Morning routines never worked for me until I did THIS

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The older I get, the more I am convinced that waking up early is the biggest life hack there is.

Your morning sets the tone for your entire day.

Win your morning, and you win your day.

But traditional morning routines never worked for me. But you know what does?

Preparing the day before.

Over 5+ years as founder, I collected 6 protocols to do before your morning to win your day.

Steal them.

But before that

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Here are the 6 protocols to do before your morning to win your day.

1) Create a Morning Checklist

The productive morning's biggest enemy is decision fatigue.

When your brain doesn't have a clear agenda, it focuses on trivial decisions:

"What should I have for breakfast?"

"Which café should I work from?"

etc.

To avoid this, create a morning checklist.

Your checklist should include your non-negotiable morning habits. Keep it simple, actionable, and realistic.

Here's mine:

Having a clear plan reduces friction and sets you up for a productive day.

2) Prepare Your Laptop The Day Before

Your brain's sleep state is similar to a flow state. So, the faster you get to work after waking up, the faster you get into flow

It used to take me 10 minutes to get ready for deep work:

• Opening all resources

• Starting my laptop

• Getting pen and paper

Now, instead, I prep everything the day before:

• I open all necessary tabs on my computer

• Put a glass of water on the table

• Activate website blocker

...so I can dive right into flow after waking up.

3) Practice Knowledge Priming

Your brain solves problems even while you sleep. This sounds a bit woo-woo, but try it for yourself:

• Write three questions about your main challenge for the next day

• Place them where you'll see them first thing (bathroom mirror, coffee machine)

• Your subconscious will process these questions while you sleep

• By morning, you'll have insights and ideas ready to go

Try it - it just clicks.

4) Create Micro-Challenges

Small wins in the morning build momentum for the rest of your day.

Create micro-challenges for yourself to get a head start on the day. Do one small thing that feels difficult to you, whether that is to:

a) Take a cold shower

b) Do 10 pushups before your morning coffee

This works because each micro-challenge you overcome gives you a sense of energy.

You bring that energy into your big tasks for the day.

5) Practice Forest Bathing (Shinrin-yoku)

Nature is your greatest mentor.

Shinrin-yoku is the Japanese ritual of "forest bathing". The intent is to immerse yourself in nature using all senses.

Spending time in nature, even just a few minutes can work wonders for your mental clarity and focus.

If you can, finish or start your day with a forest walk.

6) Plan Your Morning the Night Before

Eliminate friction to take massive action.

Set yourself up for massive action by planning ahead the evening prior.

Having a set plan for your morning:

Reduces anxiety and mental friction

Enables higher-quality sleep

Minimizes the gap between waking up and being productive

Your brain is fried by 10 pm. Instead of forcing more work, use that time to lay out your morning.

• Choose your outfit and lay it out

• Decide on your breakfast and prep any ingredients

• Make a to-do list outlining a few key priorities

A little planning goes a long way.

That's all!

I hope these protocols help you.

Stay Elevated

Elevated Path