For a long time, I lived in a strange fog. On paper, everything looked fine—my business was thriving, I was relatively healthy, and I had the freedom to shape my own day. But internally, I felt drained. I’d wake up sluggish, uninspired, and always a little anxious. There was a deep sense of stagnation I couldn’t shake.
I’d open my laptop each morning, stare at the blinking cursor, and wonder why I felt so disconnected from the energy that once drove me.
That changed when I stopped trying to push through and started examining my mornings.
What follows are the 7 habits I’ve built into my mornings over the last couple of years. They’ve reconnected me to a sense of calm motivation. They’re not magical—just simple, grounded practices rooted in mindfulness, psychology, and a bit of self-compassion.
If you’re feeling tired, directionless, or stuck in autopilot mode, I hope these habits can help you reconnect too.
1. I stopped checking my phone for the first 90 minutes
Let’s start with the hardest one.
For years, my mornings began with a flood of notifications—emails, headlines, analytics dashboards, social updates. I convinced myself it was productive to “stay on top of things.” But what it really did was hijack my brain before I even got a chance to wake up properly.
Studies have shown that checking your phone first thing in the morning increases stress and anxiety levels throughout the day. Your brain goes from rest to reactive mode instantly.
When I began experimenting with not touching my phone for the first 90 minutes, it felt awkward—like missing a limb. But slowly, I noticed something shift. My mornings became quieter. I had room to think before being told what to think. And that changed everything.
If 90 minutes sounds like a lot, try 15. Build from there.
2. I drink a full glass of water with sea salt and lemon
It’s such a small habit—but weirdly life-changing.
After 7–9 hours of sleep, your body is naturally dehydrated. Even mild dehydration can leave you feeling sluggish and foggy. I now start my day with a full glass of water, a pinch of sea salt, and a squeeze of lemon.
It replenishes electrolytes, wakes up the digestive system, and gives me an early sense of momentum. It’s not a miracle fix, but it stacks the odds in your favor.
This habit also led me to notice how often I’d previously relied on caffeine to override tiredness instead of understanding it. Water before coffee was the first step in learning to listen to my body.
3. I sit in silence—even if just for five minutes
You don’t have to be a monk to benefit from mindfulness.
I used to avoid silence because it made me uncomfortable. My thoughts would race, and sitting still felt unproductive. But when I began treating it not as a performance, but simply as practice, everything shifted.
Now, every morning, I sit quietly for five to fifteen minutes. No phone. No podcast. No goal except to be still and breathe.
It’s often messy. My mind still wanders. But I always feel better afterward—more grounded, less scattered. That tiny pocket of presence helps set the emotional tone for my day.
As I wrote in my book Hidden Secrets of Buddhism: How to Live with Maximum Impact and Minimum Ego, mindfulness isn’t about “stopping” your thoughts. It’s about changing your relationship with them.
4. I write a short, honest journal entry
Journaling is often presented as this idealistic morning routine involving gratitude lists and affirmations. And while that might work for some people, what actually helped me was something simpler: brutal honesty.
Each morning, I open my journal and write three quick things:
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What I’m feeling
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What I’m dreading
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One thing I can do today that matters
That’s it.
Some days, it’s messy: “I feel lost and kind of angry today. I’m dreading checking email. But maybe if I focus on writing for 2 hours, I’ll feel less like a fraud.”
Other days, it’s optimistic: “I feel calm. Excited to test the new idea we discussed yesterday. I’ll finish that article first.”
The power of this habit is clarity. You can’t change what you don’t acknowledge. And journaling gives you a mirror.
5. I expose myself to natural light within 30 minutes of waking up
This might be the most underrated energy hack I’ve discovered.
Your circadian rhythm is heavily influenced by light exposure. Getting natural light in your eyes early in the day regulates your sleep-wake cycle, boosts serotonin, and signals to your brain: it’s time to be alert now.
I live in Saigon, so I try to get outside on the balcony, or even ride my bike for 10 minutes around the block—no sunglasses, no hat. Just natural light hitting the retina.
On darker or rainy days, I use a bright light lamp. It’s not the same, but it still helps.
It’s amazing how this one habit shifted my morning fog. I don’t feel like I’m dragging myself into the day anymore—my body wants to be awake.
6. I move my body—even just a little
I used to think exercise had to be intense to count. So on days I couldn’t run or hit the gym, I’d do nothing.
That’s a mistake.
Now, I’ve reframed movement as “energy activation.” Some mornings it’s just 5 minutes on the exercise bike while listening to music. Other times it’s a short yoga session, or even a few dynamic stretches.
The key is to get some blood flowing. Even light movement increases circulation, dopamine, and motivation.
Psychologically, it gives you a small win early. Physically, it tells your body: “I’m alive. I’m in motion.”
For someone like me—who spent a lot of time in mental overdrive—this reconnection to the body has been grounding.
7. I choose my first focused task the night before
One of the most demotivating feelings is waking up and not knowing what you’re doing that day. You open your laptop and fall into email loops, vague to-do lists, or worse—doomscrolling.
Now, I end each evening by asking: What is the one thing I’ll focus on tomorrow morning?
It might be: “Write 1000 words on a new article.” Or: “Draft the outline for a landing page.”
This single decision makes mornings feel purposeful. No scrambling. No decision fatigue. Just clarity.
When I skip this, I feel it immediately—I wake up reactive instead of intentional. When I do it, I enter the day with momentum.
Final thoughts
These habits didn’t change my life overnight. But they did change the quality of my days. And that, over time, has changed the direction of my life.
I no longer feel like I’m surviving mornings—I’m using them to build something.
If you’re feeling tired, unmotivated, or caught in autopilot, don’t assume you need a massive overhaul. You probably don’t need to move to a different country, quit your job, or start a 5 a.m. bootcamp.
Start with your mornings.
Your habits shape your state of mind—and your state of mind shapes your decisions.
In my own life, adopting these morning habits has helped me live with more energy, more purpose, and more joy.
And if nothing else, they’ve taught me one of the core lessons of both psychology and Buddhist practice:
How you live your morning is how you live your day.
And how you live your day becomes your life.
