Men have been waking up and doing stuff since the beginning of time, from cavemen building fires before sunrise to farmers milking cows for breakfast. Morning routines give us a chance to start the day right; these morning routine ideas for men will get you started.
If you want tired ideas like:
- Make your bed
- Drink water
- Have a cold shower
Skip this post. It’s not for you. But read on if you want morning routine ideas that will put some hair on your chest and make women swoon when they see you.
I’ve had many morning routines since I first learned about the idea a decade ago. But I got into the mindset of trying to find the perfect morning routine. I’ll tell you now, there isn’t one. There’s only the best one for you at that time. Things change, so try some of these ideas and if you need a change, try something else.
Two Keys for a Successful Morning Routine
A good morning routine for a man wanting to be successful, doesn’t need to include getting out of bed first thing, journaling, meditation, yoga or even making sure that you get enough sleep.
- The key to a successful morning routine for men is doing what you think you should do. It might be journaling or making your bed but only if that’s what you decide is best for you.
- The second key to a powerful morning ritual is finding something you will do everyday. It’s not a routine if you don’t do it consistantly. But you’ll do it everyday if it’s important to you.
Here are some ideas for when you wake up each morning, find the right one for you and enjoy your morning!
Morning Routine Ideas for Getting Things Done
The only reason we get up is to get things done, so anything that helps you get more done is essential. Exert your willpower early and fell yourself making progress toward your goals.
Hire Someone to Do the Tasks You Won’t
Do you need to enter all your expenses into the system today? Or translate a huge document? Or edit a long report? Do you think successful men (or women) are doing those types of tasks?
You don’t need a staff or even a full-time employee to reap the benefits of people doing stuff for you, you just need to hire a freelancer. Have them do the unimportant tasks you must do and free yourself up for something more valuable, or fun.
Write Your Goals
Do it the night before, do it early in the morning, do it any time just make sure you do it. It’s never too early and you’re never too exhausted to write down your goals.
Grant Cardone does this every single day and recommends everyone who wants to achieve something great do it too. Writing the same list of goals down everyday drills it into your brain that these are important, reminding you not to waste your time on things that won’t get you to your goals.
Decide What You’re Not Going to Do
While everyone else is writing their to-do lists and timeboxing the calendars, decide what you’re not going to do instead.
According to Mckinsey, 61% of employees spend time on unimportant tasks or tasks unrelated to their role. That’s more than half your day. So if you want to be twice as productive, decide you’re not going to do those things today.
During the morning hours, after waking up either delegate them or just say no.
Morning Routine Ideas for Being Alpha
We’re not all born alpha males, all the more reasond why little shot of alpha energy in the morning is what we need. Whether you’ve got a day convinving clients or customers or just a day working from home alone, starting refreshed and energized is the way to do it.
Remind Yourself What a Baddass You Are
This idea comes straight from David Goggins. He calls it the cookie jar. Inside the cookie jar are all the accomplishments and hard things he has ever done. Whenever he needs a reminder of what a badass he is, he pulls something out of the cookie jar.
Make this part of your morning routine and start your day feeling like David Goggins.
Be There Waiting When Everyone Else Wakes up
There is nothing alpha male about waking up late and walking like a zombie past your family to the coffee pot. Instead, it says, “I’m undisciplined, low energy, and reliant on stimulants to get me through,” none of which are alpha traits.
Instead, wake up early so that everyone else has to walk past you in the morning. Then, while they’re reaching for their morning brew, you’ve already worked out or checked off your most important task.
Morning Routine Ideas for Getting Strong
Working out will raise your energy levels in the morning and also give you more restful, deeper sleep. But time is always a factor in the mornings, and a full workout isn’t always feasible. These ideas are quick and will make you feel powerful – a great way to start your day.
Grip strength trainers
Want a manly handshake? Grip strength is key. Ever see a guy with big solid forearms and think, this guy’s a real man? That’s because muscular forearms and grip strength are usually developed by years of manual labor, but training grip strength while you have your morning coffee will give you the same results. Plus:
- Hand crushing handshakes
- Open any jar with ease
- Make your compound lifts in the gym go up
- More pull-ups
- Great for Climbing
Farmer’s Carry
Get up early and carry something heavy! The farmers carry is more than a trap exercise, it’s a short, intense full body workout. Starting your day like this will flip a switch in you body and mind telling you to go get after the day. You won’t need caffiene after this!
You don’t need equipment to perform the farmer’s carry; farmers never had any. All you need is something heavy, no, really heavy!
Two backpacks or suitcases loaded up with weight will work. The idea is to pick them up, walk, and then put them down. If you don’t have much space, walk slowly.
Weighted Crunches
Whether or not you make it to the gym, keep those impressive abs by making weighted crunches a part of your morning routine. You don’t need any equipment for this either, slip your toes under the couch, grab a heavy book, hold it behind your head, and start repping!
This is are perfect to do first thing in the morning if you’re an early riser because they are silent and won’t wake anyone up.
Morning Routine Ideas for Keeping Your Money Right
If you don’t finish the day with more than you had at the start, what was the point? No excuses. Be accountable. If you’re not making gradual progress on your financial goals, you might as well go back to bed.
Work on becoming Financially Independent
What does it take to become financially independent so you can quit your job and live however you want? Consistency.
You don’t need to move mountains. All you need is a consistent effort to build your side gig or passive income streams. Those streams will trickle initially but will flood after a few years of constant action.
- Build a Blog
- Build a Following
- Write a Book
- Create a Course
Buy Someone a Coffee
Want to know a way to network and easily make potential clients, partners, or employees? Buy someone a coffee.
It doesn’t seem as slimy as handing someone a business card while telling them about your services, and for the price of a coffee, you get to network with someone new every day.
While you stand in line waiting for your order, get to know them and figure out if this person is worth your time. Even if it comes to nothing, you started your day doing something nice for someone and probably felt like a big shot doing it.
Learn Things Every Man Should Know
If you want to be seen as a man who knows what he’s doing, there are skills you need. Get out of bed and start learning or practicing these skills as part of your morning routine, you’ll become the best man you can be:
- Memorize scripture or other wisdom quotes
- Learn basic DIY
- Understand the Markets
- How to grow your own food
- How to perform magic tricks
- Learn a new joke
- Learn a foreign language
- Play an instrument
- Learn how to cook a world-class meal
- Learn a skill related to your work
Still Not Sure What to Do Tomorrow Morning?
If you still can’t decide how to create your morning routine, check out this huge list of morning routine ideas.
Meet Gregory, a writer and the brains behind Face Dragons. He's the go-to guy for getting things done.
Gregory's been living the digital nomad life in Asia for as long as anyone can remember, helping clients smash their goals. He writes on topics like software, personal knowledge management (PKM), and personal development. When he's not writing, you'll catch him at the local MMA gym, nose buried in a book, or just chilling with the family.