There is something soothing about giving yourself some time before the madness of the day begins. A lot has been written about how people can and should capitalise on the precious morning time. One of the best ways of doing that is by developing a morning routine that works for you. Here is a list of books that may just give you a little headway…

 

The 5 AM Club by Robin Sharma

A successful entrepreneur is at a crossroad, ready to give up her life. She has experienced tremendous stress and pain. Thankfully, fate intervenes and she ends up attending a lecture that will change her life and thought process forever. At the conference she meets ‘the artist’, a fellow seeker. They listen to the Spellbinder who imparts wisdom. But, something strange happens. What happens when they meet the homeless man who teaches them the secrets of the ‘Victory Hour’ starting at 5 AM every morning? How do they change and evolve as they jet-set around the world with their guide who seeks to induct them into The 5 AM Club?

What I like: A comprehensive story that brings out actionable tips that you can implement in your life.

Read a detailed review of the book here.

A Beautiful Morning: How a morning ritual can feed your soul and transform your life by Ashley Ellington Brown

“We spend much of our lives on autopilot, and can end up with a life we didn’t consciously create,” says Ashley in the book. The book gives suggestions on how to avoid this pitfall. She looks at successful and accomplished women who she admires and interviews them about their morning rituals. Each chapter talks in detail about the morning ritual of one person.

What I like: The differing and varied morning routines and rituals of so many people give the reader inspiration and ideas to pick and choose the ritual that will serve him or her best.

 

Read a detailed review of the book here.

Wake Up Call- Take control of your mornings and transform your life by Thibaut Meurisse

This book outlines a 10-step formula to devise your very own morning ritual. It begins with clarifying why we want the ritual in the first place, gradually making way through different crucial steps and finally culminating into an actual applicable morning routine. Along the way, there are many suggestions and examples that will ensure you don’t get stuck at any stage. The exploratory questions in the book are indeed a treasure-trove that will help the reader articulate his or her fears, hopes, dreams, ambitions, apprehensions and expectations. In short, these will help the reader do the inner digging that is so crucial to set a morning ritual that will optimise your life.

The Artists Way Morning Pages Journal by Julia Cameron

Julia Cameron wrote a very successful book on creativity, called “The Artist’s Way”. While this book is not strictly about morning routines per se, the foundation of this book are the morning pages. Morning Pages have proven to be a successful part of the morning rituals of many creative people. The Morning Pages are basically three pages of stream-of-consciousness longhand writing, written every day the first thing in the morning. They promise to connect you to a source of wisdom within. This journal is a special take on the morning pages and focusses on this tool in detail. 

What I like: The concept of morning pages is a life-changing idea and this book describes it beautifully. It is also a journal that can be used as the morning pages. 

My Morning Routine: How Successful People Start Every Day Inspired by Benjamin Spall 

This book is a guide to the early morning habits that boost productivity. It comprises of interviews with sixty-four successful people such as Arianna Huffington, General Stanley McChrystal, Marie Kondo and more. Having seen and read about these individuals in their respective work genres, it is interesting to know how they start their day.  This book reads like an informal instruction manual coupled with musings.

What I like: The sheer diversity of the varied routines! A veritable idea menu that can help you craft your mornings in the best manner!

The intentions we set in the morning are like foundations on which we build our days, and ultimately our lives. It is time to own your mornings! These books seem just the right start to kick off a stellar morning ritual!