Why morning routines are both important and overrated

Since I've been back in Berlin, I'm waking up unmotivated, sluggish, and with a headache. When I started writing today and again didn't find an idea to write about, I took a break to take a shower, put on proper clothes, and brew a tea. This made writing a bit easier.

If getting up in the morning is a struggle, a morning routine can be a helpful tool. It doesn't matter what you are doing. The goal of a morning routine is to remove the decision process how to start the day and a signal to yourself to get ready. It's also a good way to give your body a bit more time to wake up. But if the YouTube algorithm is suggesting similar videos to you as I see them, you might find that morning routines are overrated.

One YouTube format I've seen recommended a bit too often has titles like "I tried the morning routing by [insert famous person here] and this is what happened". I believe that in general, these videos aren't produced because they contain much valuable advice. They are produced because it's a simple, endlessly repeatable idea that tells a nice story. "Just do this morning routine and you'll be as successful as they are". This story isn't true. The details of your morning routine are not important. They really are just about removing a decision process in the morning that can be a bit overwhelming otherwise.

It's always possible to adopt simple tricks from already successful people to make your life easier¹. But it's just about finding out what works for you. The perfect morning routine doesn't exist. And there are many super successful people who don't have a morning routine. Only you won't hear about this, because it isn't such a nice story to produce a YouTube video around.

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