Being productive in the morning is the best way to start your day if you want to get sh*t done. With a bit of discipline, you can accomplish more before the sun rises than most people will in their entire day.

I've experimented with different morning routines for years, determined to find what works for me. But that's the thing: I found what works best for me, not for you. 

Some of the things I incorporate in my morning routine may not work for you, but you can experiment with them too and see what works for you. 

Either way, here is (my) best morning routine for energy: 

1. Go to Bed at a Normal Time 

I used to think I could stay up all night AND wake up early feeling great. Not gonna happen. If you're doing both, something's gotta give, and it's most definitely going to be you waking up early. 

Here's the deal:

Going to bed at a decent hour and getting a sufficient amount of sleep is imperative when it comes to increasing your energy in the morning. No morning routine for energy will cut it when you're sleep deprived. 

According to the CDC, Teenagers 13-18 need 8-10 hours of sleep, while adults 18-60 need 7 or more hours per night. 

Choose your desired wake-up time, set your alarm, and go to bed at least 7 hours earlier. You'll thank me in the morning. 

By the way, if waking up early isn't your thing, check out our post about training yourself to wake up early. 

2. Don't Hit Snooze

Snoozing your alarm in the morning may seem like a good way to catch a few extra z's, but it's actually only good for making you feel lousy all day long. The best morning routine for energy is one free of the snooze button.

According to Psychology Today, you have different levels of sleep - in layman's terms, you can think of them as light sleep and deep sleep.

Your body repairs itself during deep sleep, and it takes a while (an hour or more) to reach that stage of sleep, when your body is repairing itself. Without deep sleep, you won't feel refreshed in the morning. 

When you wake up from deep sleep to the sound of an alarm only to hit snooze, your body only returns to a lighter stage of sleep, unable to fully rest or repair itself. Hitting snooze over and over in the morning causes you to lose 15-30 minutes of deep sleep or more, depending on how many times you snooze the alarm. 

Instead, set your alarm for your desired wakeup time, and get out of bed the first time. You'll have more energy in the morning, and you won't feel so drowsy. Setting your alarm clock away from your bed the night before is a good way to avoid hitting snooze, as you actually have to get out of bed to turn off the alarm. 

What's the bottom line here?

Hitting snooze and having energy in the morning don't go well together.

3. Drink EarlyBird

Drinking a morning cocktail is a crucial part of the best morning routine for energy. 

First of all, you become dehydrated overnight. Believe it or not, you wake up around a pound lighter than when you went to bed because your body loses water as you breathe via condensation. That's why you wake up feeling parched and groggy. 

You also don't have energy first thing in the morning, as it's been 7-8+ hours since you had anything to eat. Trying to wake up without giving your body energy is like trying to jumpstart a car that's been sitting out in the cold all night long. Not a good idea. 

Lastly, ever heard of the saying "he woke up on the wrong side of the bed"? It's because your morning mood has been shown to impact the rest of your day. 

Starting your day in a good mood is crucial if you want to achieve success every day, because your mood/mindset is everything. 

Rather than starting your day dehydrated, unenergized and in a bad mood, you can drink a morning cocktail that hydrates, energizes, and enhances mood. 

EarlyBird was made to address all three of those issues with a unique blend of nootropics that hydrates you, energizes you (without the crash or jitters) and enhances your mood (without any sugar, carbs or calories). 

Click below to try EarlyBird today! 

4. Take a Cold Shower

Taking a cold shower is the ultimate way to start your day. The first few seconds absolutely suck, especially in the winter, but after that, they feel great, especially if you want to wake up with energy.

I've been experimenting for years trying to find the best morning routine for energy, but once cold showers were integrated, they never left. 

Cold showers shock your system, and I can guarantee if you were drowsy before jumping in, you'll be wide awake afterward. They don't necessarily "give you energy" like sufficient sleep, nutritious breakfast or EarlyBird will, but they definitely do wake you up. 

More importantly, cold showers are a test of your mental fortitude and discipline. It's not the cold shower itself, it's the choice to get in the cold water. Every morning - every day, for that matter - we're faced with difficult choices.

Should you wake up or sleep in, eat a healthy breakfast or have a donut, work on your business or scroll through Instagram, go out and party or spend time with family? 

Life is about making the right choice in these situations, even if it's a difficult choice. On top of that, these choices snowball. When you make the right choice or a hard choice, you're more likely to do it again. 

That's why I love cold showers - on top of the instant energy boost, starting my day with a cold shower makes every other hard task that much easier.  

5. Get Some Sunlight 

In our post about waking up early without an alarm clock, we discuss the importance of getting sunlight in the morning - the sun impacts our circadian rhythm and tells us to wake up. 

You need to incorporate sunlight in your morning routine if you want energy, even if it's just a few minutes near the window. 

6. Stretch

Stretching loosens your muscles which have become stiff overnight, helping you feel better in the morning. Stretching also helps enhance your blood flow, which could help you have more energy in the morning. 

Many people naturally stretch a bit in the morning - for example, raising your arms over your head and twisting your back (that's what I do, at least.) You can take this a step further by incorporating a serious stretch routine into your morning routine, like yoga. 

7. Exercise

After your morning stretch, go for a brisk walk, run, or lift some weights. While working out in the morning may not seem too appealing, it stimulates your brain/body, gets your blood pumping, releases adrenaline, and much more, all of which give you energy in the morning.

Exercising in the morning is definitely part of the best morning routine for energy.