At the end of last year, Marina Koren听 in The Atlantic that, 鈥淢y mornings are the messiest part of my day. I do not rise and shine. Instead, I hit snooze on the alarm and throw the covers over my head.鈥听This, Koren goes on, causes her distress because 鈥渋t never seems to be the case with other people鈥檚 morning routine.鈥 Koren is referencing the deluge of morning-routine media and advice, including The Cut鈥檚 鈥溾 column, The New York Times鈥 听specials, roundups in news outlets ranging from to , #routine听 posts, and the endless听 from self-improvement podcasters.
Morning routines are having a moment. And it鈥檚 easy to feel that if you don鈥檛 have one, you should. Or else you鈥檒l fall behind, or worse, be miserable. But, as is usually the case with these things, the truth is a bit more complicated听and a lot more freeing.
The听 on routines is clear. They are indeed effective. They help you听activate when you鈥檙e听feeling low,听automate decisions so you听don鈥檛 burn willpower, and听 to more easily groove into the task at hand. If you work out every morning, you don鈥檛 have to think about working out, you just do it. And,听if you鈥檙e like most people, you feel much better听afterward, regardless of how you were feeling before.
on 鈥渁ffordances鈥 shows that physical objects and surroundings can help elicit certain behaviors.听For example, the more you pair going to a specific coffee shop at a specific time of day and using a specific computer with writing, the easier it becomes to get into a productive creative rhythm.
But here鈥檚 the catch:听Although routines can be magical, there is no听magic routine. What works for one person might not work for others. This is problematic for those in the cult of routines, especially those looking to make a buck selling their own.
As Koren points out, different people have听different chronotypes,听a term听which describes the natural and unique听ebb and flow of energy that individuals experience over the course of 24 hours. Whether it鈥檚 a physically or cognitively demanding task, science has听 that most people tend to perform their best either in the earlier part of the day or in the later part of the day. Scientists refer to those who are most alert in the morning as larks听and those who are most alert in the evening as听owls.听These individual differences are rooted in our bodies鈥 unique听biological rhythms鈥攚hen various hormones associated with energy and focus are released and when our body temperatures rise and fall. There is no evidence that either way of being is inherently better. There is, however, evidence that听.
Other research shows that many of the typical features of 鈥渙ptimal routines鈥 affect different people differently. Some people perform better while listening to听. Others do not. Some people get a听 from caffeine. Others experience听 or an听.
The bottom line is that the only way to an optimal routine is through astute self-awareness鈥攏ot mimicking what other people do鈥攁nd experimentation. The more you can match your activities to your energy levels, the better. The more you can figure out which types of environments stimulate your best work, the better.
There are, of course,听certain behaviors that are close to universally effective, such as exercise and sleep. But again: there is no optimal time, place, or way to engage in these behaviors. You鈥檝e got to figure out what works for you.
There is also a danger in becoming overly attached听to your routine. If for whatever reason you can鈥檛 stick to it鈥攜ou鈥檙e traveling,听your special coffee shop closes,听whatever elixir you order from your favorite podcast鈥檚 advertising goes out of business鈥攜ou won鈥檛 know what to do. It鈥檚 like a Zen koan:听The first rule of routines is to develop one and stick with it. The second rule is to cultivate the capacity to easily release from it.
I don鈥檛 have a special routine that will dramatically change your life. But you could develop your own that would. Just make sure that you鈥檙e willing, and able, to let it go.
Brad Stulberg () coaches on performance and well-being and writes听国产吃瓜黑料鈥檚 Do It Better column. He is the bestselling author of the books听听and听. Subscribe to his newsletter听.听