. Once you land on the right routine, you'll look forward to waking up.

This comprehensive guide will show you how to get into a routine that works for you so that you can develop the habits that move you forward. Just as a Jenga stack is only as sturdy as its foundational blocks, the choices we make throughout our day depend on the intentions we set in the morning. Like it or not, our morning habits form the stack that our whole day is built on.

Whether you want to boost your productivity, implement a workout or meditation routine, or just learn to roll with the punches in the morning, this book has you covered.

Read by Will Damron, Kaleo Griffith, Dominic Hoffman, Hillary Huber, Sumalee Montano, Arthur Morey, Fred Sanders, and Karissa Vacker

Critic reviews

“After a productive morning where I accomplish my big things, the rest of the day can be played by ear. It’s all extra from there.”
–Ryan Holiday, author of The Obstacle Is the Way

“A big part of my morning routine is about what I don’t do: when I wake up, I don’t look at my phone.”
–Arianna Huffington

“The quiet time between 6:00-7:30 AM is when some of my best work gets done. It’s my time to read, think, and prepare for the day ahead.”
–Bill McNabb, chairman of The Vanguard Group

“If I don’t get a chance to play with my son in the morning I feel like I missed something that I’ll never get back.”
–Biz Stone, co-founder of Twitter

“I travel a lot for work, so my days are always different. Having a morning routine really means fitting things in around everything else.”
–Cameron Russell, fashion model and cultural activist

“Find certain things you know you should do, don’t like to do, or make excuses to avoid, and then do them every day.”
–General Stanley McChrystal, author of Team of Teams; retired U.S. Army General

Inspiring

I have listened to this book several times and whenever I need inspiration this is always my go to. Truly a wonderful read with interesting stories.

Need a Routine?

I just retired and no longer having to get ready for work, where the last year (COVID Year 1) work weeks were 55-60 hours, I lost my routine.

This book has helped me define a new one and I have stopped feeling like a slug and am doing things I hadn’t made time for previously, which bring me joy today. I found the first chapters, the conclusion, and the stats most helpful. (The parenting portion does not apply anymore, so I skipped it.).

Planning the night before is the way to go, but hours before bed so your mind isn’t reviewing what you just planned while you’re under the sheets.

Such stories were helpful. If I were to recommend any ideas to the authors it would be to include a few people who don’t drink smoothies or eat kale and spinach tofu wraps with a homemade fresh organic balsamic vinegar (just an example) and avocado for lunch. (Unless that’s the target audience).

I imagine there were many interviewed who did not make it into the book. Almost all of the contributors practiced a zen/yoga focused meditation. One or two practitioners of Judaism/Christianity would also be useful. (To be fair I did not listen to each story).

But yes, if you’ve had a big life change, or struggle with attention distractions, then creating a routine will benefit you, and this book definitely helped me. It sparked enthusiasm in me.

I recommend it.

Thanks,

Enjoyable but somewhat one noted

I enjoyed this and would recommend it but be aware that a lot of the interviews are similar and it felt like a lot of the people worked for themselves so they have a lot more freedom in their morning. Despite not being a parent I felt I related more with their more hectic mornings.

Interesting Insights

the book is definitely worth visiting but I felt as though it was lacking. i had hoped there would be more science and deeper insights. this is literally just interviews with people regarding what they do in the morning. its interesting as a general census but does little to help you construct ideas and decisions on formulating your own morning routine.

Realistic for Real People?

This book made me wonder if it was realistic for working professionals. It was great to hear the morning routine of so many people and I am finally at the point where my "dictators" don't require as much attention, but in order for me to add any more to my own morning routine besides meditation and journaling, my wake up time would be before 5 AM. I believe this book shows the ppwer of routine, but I feel like people working jobs that are still measured by time versus competency don't have flexibility to rise at 8-8:30 AM.