Building a morning routine, Explained Simply

A year ago I was hopeless at building a morning routine. What changed wasn't willpower — it was making the whole thing smaller and harder to skip.

Make it part of your routine

When you slip, shrink the next step instead of quitting. Two minutes, one line, half a rep — anything that keeps the thread alive.

Stack it onto an existing habit

Make the default the good choice. Set things up so the easy path and the right path are the same one.

Plan for the off days

It helps to attach the new behavior to something you already do. Tie building a morning routine to your morning coffee or your evening wind-down and it tends to stick.

• Set a recurring reminder you won’t ignore
• Review your results at the end of the month
• Make the next step obvious
• Pick one thing to focus on this week

Motivation gets you going; habits keep you going.

Notice what's already working and do more of it. You usually don't need a new plan so much as a bit more of the old one.