What is a Morning Ritual and Why Should You Create One?

You probably have several rituals in your life. You go to bed at the same time every night. You drive the same way to work each morning, take the same route home every evening, and unconsciously reach for the remote as you fall onto your sofa at the end of your workday.

Perhaps your morning ritual is 1) turn off alarm clock, 2) put on the coffee, 3) hit the shower, 4) start your day. Regarding the word ritual, the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as …

“noun – always done in a particular situation and in the same way each time”

It is important to create a morning ritual because of the way your brain is hardwired. The human brain loves standard operating procedures and reliable routine. Those people who map out their lives with rituals and schedules tend to be healthier, they get more done, and enjoy less stress. You can do the same thing by creating your own morning ritual.

Upon rising, your brain is fresh, recharged and ready for input. When you begin each day with the exact same routine, your mind understands that this is the start of your day. When you simply approach each morning with a “whatever happens” attitude, you give your brain no signal that a particular, recurring response is required. This means that your daily performance can be all over the road.

Because of this, some mornings you are productive, some mornings you are not, and you can’t count on any reliable productivity or efficiency tackling your personal and work responsibilities. You can fight this inconsistency by having the first 1 or 2 hours of your day vary as little as possible. Do the same things, in the same order, and in the same amount of time, over and over, until these actions become unconscious habits.

The human brain craves order. It loves routine. If the first thing you do each and every morning is meditate for 10 minutes, your brain eventually understands what is coming next. If that activity, that part of your ritual, follows meditation with a morning shower and then dressing for the day, each of these habits stack upon each other for predictable results.

There is significant research which shows when you have a repeatable morning routine, you experience less stress throughout the day. Stress is a productivity and efficiency killer. It also creates mental and physical health concerns. Minimize distraction, create your own personal morning ritual, and you will find this simple, orderly routine can positively impact every aspect of your life.