Morning Blend: Cook Up a Custom Productivity Morning Routine From These 50 Ingredients

Turning to a clean blank page in a notebook. The smell of a fresh coat of paint. Unlocking the door to your first apartment. Starting a new job. The first weekend of summer. Aren’t beginnings the best? The sense that anything is possible — that it’s all out there in front of you. What if you had a morning routine that would bring you one step closer to achieving your most important goals every single day? You can use the beginning of each new day to do just that. Use the morning to jumpstart new habits and new goals, whether they’re about your fitness, your finances or your family.

The secret is to create an effective morning routine — a series of small actions repeated consistently that build on progress day over day, and year over year — accruing value like compound interest in a bank account. A morning routine can be the catalyst for the formation of a cascade of life habits with the potential to generate massive change over time.

Below are 50 “ingredients” you can mix together to bake up your own perfect morning routine. Concentrate on just one area — productivity or finance — or combine items from several groups. The choice is yours.

For General Productivity

  • Identify your top 3 priorities for the day
  • Spend 5 minutes straightening your desk
  • Review your calendar/planner
  • Clean out your purse or briefcase
  • Make the bed
  • Reflect on your vision board, or add an item to it
  • Picture a perfect day 5 years from now
  • Visualize a highly productive day from start to finish
  • Back up your data (you’ll be glad someday)
  • Declutter one item from your home

For Financial Growth

  • Pack a lunch, snack or coffee and pocket the savings
  • Put some loose change in a savings jar
  • Review the status your weekly or monthly budget
  • Log yesterday’s receipts to track spending
  • Read a personal finance blog or article
  • Put one item in a yard sale box
  • Add a coupon to your file
  • Turn off the lights in any room not being used
  • Review upcoming bills — avoid fees & credit damage
  • Listen to an investment podcast

For Greater Serenity and Happiness

  • Meditate for 5 minutes
  • Play or cuddle with your pet
  • Spend time in nature
  • Watch the sunrise
  • Write down 3 things you’re grateful for today
  • Say a prayer
  • Listen to an uplifting song
  • Read a poem instead of news headlines
  • Laugh at a funny video or podcast
  • Note one personal accomplishment from yesterday

For Improved Health and Wellness

  • Enjoy a cup of green tea
  • Do some gentle stretching
  • Perform a few yoga poses
  • Check your sleep tracker app
  • Take a brisk walk
  • Drink a glass of water with lemon
  • Record your weight
  • Get in a quick 7-minute workout
  • Do some deep breathing exercises
  • Eat a piece of fruit

For Stronger Relationships

  • Put a note in your partner’s or child’s pocket or lunchbox
  • Send a quick text to connect with a friend
  • Thank someone for something
  • Say “I love you”
  • Pay a sincere compliment
  • Help someone with something
  • Take a morning walk together
  • Say hi to a neighbor
  • Write and send a (real) greeting card, letter or note
  • Schedule a virtual coffee or lunch date with a friend

Good morning!

Each New Day Brings a Fresh Start. Read more tips to help make each day a good one by downloading Branches Productivity, available as a free download for a limited time.