What's a simple morning routine that actually sticks?

Keep a fixed wake time even on weekends so your brain stops fighting the alarm. As soon as you get up, open the blinds or step outside for two minutes to get light, then drink a full glass of water. Do five minutes of movement like 10 squats, 10 countertop pushups, a 30 second plank, and a two minute brisk walk in place, then shower or at least wash your face and brush your teeth. Brew coffee or grab a simple breakfast like yogurt and fruit or toast with peanut butter while you quickly check your calendar. On a sticky note write your top three tasks for the day, toss the note in your bag, do a quick keys wallet phone check, and go.

Make it stick by keeping the whole thing under 20 minutes and running it in the same order every day so each step cues the next. Set things out the night before like clothes, bag, and a filled water bottle so morning you is on autopilot. Use a simple rule like no phone scrolling until after the five minute move, but music or a single playlist is fine and can serve as your timer. Have a minimum version for late days that is wake, light, water, one minute of movement, and one priority written down so you never break the chain. If you miss a day, just restart the next morning without making up for it and the routine will stabilize.

Every morning turns into a scavenger hunt for shoes and permission slips, then someone spills cereal. The only thing that made it sane was doing 90 percent at night and shrinking mornings to three moves: water, get dressed, out the door. I set a kitchen timer and when it dings, we leave, no debates. Those cute chore charts just cost money and became clutter.

Wake up at the same time every day. Drink water, do two minutes of movement, brush teeth, get dressed. Pack the night before and put your keys by the door.

Kept trying complex checklists and quit by Wednesday. What stuck was the alarm across the room, a glass of water, three minutes of stretching by a window, then one written priority. Done in under ten minutes so I actually repeat it.

Skip the elaborate routines. Pick one wake time and keep it, even on weekends. Put a glass by the sink so water is the first thing you reach for. Open the blinds right away to get light and wake up faster. Brush teeth, get dressed, and move your body for three to five minutes.

Keep breakfast boring and repeatable so you do not decide every day. Bag is packed at night and lives by the door with keys and ID. Phone stays on a charger away from the bed until you are leaving. If a step takes longer than two minutes, push it to the evening.