The title may seem ambitious, but as someone who smoked a pack a day for around 15 years, I’ve managed to go without smoking for 10 days. I’ve always been fascinated by habits, but I’ve never been able to maintain any of my “good” habits for long. This is because I chose difficult habits that were too challenging to fit into a busy day. Doing a habit for three hours every day and then working all day isn’t sustainable.
I used to dismiss atomic habits, thinking that small habits might stabilize life but wouldn’t contribute significantly to progress. For example, doing push-ups every day or reading 10 pages of a book wouldn’t have a massive impact, but they would restore one’s life balance. I tried atomic habits for a while, but something was missing: a morning routine. When I incorporated these habits into my morning routine, it became a keystone that made my day perfect. While these habits alone don’t cause significant changes, they trigger positive feelings and help me avoid bad habits and work more efficiently.
Based on the benefits I’ve experienced, I recommend defining morning habits that will increase your energy. But remember, I’m suggesting morning habits — energizing habits that will improve your day and trigger other positive actions. A good habit should have the following features:
Compensable: I use a “Don’t Break The Chain” Calendar, which is excellent for maintaining sustainability. However, when you skip a day, it’s possible to tear up the calendar. That’s why I suggest setting compensable habits. For instance, I didn’t add “don’t smoke” to my habits. Instead, I included the habit of “chew five nicotine gums.” If I skipped a day, I could save that day by using twice as much gum the next day.
Doable in all circumstances: I can be a strict thinker, but you can be flexible if it works for you. I want to continue my habits without skipping a day. Therefore, they should be possible everywhere — when I’m on vacation, staying at someone else’s house, or on a camping trip.
Day-saving: As I mentioned earlier, I had formed much tougher habits, like reading 50 pages a day or lifting weights for an hour, but they didn’t help me deal with the challenges of my day. Instead, they added new challenges. That’s why I’ve identified day-saving habits that I’ll explain to you shortly.
Easy: This is the most important feature of atomic habits. They’re easy to do, don’t take too long to start and finish, and aren’t too hard. This way, they become sustainable. It’s also important to choose activities that you find enjoyable.
Chained: The purpose of habits is to allow us to do things naturally, like breathing, without tiring our decision-making. However, if you have ten habits and don’t know which one to do first and which one later, you might feel overwhelmed. In my daily routine, which I’ll discuss shortly, each of my habits reminds and triggers the next one. This also helps me avoid having to think about the order.
Varied: I’m not easily satisfied, and even if I’m not doing much, it feels good to feel like I’ve accomplished something. For example, having only one item in my habits doesn’t make me feel like I’ve achieved anything. However, having ten small tasks gives me a sense of accomplishment and allows me to create momentum.
The habits listed below are my energy-boosting morning routine that helps me start the day right. By designing a similar routine for yourself, you can experience significant differences. Thanks to these habits, I quit smoking and tripled my productivity:
Drink 2 glasses of water on an empty stomach
Wash your face with cold water
Do 5 minutes of breathing exercises
Read a book for 30 minutes
Exercise with 200 reps of bodyweight
Take a cold shower
Have a clean and healthy breakfast
Brush your teeth
Consume 5 minutes of motivational content
Create a to-do list
Drink a total of 15 glasses of water a day