6 Extremely Unconventional Morning Routines You Can Start Using Today
What we all have to learn from the people taking different paths
I was in eighth grade when I first discovered self-help, and along with that, the talk of morning routines and living your life to the fullest each and every day. The first book that led me on this journey was The Four Hour Work Week, which, while an incredibly inspiring read, led me to believe that I was already doing life completely wrong and needed to get on it.
“Smile in the mirror. Do that every morning and you’ll start to see a big difference in your life.” — Yoko Ono
This led me to a several year long journey of trying to find the ideal morning routine. I remember the first time I woke up at 5am on purpose and set into action the Miracle Morning, made famous by Hal Elrod. It was pretty great. But I was also exhausted, and felt like I could have done way more than I did.
It was this, along with more and more discovery and personal development in the sphere of morning routines and starting the days off well that have led me to a few key realizations about morning routines and the popular literature on them.
1. There’s no perfect morning routine
There’s no perfect way to do it. Also, in addition to this, you’re never going to have time for every successful person’s morning routine. You don’t have time to meditate for an hour, workout for two like Jocko Willink, walk on the treadmill for an hour like Bill Gates, write for an hour, journal, read for an hour and a half, and get an hour of work done in your morning routine while still actually having time to do your life.
2. Your morning routine is meant to be a part of your life, not preparation for it
Just about every self-development writer, myself included, writes about morning routines as if they’re this seaparate and apart of your day and are meant to be treated as such. I’ve even found myself using language like “I finish my morning routine, and then I’m able to get started on my day.”
“Days are expensive. When you spend a day you have one less day to spend. So make sure you spend each one wisely.” — Jim Rohn
These unconventional morning routines I’ve listed below don’t fall into this. These people and their routines that very much work for them are not meant to be separate from their life. Instead, they wake up and start living.
These routines aren’t meant to be something you copy word for word and second for second, but they can be studied for the way in which they launch their user into their big beautiful life and don’t create an unnecessary barrier between some illusive morning routine and the start of the day.
1 — Mark Sisson’s intentionally slow morning
Mark Sisson, author and blogger on fitness, as well as a pretty impressive athlete, has a very slow morning routine — on purpose. His morning routine involves a pretty epic waking up process that slowly warms him up according to his circadian rhythm, as well as reading the news and doing crossword puzzles. (You can read more about the bed that he uses and the intricate details of his routine here.)
“Pursue new challenges, such as music, language, hobbies, or adventures that stimulate your brain and allow you to depart from your daily routine. This will keep you refreshed and energized for your core daily responsibilities and economic contribution.”― Mark Sisson
I love this morning routine and how it’s different from most mogul’s start to the day. He’s in no rush to get anywhere or do anything, and is fine with slowing down everyday. Also, on his off days, he’ll play ultimate frisbee among other workouts, and spend some time in a pool as a part of his health restoration. He’s also been known to do some work, workout, and then return to the work.
2 — Mark Cuban’s ‘business meditation’
Cuban would rather get up and work than get up and do anything else. He’s someone who is a fan of email first. He’s totally fine with loading himself with all the demands of the day right after waking up. He addresses issues first thing — and work is his first thing. This is certainly unconventional, especially amongst all of the advice to “do what you want first”, and “give yourself time for you.”
“What I’ve learned in these 11 years is you just got to stay focused and believe in yourself and trust your own ability and judgment.” — Mark Cuban
Cuban’s idea of this is to do what he wants first thing, which is to work. He has the type of brain and body that is energized and fulfilled by work first thing in the morning, and so that’s what he’s chosen for himself. I think this is a unique insight into what life can be like if you absolutely love with you’re doing and are able to get things like working out and family time in later in the day. He knows he can start work first and get to the other typical “morning routine activities” later, and enjoys doing it that way.
