Morning routine

12 morning and evening routines that will set up each day for successPlus, the difference between habits, routines, and rituals.

For the third time this week, you hit snooze one too many times, so now you only have 20 minutes to shower, eat, let the dog out, and be camera ready for back-to-back Zoom meetings. The day's barely begun, and you're already feeling discombobulated and overwhelmed. Long before the week is over, you're burned out, and you know you won't finish everything on this week's task list.

How do you get out of this miserable rut? One word: Routines.

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Morning and evening routines prime you for success. They help you achieve more, think clearly, and do work that actually matters. They keep you from stumbling through your day and make sure you get the most important things done.

All it takes is a bit of discipline, along with routines that will set you up for success. Here are the what and why of routines, along with 12 morning and evening routines you can implement to create more productive days.

The science of habits and creating routines

6 morning routines to kickstart the day

6 evening routines that set the tone for the next day

The science of habits and creating routines

First, let's define what routine means: a routine is a sequence of actions that you do repeatedly.

Brushing your teeth nightly and getting ready for bed is a routine. Waking up at 6 a.m. and exercising every morning is a routine. Purchasing a bagel and reading the news before you head to work every morning is a routine. Even eating chips while watching Netflix is a routine. They're all actions that happen again and again—a rhythm in your daily life.

That doesn't make them all good routines. They're simply routines by virtue of being done regularly. Helpful or not, every routine is powerful.