The Mel Robbins Podcast - A Toolkit for Creating the Perfect Morning Routine

Episode Date: February 13, 2023

In this episode, we’re discussing morning routines.This episode is very tactical and covers 5 simple but essential components of a perfect morning routine.I’m really glad that you’re taking this topic seriously because every successful person you admire is serious about their mornings.I sure am.How you set up your day is typically how it ends up.I love my morning routine so much that I call it the Million Dollar Morning, because it makes me feel like a million bucks for the rest of my day – and it creates a level of discipline in my life that helps me make millions of dollars too.But let me be clear: I am not naturally a morning person.And if that’s been your excuse, my mission is to change your mind.If you already have a morning routine, listen to this episode to take it up a notch.Xo Mel  Sign up today for my free 5-day Wake Up Challenge so you can start your own Million Dollar Morning routine tomorrow.  Once you finish listening,  be sure to check out the episode “The #1 Hack for Being More Productive Tomorrow” to learn why your morning routine begins the night before. In this episode, you’ll learn: 2:45: What is behavioral activation and how can it help you?4:50: How the first decision of your day is like the lead domino in a run.7:30: Feeling bad about your morning routine? Don’t. Here’s mine.8:20: Let’s talk about procrastination in the morning.12:10: I can relate if the heaviness of the morning overwhelms you.14:30: Morning routines are boring.16:30: Rule #1 of your brand new rockstar morning routine.17:10: Using The 5 Second Rule in your morning routine.21:05: The biggest and best question to ask yourself about getting up.23:00: Snooze Button Blues: the science behind why you shouldn’t snooze.26:20: The pep talk you need: what your alarm really means.27:00: Rule #2 will train you to start cleaning up life’s messes right off the bat.29:45: Rule #3 is my favorite simple habit that reminds me I’m a winner.34:00: Are you making this mistake in the bedroom?36:10: Rule #4 requires only 10 minutes to make a difference to your health.37:00: Do this in the morning and you’ll sleep better at night.38:00: Rule #5 The science-backed secret to making progress every day. Visit www.melrobbins.com/podcast for additional resources to help you go deeper.  Disclaimer

Hey, it's your friend Mel, and welcome to a million dollar episode of the Mel Robbins podcast. I'm already laughing because I love that idea that this is a million dollar episode of the Mel Robbins podcast, and let me tell you something. It sure as hell is, because what we're gonna talk about today, not only helps me feel like a million bucks most days, but it also gives me the structure, confidence and foundation to make millions of dollars every year. And if your friend, Mel Robbins,

can go from 800 grand in debt just 14 years ago to slaying it in business. As a self-taught entrepreneur, you better damn well believe you can too. And for those of you that are brand new, I just wanna say, welcome, I'm Mel, I'm a New York Times bestselling author, I'm one of the most trusted experts in the world

on behavior change and motivation. And I believe there are simple things that you can do that'll help you create a better life. Whatever a better life means to you. And so today, we're gonna talk about the topic of morning routines. And I love my morning routine so much. I call it the million dollar morning. Because it is, in fact, the morning routine

that makes me feel like a million bucks. It gives me laser focus and it is the structure and foundation upon which I chip away at my goals and I stay consistent and continue to build the business that I have built. I'm getting a lot of questions about that. So I decided we need to talk about morning routines. Now, if you're a big fan of the podcast, then you know that we have already done an entire episode about the one hack that I use to make this incredible routine stick, right? It's like super important hack. And that hack, in case you're brand new, is that your morning routine

begins the night before. Because your evening routine and how you wind down the day, the simple series of things that you do every single evening, it's either going to make your mornings harder or easier. And so after you listen to this, if you have not listened to that episode, make sure you do. Because it really is sort of a companion to this. It doesn't matter which order you listen to them in, but you need to bookend this change. And so today we're going to focus on the components of a million dollar morning routine. And these are all based on research. And the thing I want you to think about is this, I really believe in something called behavioral activation therapy. And said very simply, behavioral activation therapy is the concept that if you want to change, if you want to be a better you,

just start acting like the person that you want to be in the future right now in your day-to-day life, that the actions that you take today are what will turn you into the person that you want to become. And look, I know you have a vision for yourself. There is a version of you that you hold in your heart and in your mind that you see that is a better version of the person than you are right now.

The you that has a better, more fulfilling job or career. The you that is truly enjoying a deeper connection in your relationship or marriage. The you that has better eating habits, better physical habits. The you that really is experiencing a better connection to the meaning and purpose in your life. That life that you envision, you're capable of achieving it, you can do the work to make that version of yourself a reality, but it's not going to happen out of

thin air. You've got to put in the work and I personally believe that every single morning you can wake up and experience a clean slate. You can wake up and you can create a morning routine. Not that the you right now likes, but the morning routine that the future you needs. And the bottom line is whether you consider yourself to be a morning person or not, a morning routine is essential. Here's how I think about a morning routine. A morning routine is like the first domino. Let's just agree that every single day of your life you wake up and you have the opportunity

to create a new experience in your life. And that first series of decisions that you make, which are basically your morning routine, it's like the beginning domino that falls. And if your morning routine sucks, like my morning routine used to suck, The first domino that falls in your day is procrastination, stress, anxiety, depression, suckiness. And that tends to trigger a whole lot more of that. Now, let's talk about the other option. Have you ever had a morning where you rolled out of bed because you had to be somewhere? You actually met a friend at the gym and the exercise class was kind of fun. And you felt really energized

and proud of yourself for going. And you were set up for the meeting that you had, you were prepared, what's a like when that domino falls? It feels good, doesn't it? It makes you feel confident and alive and proud of yourself. It kind of creates this energy and this motion in your life. And that brings me to a simple statement. If you were to get serious about creating a morning routine

that makes you feel like a million bucks, that sets you up with the structure and momentum and positive choices that act like a domino, that send you into your day feeling like you have started the day off with a bang, check in the right boxes, get in a done, feel and proud, put in yourself first. Imagine how the rest of your day flows. You see how you set your day up is how it ends up. Say it again. How you set your day up is how it ends up.

