The Magic of Morning

Morning is the point from which our entire day begins. It is no surprise that many successful people turn the first hours of being awake into a carefully designed ritual. Obama once said that he tries to eliminate unnecessary decisions in the morning in order to preserve energy for truly important matters. This approach reduces anxiety, helps the brain ease into work, and creates a sense of control.

There are many ways to make your morning more mindful. The simplest ones include a glass of warm water right after waking up, light stretching, meditation, or at least a few minutes of calm breathing. Water activates metabolism and helps you wake up faster, while movement and stretching improve mood and reduce risks for the heart. Meditation helps gently shift the brain into a working mode and makes reactions to stress calmer.

Some people prefer to delay coffee, since the natural morning release of cortisol is meant to energize the body, and caffeine in the first hours can often have the opposite effect. A good alternative is matcha. It contains less caffeine, which works more gently and lasts longer.

Many people add a gratitude practice to their morning. This short exercise consistently improves mood, reduces anxiety, and in the long term even affects heart health. Almost everyone agrees on one rule. In the first hours of the day, it is better to stay away from news, social media, and endless notifications. Information noise steals attention faster than anything else.

Entrepreneurs and managers have their own rituals, but they are based on the same simple principles.
The product director at Google Andrey Doronichev starts his day at six with a glass of water, yoga, meditation, and a few lines in a gratitude journal. He says that even when time is extremely limited, he still spends at least one minute on each of these actions, and that sets the right mindset.
The CEO of Profi.ru Egor Rudy wakes up later and focuses on a walk to the office and two hours of deep work without distractions. He completely avoids morning social media and eats his first meal at lunchtime, following intermittent fasting.
The founder of BioFoodLab Elena Shifrina replaces coffee with matcha, does a short workout, and spends time meditating. She says that a morning without phone chaos is the best way to avoid falling into an anxious flow of tasks.

Everyone has different rhythms, but the conclusion is the same. Morning works when it is simple, mindful, and repeatable. It does not matter whether it takes an hour or just ten minutes. What matters is that these actions help you live the day better.