Creating a productive morning routine is critical to harnessing your first waking hour, living healthier and getting more done!

Up until I turned 40, I considered myself a night owl and figured I would be for life. As a young manager in my father’s dealership, I remember sitting at my kitchen table late at night writing radio ads and planning sales meetings, feeling focused and energized late into the evening. And since I needed to be at work early, I became a caffeine addict, downing multiple cups of high octane coffee during my morning commute to fight off the inevitable brain fog.

But as I grew older, I gradually changed into a morning person.

Although the transition wasn’t entirely intentional, over time, I began to realize that my health, productivity, and personal effectiveness rested partly on embracing the morning.

There’s plenty of research to support my morning migration: Early risers not only live longer than night owls, they earn more money, are more productive, and enjoy greater health and happiness.

If you’re interested and intentional about joining the growing ranks of morning people, here are five habits that helped me make the move:

• Drink a large glass (20 oz+) of water soon after waking up. Twenty years ago, after listening to a Tony Robbins audio series entitled “Living Health” that extolled the benefits of drinking pure water and eating water-rich foods (fruits and most vegetables), this single habit change has had perhaps the most dramatic impact on my energy and focus. The science is simple: After laying in bed for 6 – 8 hours, your body is dehydrated, which is why drinking coffee or other caffeinated drinks only makes it worse. In addition to hydration, drinking water upon waking up fires up your metabolism, helps your body flush out toxins, and helps curb your appetite. Try it!
• Stay away from your TV, computer, and smartphone. As my mentor and fellow blogger Bill Zipp puts it, “Crisis kills creativity and short-term urgencies undermine long-term priorities.” Tuning into headline news, reading emails and checking texts as soon as you wake up puts you into a reactive, task-driven mode that stifles creativity and escalates into what Stephen Covey called “urgency addiction.” Avoiding the urge to plunge into emails and social networking sites first thing in the morning will pay huge dividends in your personal effectiveness down the road.
• Spend at least 30 minutes in prayer, reflection, contemplative reading or meditation. One of the most common qualities of great leaders throughout history is depth of character, cultivated through deliberate care and feeding of the soul. My personal “quiet time” includes Bible reading, prayer, and journaling. Whatever your spiritual tradition, think of this time as an investment in your inner world that will return more than you could ever expect.
• Review your personal mission statement, goals, and current priorities. If you don’t currently have a personal mission statement, I urge you to take the time to make this critical investment in your future. Like a pilot deploying his plane’s flaps on takeoff, a mission statement serves to elevate your perspective from runway level to 30,000 feet, where clarity and wisdom supercede crisis and urgency in guiding your decisions.
• Stand, move, and stretch your body. Although many people have difficulty exercising in the morning, committing to a few simple body movements and stretches can have huge benefits, such as improving posture and stimulating blood flow to muscles, joints, and the brain. Best of all, it takes only a few minutes to get a good, healthy morning stretch.

I know there are many who see the benefits of a morning orientation but can’t see how they could ever change their own habits. The truth is, it’s not easy, but it’s not like becoming an NFL lineman if you weigh 150 lbs. You can do it, but not without changing your story; that is, without considering the very real possibility that being a morning person is not a function of genetic hardwiring but instead of personal preference reinforced by habit. By changing your story, you start telling yourself, “From now on, I love rising early–this is life-changing.” Over time, many people simply adjust their lifestyles to fit their new story. It’s not easy–it takes time. But, believe me, it’s worth it.

If you’re a morning person, what additional advice can you offer those who want to make the change? If you’re not, what would it mean to your life to embrace the morning?