Realistic Morning Routines: No 4 AM Wake-Up Required
Viral Morning Routine: Is It Realistic?
Recently, the ‘wild’ morning routine presented in the short clip by Ashton Hall has taken the internet by storm. A repost by an X account of one of Ashton’s clips has reached more than 700 million views. While ‘the morning routine’ type of content has existed for a long time now, this particular morning routine video has blown up on the internet and a lot of people have been speaking about it (even the content creators I wouldn’t expect would react).
What was so ‘wild’ about that specific morning routine clip, and why has it gathered such attention? I believe that this clip has gained popularity due to the routine being quite far from realistic. Usually, a workday lasts from 9-5, so waking up between 3-4 a.m. is unrealistic for most individuals. In most cases, the sun isn’t even up at that hour.
People created clips of doing a similar routine to Ashton’s, seemingly mocking him for having an extreme morning schedule. The virality of the clip is the representation of it being far from what would be considered a usual morning routine.
The Appeal of Early Morning Routine
I get the appeal, you feel more productive if you wake up earlier and start your daily rituals. Waking up early (or in some cases in the middle of the night) is not indicative of productivity. Some people are more productive in the morning, while others do their best work at night.
For those that feel more productive at night, they might stay up later and then continue to have 6-8 hours of sleep. This would mean that their morning starts later – and they can still have a morning routine get a job done and be productive.
Everyone has different schedules based on their commute to work, family obligations, and others. And everyone has their own preferences when it comes to what works best for them. Waking up at 4 a.m. to start your day isn’t indicative of your future success – but how you structure your day is.
In this blog post, I will discuss why morning routines matter, and how to optimize them to work best for you and your life.
Why Morning Routines Matter (But Don’t Have to Be Extreme)
Our body tends to maintain balance, a state known as homeostasis. Waking up at roughly the same time each morning, going to bed at a consistent hour each night, and having two to three proper meals around the same time every day – these simple habits work best for our body because they teach it when to prepare for each activity.
Habits and routines don’t only serve us to be consistent but help our bodies maintain the balance they need to be healthy. Having a clear structure reduces the stress your body would experience if the mornings were to be chaotic and unpredictable. Don’t get me wrong, there are things we can’t control and unpredictable scenarios can occur anytime. But for the most part, we can control when we wake up and how we start our morning.
The way we start our morning not only sets the tone for the day but can also influence the quality of our sleep at night. Exposure to the sun in the morning helps trigger the production of melatonin, the hormone that prepares our body for sleep. Since melatonin takes time to build up, getting sunlight early helps ensure it’s ready by bedtime.
The morning routine sustains the balance in our body and helps us build healthy habits. I believe that you don’t have to follow a set ‘formula’ for the morning routine, but rather structure it the way that would feel the best for you and align with your lifestyle.
How to Build Your Morning Routine
Let’s put it this way, you have seen many morning routine videos on the internet and would like to try to build your own. You can always try to replicate what you saw, but my advice is not to copy-paste the entire routine from someone else, ‘cause it may not work for you.
Try many things if needed, and see what feels the best. Morning routine shouldn’t feel like an obligation or a job, it’s part of the day when you can reduce stress, get energy for the day, relax, and enjoy simple habits.
The best way to build your morning routine is to:
- Organize your sleep schedule based on your work hours and free time.
- Then, calculate how many hours of sleep would be best for you to feel rested and energized.
- Think about the time you need to get ready for work and commute.
Once you calculate everything, you can have a set schedule for the morning routine.
The 3-Part Formula for a Realistic Morning Routine
To give you some idea of what you can include in your morning routine, you can choose one or more habits from each bracket.
- 🧘♂️ Mind: journaling, reading, no phone time, meditation
- 💪 Body: stretch, light workout, hydration, walk
- ✅ Day Prep: review to-dos, plan priorities, pack lunch, etc.
Things to keep in mind:
- Morning routines can be short, even a 10-minute routine can be powerful.
- Be flexible—your routine can evolve.
- Something may sound like you would enjoy it, but it doesn’t work personally for you. It’s okay to try and not like it, and instead do something different.
Common Mistakes People Make
While the morning routine can look different from person to person, there are some mistakes that each of us can make when structuring our routines.
- Trying to copy someone else’s lifestyle – What works for someone else, might not work for you. Our bodies and our lifestyles can differ, and thus someone’s habits and rituals might not fit with your work schedule and family obligations. And, you may just not like it. Trying to balance health and liking is the best combination for consistency. Don’t try to do something just because it’s healthy or better, do it because it’s good for you and because you enjoy it.
- Thinking “more = better” instead of “what’s right for me?” – Your morning routine doesn’t have to involve dozens of steps – the point is to wake up, clear your mind, and prepare for the day, not exhaust yourself. Discover the steps that make you feel good – that way you can ensure that you’ll build morning habits and stay consistent.
- Skipping mornings altogether – This could indicate two things, either sleeping until noon or jumping straight into work without taking any time for yourself. Maybe your working schedule forces you to stay up longer into the night, so mornings just don’t exist for you in the traditional sense. While this may not be healthy, try to balance it and work around it. And if you’re skipping morning because you’re jumping straight into work, consider having a cup of coffee and/or breakfast without any distractions – anything that wouldn’t take more than 30 minutes. Take some time for yourself.
Final Thoughts
Morning routines we see on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, etc. should serve as an example of what a morning routine can look like and give us ideas of what we can incorporate into our mornings. What works for others might not work for us!
Healthy habits aren’t easy to maintain. It’s easy to fall back into our old unproductive habits. For such reasons, it’s important to enjoy those healthy habits that can form your routine and make you more productive and mindful.
Just start. Try changing your routine until you’re fully enjoying it and seeing positive results. The change takes time.