I don’t think anybody would just get up at 5:30 a.m. every morning for the sake of getting up early. We have to find a reason.

Why should I get up?

This is a question I’ve asked myself over and over again for the past two years. And only now, after all the failures and experiments, do I finally feel like I’ve built the habit. When my alarm goes off at 5:30 a.m., I no longer feel the urge to go back to sleep. Instead, I actually look forward to starting my morning routine, even on weekends.

Anyone who has seriously tried to get up early knows that you’re not just changing your wake-up time. You’re rebuilding your entire sleep and wake-up routine. It’s a long journey, but I’m glad I did it. Not without plenty of failed experiments, of course.

Standing here today as someone who can finally call herself a morning person—and, I guess, an early riser—I’d like to share the morning routine that excites me, motivates me, and somehow puts me on autopilot. I no longer have to struggle much to get through it. I love how I spend my mornings.

My Morning Starts at 5:30 A.M.

Every day, when my alarm goes off, I usually just turn it off. Then I stretch in bed for a couple of minutes to wake myself up.

There were periods when I had to jump out of bed immediately to prevent myself from falling back asleep. But as my body got used to going to bed at 10 p.m. and waking up at 5:30 a.m., I realized that I was getting enough sleep every night. That made getting up at 5:30 a.m. much less of a struggle.

After stretching, I open the windows to let some fresh air in, boil some water, and go through my usual bathroom routine. By the time I’ve washed my face and combed my hair, I’m usually fully awake.

Then I pour myself a glass of hot water and let it cool down in front of the fan.

20 Minutes of Shadow Reading

While I’m waiting for the water to cool, I usually do about 20 minutes of shadow reading while stretching a little more on the balcony.

I like listening to motivational audiobooks in the morning. It not only helps me practice my English speaking, but also lifts my spirits for the day.

It’s one of those small habits that I probably wouldn’t do later in the day, but somehow feels natural at 6 a.m. After about 20 minutes, I finish my water and start journaling.

Journaling Before the World Wakes Up

I love how clear-minded I feel early in the morning.

It usually takes me about 20 minutes to journal and make plans for the day. There are fewer distractions, and my mind feels much quieter than it does later in the day.

After that, I either go out for a run or work out on my balcony for about an hour.

Nothing wakes me up quite like a good sweat.

Exercise, Breakfast, and a Slow Start

After exercising, it’s usually around 8 a.m. I start preparing some fresh juice and breakfast, and I also get the ingredients ready for lunch. Then I take a nice shower.

It takes me about 40 minutes to finish all the food preparation and shower. After that, my day officially starts.

But I don’t immediately jump into work.

I usually read for another 20 minutes before breakfast. Then, after breakfast, I read for another 20 minutes.

By around 10 a.m., I start working.

And because waking up at 5:30 a.m. is pretty early, I always take a nap around noon. By then, my body usually feels a little exhausted after such a long morning.

There Is No “Best” Morning Routine

To be honest, I’ve tried so many different morning routines along the way. And so far, this one suits me the best.

If I had to summarize my current morning routine, it would look something like this:

• 5:30 a.m. — Wake up, stretch, open the windows, drink some hot water, and get ready for the day.
• Around 6:00 a.m. — Shadow reading and a little more stretching on the balcony.
• Around 6:20 a.m. — Journaling and planning for the day.
• Around 6:50 a.m. — Running or working out.
• Around 8:00 a.m. — Fresh juice, breakfast preparation, lunch prep, and a shower.
• Around 8:40 a.m. — 20 minutes of reading.
• Around 9:00 a.m. — Breakfast.
• After breakfast — Another 20 minutes of reading.
• Around 10:00 a.m. — Start work.
• Around noon — Take a nap and recharge.

This is what my mornings look like right now, but it took me a long time and many failed experiments to figure out what actually works for me.

I’ve asked myself the same question many times: What’s the best morning routine?

But after experimenting with my own life, I realized there isn’t one. Your morning routine should fit your life. More importantly, you need to adapt your goals into your routine and make it uniquely yours.

Why Do You Want to Get Up Early?

I believe that, for most people, getting up early isn’t really an action at first. It’s a question.

A genuine question to yourself: Why do you want to get up early?

Until you fully accept your answer and decide to work toward it, getting up early will probably always feel like a struggle. But once you know why you want to do it, you’ll naturally start building a morning routine around the things that are meaningful to you. And eventually, you will start to conquer the struggles along the way.

For me, the reason I want to get up early is simple: I want to live a healthier and clearer-minded life.

I found that reading, writing, and exercising are things I genuinely enjoy doing, and they always make my day better. I also enjoy starting my day without rushing, at an intentional pace.

So naturally, I just brought all those things I love into my morning routine and slowly built the habit of getting up early.

Build a Morning You Actually Look Forward To

Of course, books have also played a big role in this journey. Some of the books I’ve read along the way have inspired me tremendously and changed the way I think about mornings, discipline, and the kind of life I want to live.

That’s probably another reason why I don’t see my 5:30 a.m. alarm as something I have to fight against anymore. I see it as the beginning of a few quiet hours that belong completely to me. And maybe that’s the real secret to becoming a morning person.

You don’t need to force yourself to love waking up early. You just need to build a morning that you genuinely look forward to. If you’re interested in the books I’ve been reading along the way, you can take a look at my Amazon page. Thank you for reading.