It can be hard to imagine that someone like Bill Gates, an Olympic gold medalist, or even the student body president of your class, lives the same 24-hour days as you. So what do the differences come down to?
Apart from factors like money and background, habit and routine play the largest role in building success from the ground up.
Have you heard of the millionaire morning routine? Millionaires swear by this routine (and its variations) to keep themselves productive and healthy; the best part is, it’s not super hard to replicate!
In this post, I’ll show you what exactly the routine comprises of, and how you can carry it out in your busy, student life. Let’s get right into it!
About the Millionaire Morning Routine
The “Millionaire Morning Routine” became popular online a while ago through a series of YouTube videos and blog posts. Celebrities – rich ones, may I add – shared their routines online, and patterns were quickly spotted.
The routine I will share today is a culmination of routines, gathered from people like Bill Gates and Barack Obama. Here’s how to start:
Wake up early at a consistent time
A large component of maintaining a successful routine is repetition– practicing the same thing over and over again so it becomes a habit.
Waking up at a consistent time is the first step of your routine. Generally, for healthy adults working a standard job (or students attending school), somewhere between 6 AM and 8 AM is a good time to wake up.
However, remember that you need to sleep for a healthy amount as well (8-10 hours per night for teens), so be sure to adjust your bedtime and waketime accordingly.
Digital detox
In our current age, mobile phones are about as versatile as they can get. However, this also means that it’s easy to become overly reliant and addicted to your phone.
If you pick up your phone as soon as you wake up, it becomes much harder to get out of bed efficiently. It’s simply too easy to continue laying in bed comfortably, scrolling and scrolling.
To break out of this trap, stay away from your phone for at least 15-20 minutes after waking up. Use this time to wash up, get dressed, make your bed, and complete a few next steps in your morning routine.
Meditate
A morning meditation session helps focus your mind and ensures a calm yet energized start to your day. It doesn’t have to take long! Simply sit down for 5-10 minutes and practice some mindfulness.
Exercise
Many like to do some cardio in the morning before diving into some intense sitting-down work. Some easy exercises (not an entire workout) can warm up your mind and body properly to prepare for a long day of sitting and/or standing. Here are some trusty exercises you can carry out:
- Jumping jacks
- Planks
- Squats
- Push-ups
- Sit-ups
- Lunges
Journal/practice gratitude
Journaling in the morning helps to clear out your mind of any unproductive thoughts and create a blank slate for you to start the day with. You can journal about anything you want – dreams, shower thoughts, to-do lists (a personal must-have), rants, simple reminders…
Healthy breakfast
Eating healthy is an important part of an effective morning routine and a fit body. Some people, especially students, like to skip breakfast. If that’s you, it’s time to break this habit now!
A healthy breakfast doesn’t have to take long or a lot of effort to prepare. Here are some ideas:
- Avocado toast
- Scrambled eggs and bacon
- Bagel with cream cheese
- Oatmeal with fruits
- Eggs and English muffin
Lastly, don’t forget to drink water! A cup of water in the morning will help with metabolism, as well as being more alert. You may realize that you don’t even need a cup of coffee after drinking water and having a full breakfast.
Read the news
Staying up-to-date with current issues is something that a lot of people (especially young adults) seem to overlook. Keeping up with the news is a great way to stay informed, and thinking about the news you read is a great way to keep your brain active.
Easy ways to follow the news are to subscribe to a daily or weekly newsletter, listen to podcasts, and read recap/summary articles online. Later in the post, I will share how I like to keep up with the news (no, I don’t read the newspaper).
YOU’LL LOVE THIS POST: 75 Morning Routine Ideas That Will Change Your Life
How to implement the routine as a student
As a college student (and ex-high school student) myself, I understand how busy your life can get. Sometimes, and especially in the early stages of building your routine, it’s difficult to stick with these habits.
A key difference between a student (you) and an established millionaire (for example, Bill Gates) is that while Bill Gates already knows that this routine works for him, you have no idea whether or not this routine will work. You may be skeptical, and therefore not be entirely motivated to follow it.
Therefore, the key step you need to take to effectively implement the Millionaire Morning Routine is to find motivation and build a persistent mindset.
How to find motivation and be persistent
There are two types of motivators: intrinsic and extrinsic.
An intrinsic or internal motivator is produced by your own desire to grow or become better. In general, intrinsic motivation proves more effective and tenacious in the long-run, and therefore a better choice for a lot of people.
To find intrinsic motivation, figure out what makes you want to become better. Try to find joy and meaning in certain activities, or a purpose that makes what you’re doing significant to you.
An extrinsic or external motivator is indirect, produced by your desire to gain a reward or to avoid a punishment. This can be as simple as a reward system where, if you reach a certain goal by a certain time, you reward yourself with something desirable (or vice versa in a punishment system).
However, with rewards/punishments, you must be able to determine just the right amount of either. In order not to overdo the rewards or underwhelm the punishment, you may consider asking a trusted friend or family member to set up the system for you.
Lastly, if you’re still not sure if you can stick with your routine, find a buddy to complete this “challenge” with you! A trusted friend or family member can help you stay accountable, keep you motivated, and help you track your progress.
My morning routine
To help you get an idea of how to actually implement the Millionaire Morning Routine as a student, below is my morning routine on a normal weekday. Note that because I have different classes each day, I get to wake up later on some days; this is a generalized schedule.
8:30 AM: Wake up and wash up (10 minutes without my phone!)
8:35 AM: Do a 5-minute stretch and mindfulness session
8:40 AM: Get dressed and do my makeup (I often listen to a podcast, Up First from NPR at the same time)
8:50 AM: Journal or read the news for 10 minutes (I sometimes get lazy and scroll through social media instead)
9:00 AM: Leave for breakfast at the dining hall (I always eat breakfast, even if it’s very small)
9:25 AM: Leave for my first class at 9:30AM
Conclusion
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and the same goes for routines and habits! Don’t expect to master your routine overnight– it will take some time for you to get used to, adjust to fit your lifestyle, and truly become a part of your daily life.
Be patient, stay motivated, and be persistent. With a Millionaire Morning Routine, you’ll be able to transform your student life in no time.
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