12 Tools That Will Help You Build a Powerful Morning Routine

Not all of us are naturally morning birds. But even if you fall into the “night owl” category, it’s hard to deny that there’s something magical about starting the day before the sun has fully risen. Many successful entrepreneurs swear by a morning routine to set them up for success throughout the day—and we agree.

If one of your goals in 2017 is to build a better morning routine, we curated a great set of tools and resources that will help you do just that. Whether you want to write, read, meditate, or exercise more in those early hours of the day, there’s something on the list below for you.

The Miracle Morning

If you’re not convinced that waking up earlier will transform your life, start by reading The Miracle Morning. This incredible book is loaded with specific habits you can build — and thoughts on how they might change your overall productivity and happiness. This book will inspire you to get up at the crack of dawn — and actually be excited about it. It will also give you added context for how best to use some of the tools on this list.

If You Want to…Write More

Day One

We don’t know what it is about the design of the Day One app, but it sure does make us want to journal more frequently. You can create up to 10 different journals (e.g. class notes, travel, health log, etc.), and add photos and geolocations to every entry. This is a great way to capture the important moments in your life—big and small—every single day.

The Most Dangerous Writing App

Julie Cameron created a movement called “morning pages” after publishing her book, The Artist’s Way. The idea: write three full “pages” of free-flowing thoughts every morning. If you’re interested in this exercise, The Most Dangerous Writing App is a great way to get started. You choose the length of time or number of words you want to write, and once the timer starts, you can’t stop until you reach your goal. If you decide to write 300 words but stop for more than five seconds along the way, all of your writing will be lost forever. This tool was designed to “shut down your inner editor and get you into a state of flow.” This is perfect if you want to get your free-flow thoughts on paper every morning.

Five-Minute Journal

If you like the idea of daily journaling, but you don’t want to invest a lot of time doing it, the Five-Minute Journal App is perfect for you. Every day, it’ll prompt you to write down what you’re grateful for, what you’ll do to make today great, and what made the day awesome (an evening prompt). You’ll get an inspiring quote every day, as well as weekly “challenges” you can share via social media. Five-Minute Journal will profoundly impact where you place your focus every day.

If You Want to…Read More

Morning Reader

Are you a tech enthusiast who wants to stay on top of the news, but you feel like you’re constantly drinking out of a firehose? Fear not: Morning Reader is here to save you from drowning in the pool of endless news. You can quickly browse through the ten most popular tech stories at any given point in time from all of the major tech sites (e.g. TechCrunch, Recode, The Verge, Wired, Bloomberg, VentureBeat, NY Times, and more).

Blinkist

If one of your goals is to read more this year, Blinkist is your new best friend. On this popular app, you’ll find summaries and key insights from over 1,500 bestselling nonfiction books. You can basically “read” a book via text or audio in 15 minutes. This is an incredible way to get the gist of a lot of books quickly—and then purchase the full version of anything that really piques your interest.

If You Want to…Be Healthier

7-Minute Workout

Who doesn’t feel like they need to workout a little bit more? Many of us are turned off by the idea of spending an hour (or more) traveling to a gym and working out. Luckily, with The 7-Minute Workout, you don’t even need to leave your house. You can do these 12 exercises with your body weight, a chair, and a wall. Repeat the 7-minute cycle as many times as you want. This is a fantastic option if you’re short on time, or you’re a frequent traveler and need a workout you can do in your hotel room.

Headspace

Ahhh, meditation. It’s that ever-elusive habit we know we should build, but most of us find a way to avoid it. Luckily, Headspace makes it easier than ever to meditate on a daily basis. You can do guided meditations, or your own thing entirely. You can also choose from meditations built for specific things, like creativity, focus, happiness, appreciation, stress, sleep, and more. In a world that is constantly hectic if we let it be, Headspace is the perfect way to get your day started with a little bit of peace and clarity.

Moodnotes

Moodnotes is an awesome app that helps you track and improve your mood and thinking habits. Figure out how various habits, foods, and relationships are impacting your day-to-day life—and then optimize accordingly. This is a great way to build awareness around your feelings and thoughts, and gradually make improvements in your life to boost your mood and help you think more positively.

Morning Routine

Morning Routine should be a staple in your life if you’re looking to do multiple different actions during your morning routine. Just set each habit you want to incorporate (like meditation, writing, breakfast, etc.), choose the days of the week you want to engage in that habit, and set a timer for each one. Once the timer goes off for a particular activity, you know it’s time to move onto the next thing. You can also use this app to schedule your night routine, gym workout, and more.

Streaks

With Streaks, you can choose up to six different “tasks” that you want to turn into habits — like walking to work, flossing your teeth, or practicing a new language. Then, set how frequently you want to do the task (it could be daily or less frequently). Every time you complete a scheduled task, the streak continues. The goal is simple: don’t break the streak! It sounds overly simple, but it’s actually a highly effective habit-changing technique. Check this one out if you want to improve some of your morning habits.

My Morning Routine

Ever wonder what hyper successful people do during those first few hours of their day? Now you can find out for yourself by reading some of the stories on My Morning Routine. Discover the routines of 200+ entrepreneurs, thought leaders, and creatives. It’s sure to energize you and give you great ideas as you construct your own morning routine.

We’re big fans of starting the day early, and have a feeling you’ll find value in it, too. If you’re looking for even more great apps that will make it super easy for you to build a powerful morning routine, check out the full collection curated by Michael Xander on Product Hunt.

P.S. Getting the latest tech products right in your inbox every weekday can can also be part of your morning routine. 💌😸✌️