Change Your Life? Change Your Morning Routine

Starting with brushing his teeth before 4am, influencer Ashton Hall also swims, meditates, journals, rubs his face with banana peel and submerges it in ice water, lifts weights, and much more before breakfast around 9:30. A video of his morning routine has racked up millions of views on social media, reports the AP, sparking reactions from disbelief to awe. It also jumpstarted the conversation about how best to start the day. You don't need to start your day with dozens of activities, says Kamalyn Kaur, a psychotherapist in Cheshire, England. But it's a good idea to set up a relaxed, structured morning. "It just sets the tone for the rest of your day," says Kaur.

• The case for a morning routine: Professor of workplace psychology at the University of Oklahoma Shawn McClean says accomplishing tasks in the same order every morning is helpful because people have limited mental bandwidth before they have to recharge. "We're cognitive misers," McClean says. "We don't like to use our mental energy on things that aren't important." His research has found that employees perform better and are more calm when they complete their morning regimen uninterrupted. "When it comes to routine disruptions, it throws off your whole day," he says.
• What's a 'good' routine? Most people already have some kind of routine, but few consciously decided on it before it became habit. "It's going to be idiosyncratic to each person," McLean says. "It's what helps them function. Now, can we have destructive routines? Yes." Rushing to shower, eat, and get out the door is a destructive morning routine, Kaur says. The stress of a rushed morning produces extra cortisol, which is a necessary hormone that helps regulate the circadian rhythm.

• Where to start? People with hectic mornings should set their alarm 30 minutes earlier—and not hit snooze, which Kaur says disrupts sleep. Kaur recommends adding a few quick activities that improve mood—starting with making your bed. Research shows that clutter foments anxiety, and completing a task first thing promotes dopamine. Have a glass of water. Expose yourself to natural light, preferably by taking a quick walk.

"These habits are important," Kaur says. "It gives you the optimum chance and ... conditions to function better throughout the rest of your day." (More morning stories.)