3 — Oprah’s spiritual exercises
After taking her dogs out in the morning, Oprah proceeds to do some of her spiritual exercises. This includes reading up on the Sufi’s religious teachings, reading a book, and meditation. While meditation is a common morning habit taught by the masses, I appreciate that Oprah spends much more time on this than most people. She also often spends time outside, soaking in nature quietly. Stanford News also reports that she finds a spiritual practice to be at the base of a life with meaning. She said the following in an interview with them:
“I’m not telling you what to believe, or who to believe, or what to call it, but there is no full life, no fulfilled, meaningful, sustainably joyful life without a connection to the spirit.” — Oprah Winfrey
As a Christian and someone working in ministry, I couldn’t agree more. Being connected with the spiritual part of life not only gives it meaning, but it makes it fulfilling, worth it, and so much more. It brings every other piece of life together, and makes it all work in much more chaotic harmony that we can aim for in this life.
This is a rather unconventional morning routine in my opinion because she doesn’t simply recommend to meditate or to be grateful, she asks that you implement a full spiritual practice into her life. Rather than separating individual tasks of a morning routine, she gives it a direction, an overarching something that can permeate beautifully through the rest. And if it works for Oprah, I think it just might work for me…
4 — Howard Schultz’s walk with his dogs
Howard Schultz, former chairman CEO of the Starbucks Coffee Company, is a CEO with an interesting morning routine. According to CNBC, Schultz gets up at a stark 4:30 (yes, in the AM) and proceeds to walk his dogs around the neighborhood. This, already, is unusual in my opinion. It isn’t really a form of a serious workout, nor is it something that can contribute to productivity, but he has made it a practice for himself.
“Success is not sustainable if it is defined by how big you become or by growth for growth’s sake. Success is very shallow if it doesn’t have emotional meaning.” — Howard Schultz
He then also works out via a bike ride after walking his dogs, and when the sun is finally up, he moves on to breakfast and coffee. I appreciate this morning routine because of its two-fold physical movement, the time it gives to something he loves, his dogs, and the fact that he wakes up early to do it because it works better for him that way. He’s also not waking up to do a hard workout or write his novel — he just wants to walk his puppies in peace.
5 — Ed Catmull reads the news over breakfast
Reading the news is basically public enemy #1 when it comes to supposed “amazing morning routines”. After all, it’s all about reading up on what’s wrong with the world, setting yourself up with an negative attitude, and being stagnant as you read embellished and often unhappy tales of other people, many of whom you probably don’t know and will never meet.
“Failure isn’t a necessary evil. In fact, it isn’t evil at all. It is a necessary consequence of doing something new.”― Ed Catmull, Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration
However, I think Catmull sees it a different way. He sees it as reading up on people’s failures so that he can learn from them. He’s studying what he’s reading so that he is able to wisely take his next steps. According to CNBC, he reads The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and the San Francisco Chronicle. It’s also important to note that this is after drinking his coffee, reading from a few great writers and their works, and meditating.
6 — Shonda Rhimes’ staring out the window
One shift I’ve made in my own personal mindset regarding morning routines recently is that it isn’t meant to be a contest to see who can get the most work or self-development practices in before they enter the office. It’s about giving yourself space to reconnect, to balance, to prepare for the day that you have ahead in whatever way you see fit.
Shonda Rhimes, busy television producer and mother of three has figured out a pretty cool way to do it. She wakes up around 5:30, according to Balance the Grind, and is able to sit and be still before her children wake up. Sometimes this involves meditating, sometimes it involves writing, and sometimes it involves simply staring out the window.
“I am not lucky. You know what I am? I am smart, I am talented, I take advantage of the opportunities that come my way and I work really, really hard. Don’t call me lucky. Call me a badass.”― Shonda Rhimes, Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person
I think that this is a beautiful practice if quietness and stillness, a time where you can think and be and exist without the pressures of the world around you. I know that in the times I’ve practiced it it helps me, and sure does seem to be doing good things for Rhimes.
In the end, there’s no right answer.
Ok, I know — sounds like a cop-out. But actually, there is no correct morning routine. You can do whatever you want. Find what works for you. Do what makes your morning, your day, your life, feel the best. All in all, none of these are superior to any other morning routines, but they are a cool example of people who are going against conventional wisdom on morning routines and are still having remarkably happy and successful lives.
One final thing I’ve learned about morning routines through the studies of these individuals and others is that it doesn’t have to be as structured or complicated as some may make you think. Now, some people love a long, overly scheduled morning routine — but do whatever works for you. Be unconventional, do what you need to do, fight back against what people say is “the only way”. Who knows, you might just end up as the head of a company, a television producer, billionaire, or more.
