7 ways to immediately wake up and jumpstart your morning for success and productivity

Editor’s Note: My Morning Has Evolved a Lot Since 2014

Last updated: February 2026

I wrote this article over a decade ago, and my morning routine has gone through several versions since then. The seven tips here still work. But I want to share what I have learned about mornings after years of experimentation and tracking.

Years ago, living in Los Angeles, I felt constantly rushed in the mornings. My commute was long and I struggled to fit in any kind of meaningful routine. I was always lacking sleep because I went to bed late. I realized that simply hoping for more time would not work. The key was adjusting my bedtime. Instead of trying to wake up earlier, I went to bed earlier. That one shift created the space I needed to actually have a morning routine instead of stumbling to the car half-awake.

My rise ritual now takes about 30 to 40 minutes. I recently shifted my workout to the afternoon because I noticed my energy naturally dips around 2 to 3pm. The Rise Science app confirmed this pattern. Working out in the afternoon gives me a second wind, and it freed up my mornings for deep work. That is one of the biggest lessons I have learned: your morning routine should serve your energy patterns, not fight them.

What Has Changed Since 2014

The science behind morning routines has gotten more specific. We now know that exposure to morning sunlight within the first 30 minutes of waking helps regulate your circadian rhythm. Andrew Huberman popularized this idea, and I can confirm from my own experience that a 10-minute walk outside in the morning makes a real difference in how alert I feel.

Cold water still works. In fact, cold exposure has become a whole movement since I first recommended splashing your face with cold water. Cold plunges, cold showers, even cryotherapy. I track my cold plunge sessions with Daylio and have noticed that days I do a cold plunge correlate with higher energy scores.

Green tea is still my go-to over coffee. But I have added one nuance: I do not consume any caffeine until about 90 minutes after waking. This lets my adenosine levels clear naturally, which means the caffeine works better when I do drink it. Try it for a week and you will notice the difference.

The One Change That Matters Most

If your mornings feel chaotic, do not try to add all seven tips at once. Pick one. My recommendation: the night before, decide what you will do first when you wake up. Write it down. That single act of planning eliminates the morning decision fatigue that makes most people reach for their phone instead of starting their day with intention.

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[Original article starts: “Morning people are not the only ones…” and continues through all 7 tips]

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NEW FAQ SECTION TO ADD AT BOTTOM (Before closing)

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the best way to wake up feeling energized? A: Hydrate immediately with cold water, get sunlight exposure within 30 minutes of waking, and do some light movement or stretching. These three actions signal to your body that the day has started and help clear sleep inertia faster. Avoid checking your phone for the first 15 to 30 minutes so your brain can transition into an alert state without being overwhelmed by notifications and messages.

Q: How long should a morning routine take? A: A good morning routine takes 30 to 60 minutes. Shorter than 30 minutes often means you are rushing, which defeats the purpose. Longer than 60 minutes can eat into your productive work time. The goal is a consistent sequence of actions that transitions you from sleep to a productive, focused state. Start with a 30-minute routine and adjust based on what feels right for your schedule.

Q: Should I exercise in the morning or evening? A: It depends on your natural energy patterns. If you feel most energized in the morning, exercise then. If your energy dips in the afternoon, an afternoon workout can give you a second wind. The most important factor is consistency. Pick a time you can stick to every day. Track your energy levels for a week to see when you naturally feel strongest and schedule exercise during that window.

Q: Is coffee or green tea better for morning productivity? A: Green tea provides a calmer, more sustained energy boost because it contains L-theanine, which promotes focus without the jitters that coffee can cause. Coffee delivers a stronger caffeine hit but can lead to crashes later in the day. Either works, but consider delaying caffeine until 90 minutes after waking to let your natural cortisol cycle clear adenosine first. This makes the caffeine more effective when you do consume it.

Q: How do I build a morning routine I can actually stick to? A: Start with just one or two actions and do them every single day for two weeks before adding anything else. Anchor your new habit to something you already do, like drinking water right after brushing your teeth. Plan your morning the night before so there is no decision-making involved when you wake up. Keep it simple. A routine you follow 90% of the time beats an ambitious routine you abandon after a week.

Q: What should I do if I am not a morning person? A: You do not have to be a morning person to have a productive morning. Focus on going to bed earlier rather than forcing yourself to wake up earlier. Use the chronotype that works for your body and build a routine around it. Even if you wake up at 9am, the same principles apply: hydrate, move, plan, and start your most important work before distractions take over.

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Morning people are not the only ones who are allowed to have great mornings!

Do you have a friend or family member who is a natural morning person? It may seem like they wake up happy and energized every day. Some people indeed have the chronotype that makes them their best in the early hours of the day, but they don’t have exclusive rights. Everyone can enjoy the morning.

