According to most successful people, a productive morning routine is an essential ingredient in the recipe for success. How do you go about setting one such routine for yourself?

These apps and sites will tell you how to go about making a ritual that gets you to kick-start the day in the best way possible. And be sure to check out these tips for boosting your mood in the morning.

1. Morning Routine (iOS): Set Routines From Successful People

How would you like to have the same morning routine that Michelle Obama has? Or maybe be as productive in the morning as productivity guru Tim Ferris? Try the new Morning Routine app to find out.

Morning Routine can automatically set the routine of habits that famous, successful people use. You're free to add or delete habits in the routine, or even custom-make your own. Each habit has a set time slot from the moment your alarm rings, with Siri alerts to switch to a new habit when it's scheduled.

The whole idea is to make it easy for you to set a morning routine by using a successful template that someone else followers. Use the built-in statistics to review how you are doing, and tweak the habits over time to match your needs.

Download -- Morning Routine for iPhone and iPad (Free)

2. TinyGain (Android): Mix and Match Routine Templates

What Morning Routine does for iOS, TinyGain does for Android. The idea, again, is to take successful people's morning routines and incorporate them in your own life.

morning routine tinygain

TinyGain has a wide variety of routines for you to choose from, including those used by Tim Ferriss, motivational guru Tony Robbins, and other big names. What sets it apart is that it also has smaller habits, so you can mix and match multiple ideas to create your own routine.

For example, you can favorite the good habit of daily journaling as one of the morning activities. Another can be the "Jar of Awesome," where you write down awesome things that happen to you. Keep them both in your list, and tap one of them when you want it as a part of your morning routine.

Download -- TinyGain for Android (Free)

3. My Morning Routine (Web): Learn From Others

Seeing others achieve success with their routines is a great motivator to try it out yourself. Every week, My Morning Routine (MMR) interviews a new go-getter from around the world to find out how they kick-start their day.

morning routines website

It's a fascinating insight into how many morning routines people have in common even though their backgrounds are so diverse. Over the years, MMR has amassed over 230 interviews, with broad categories like early risers, writers, full-time jobs, frequent travelers, and so on. The site also helpfully compiles all the important learnings from these into a "statistics" page.

More than anything else, MMR inspires you to do the things you know you should, but haven't felt motivated to. Try and find someone like you in the interviews, it can change your life.

4. The Ultimate Guide (Web/Ebook): For Those Who Aren't Morning People

How do you go about setting the right morning routine for yourself? What are the things you should do, and those you shouldn't? Chris Winfield tries to answer all the questions in his ultimate guide to setting a morning routine, even for those who aren't morning people.

morning routine chris winfield

In the guide, Winfield uses his own experiences as well as teachings from others. The guide's purpose is to tell you all the things that you need to consider when setting a routine. And finally, Winfield also offers his own routine, if you want to use that.

The whole 42-page guide is available as a freely downloadable PDF ebook. You'll need to sign up for Winfield's newsletter though.

5. Happy Kids Timer (Android, iOS): Start a Morning Routine for Your Children

While you're doing your morning routine, what about the kids? Don't worry, there's an app for that. Happy Kids Timer turns the morning routine into a fun game where children can earn stars and stickers.

morning routines happy kids timer

The app awards points to each part of a child's morning routine, like waking up, getting dressed, making the bed, and so on. And there's a timer for each activity too, so they know how fast or slow to go. Each activity completed on time earns stars. Plus, activities like brushing (where you don't want the child to rush) have a "minimum time" allotment too.

For $1, parents get full control over which activities are included, and the order of the rituals too. You can also add a "reward" that your child aims to win with stars. You can try out the free app first, but it's well worth the buck.

Download -- Happy Kids Timer for Android or iOS (Free)

What's Your Morning Hack?

Everyone has a secret that gets their morning started the right way. For example, there are some clever automations to hack your morning routine.

What's your morning hack?

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