It starts with a well-planned morning ritual.

A morning ritual does not have to be difficult or complicated. It is merely a set of actions that you perform in the morning before you start your day. Those actions that you repeat daily form your morning ritual. With that in mind, you can plan your morning to set yourself up for a productive day.

Regardless of your chronotype (even us morning people), everyone will benefit from being intentional about how you start your day.

If you need some extra help, here are seven practical things you can do to help you jumpstart your morning.

7 Ways To Jumpstart Your Morning

1. Splash Your Face with Water

A quick way to wake up is to splash cold water on your face. If you’re someone who struggles waking up in the morning, this is a quick and easy fix.

As soon as you get out of bed, go to the bathroom and splash at least 3 times, cold water on your face. Once you’ve done that, you’ll feel no need to go back to bed and you can immediately transition into the rest of your morning ritual.

2. Drink Cold Water

Here’s another way to use cold water. Before you go to bed tonight, pour water in a bottle and put it in the fridge. When you wake up, drink this cold water and you’ll wake up in no time.

The first couple of times might feel like your body is shivering but that’s the whole point! Not only do you hydrate yourself (which is essential after being dehydrated the whole night) but you’ll also wake up every part of your body as the cold water fuses through every body part.

3. Stretch, Stretch and Stretch

Another great way to  jumpstart your morning is to do a couple stretches. It’s nothing fancy, just a couple sun salutations (and this is coming from someone who has never done any yoga).

caption id=”attachment_7801″ align=”aligncenter” width=”640″][ A couple simple sun salutations for you to practice.[/caption]

There are lots of other ways you can stretch – you can do joint rotations, posture alignment against a wall or the basic stretches you learned at PE.

The main idea is that stretching will signal to your body that the day has started and that you’re getting ready to be productive. Don’t underestimate this simple activity – if you haven’t incorporated it yet in your morning routine, do it now!

4. It’s Motivation Time

“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing, that’s why we recommend it daily.” – Zig Ziglar caption id=”attachment_7795″ align=”aligncenter” width=”592″][ “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing, that’s why we recommend it daily.” – Zig Ziglar[/caption]

Motivation comes and goes. To keep your motivation high, it’s worthwhile allocating some time in the morning to get yourself in the right state.

I have to give credit to our friend Charles Ngo for this. In this podcast he first mentioned “motivation time” where sets aside 10 minutes to engage in activities that will motivate him. Need some ideas? Here are 6 ways to motivate yourself:

– Watch a motivational video – Listen to a motivational talk – Read a passage of a book you enjoy – Review your goals (you do have them, right?) – Look at your vision board – Visualize your future success

If you need some material, here are a couple videos to get you pumped up:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=UizlkbS61mQ

5. Drink Green Tea

Some people need to have coffee in the morning to get started. We like to drink green tea as an alternative to that. You get all the benefits without all the negatives of coffee.

Sometimes mornings, especially in a family household with kids, can be stressful but with a cup of green tea you’ll be ready to go and relaxed at the same time. Not only does the caffeine help you get going, green tea also has a soothing effect that calms you down. That combination is a great which is one of the many reasons we prefer it over coffee.

6. Get Your Body Moving

It’s no secret that regular exercise has a positive effect on your productivity. However, sometimes people struggle with finding time for it.

That’s why we recommend that you exercise in the morning before all the crises, emergencies and craziness kick in. Make it part of your morning routine and it’s a great way to kickstart your day.

Do remember that amazing feeling you get after a good workout? What if you could get that feeling every morning before you start your workday? How would that impact your effectiveness?

Your exercise routine doesn’t have to be long. Even just 20 minutes of exercise each day is better than no exercise at all. If you prefer intense workouts, we recommend at least 3x a week with each session for at least 1 hour.

7. Celebrate the Successes

A great way to jumpstart your morning is start it on a positive note by celebrating your successes.

In our crazy and busy daily lives we often forget all the great things that are happening. Journaling can help you keep track of that but one thing that also helps is to set aside time each morning to consciously think about all the positive things in your life.

There are lots of ways to do this:

– think of yesterday and mentally highlight all the good things that have happened to you – reread your old journals and realize how far you’ve come – express gratitude for what you have and where you’ve come from – tell someone you care about how you feel about them

This is a tip I got from our friends Marc And Angel who run the most popular happiness and personal growth blog. Not only is it a fantastic way to start your day, it will also put you in a good mood and that of course will make you more productive.

Next Action

If you haven’t formally set up a morning routine yet, get the Asian Efficiency Primer that will show you step-by-step how to set up a morning routine for more success and productivity.

We get hundreds of emails every year from people who have implemented our morning ritual and have noticed a huge positive impact on their happiness, quality of life and productivity. Get your morning ritual going today.