And if you are serious about making more money or making change stick or getting things done or just feeling happier or finally learning how to put yourself on the list. Let's get laser focused on your morning routine because when you get laser focused on your morning routine and setting yourself up for success from the get go it's pretty amazing what flows from there. And so before we get into the components of my million dollar morning, I want to tell you about the old mail. And for those of you that listened to the episode that we did about how to create an evening routine that truly sets you up for success in the morning.

You have heard part of this, but the old melt was a complete flipping disaster. I don't even recognize the sad sack of a human being that I used to be. I was addicted to my excuses. I was addicted to my alcohol at night. I was addicted to feeling miserable and to complaining about my problems. In fact, you want to know the first decision I made every single day.

For years, decades, in fact, the very first decision that the old Mel Robbins used to make. I did the sno this news button. Ehh! Hitting this news button is procrastination in its biggest form. But you're not procrastinating on a paper. You're not procrastinating on a project. You're not procrastinating on a call or a short, you're procrastinating on your fucking life. You're basically going. The first decision I'm going to make today in this miraculous thing called life is to not do it. I'm just going to avoid it all together. I have the option to make

the most of this time. I have the option to put myself altogether. I have the option to make the most of this time. I have the option to put myself first. I have the option to move my body, to practice mindfulness, to go outside and listen to the birds. But you know what I think I'm going to do? I think I'm going to procrastinate. I think I'm going to avoid it. I think I'm going to roll over.

I think I'm going to just opt out. And for me, I can now see that since the first decision I made was to avoid doing what I needed to do, it's so fucking obvious why I was a chronic procrastinator because I began every day like that. And as you hit the snooze button and you avoid facing your life and you avoid facing the day. You're not feeling confident. You're not feeling energized. You're not feeling in control and empowered.

You are basically embodying your excuses, your fears, your anxiety, your frustration, your fatigue. It all begins with the decision you make first thing in the morning. I believe that. And the reason why I'm being overly dramatic about this is because one of my biggest problems in life is that I avoided the hard stuff. I had a million reasons why I couldn't fix things or get a new job or pay off my bills or why I couldn't make things better or why my husband was to blame.

And so if you're sick of your excuses, if you're sick of snoozing on your dreams, if you are sick and tired of letting procrastination end out in overthinking and anxiety run your life, let's talk about your fucking morning routine. Because let me tell you what the life of a chronic snooze button person looks like. It begins in the morning. You hit the snooze button four or five times. That was me. I'd stare at the ceiling, think about my problem snooze, snooze, snooze.

And the rest of the day, guess what else I was doing? Snooze, snooze, snooze on the problems, avoiding the phone call I needed to make. That's hitting the snooze button on that, avoiding the networking I needed to do. That's hitting the snooze button there, avoiding the hard conversation I needed to make. That's hitting the snooze button on that, avoiding the networking you needed to do. That's hitting the snooze button there, avoiding the hard conversation I needed to have. That's hitting the snooze button there, blowing off the gym, another snooze button. It's not just about how you wake up. It's how you set up the day. That's how it ends up. And when you are constantly doing this to yourself, you're going to be full of stress. And the snooze button, that is just one example of the series of disastrous choices I would

make for myself, whether it was hitting the snooze button five or six times, waking up late, not giving myself enough time, skipping breakfast, never having time to exercise, not giving myself enough time, skipping breakfast, never having time to exercise, never being organized about anything, it was just honestly a nightmare. And I always say you are one decision away from a different life. And one of the things that has changed my life is deciding that I didn't want to do that anymore, that hitting this news button every single morning was not going to help me change my life. I also want to address something. You're getting to know me. And as somebody who has struggled with childhood trauma

and anxiety, I also have come to realize how profound of an act it can be sometimes to just get out of bed. And I will share from personal experience with you that winning the battle first thing in the morning to not succumb to the feelings of anxiety, to not let the heaviness of depression or overwhelm pin me to the bed, learning how to just roll through a simple series of promises that create structure and momentum, particularly on those mornings when I am not feeling it. It's a game changer because there will be many mornings when you wake up where you're not going to be feeling it. It's a game changer because there will be many mornings when you wake up where you're

not going to be feeling it. There are going to be lots of periods in your life where your anxiety may spike or you're struggling with grief or depression and being able to come back to this simple morning routine. It's almost like a way to create guardrails on the road of your life. That these are simple things that you know you can rely on so that you feel like yourself, no matter what's going on within you or around you. And when I start to think about my morning routine, not in the lane of, we're in the military, or I'm a Navy seal, or I'm training for a marathon or dooses, what billionaires do, which is one of our

most popular YouTube titles. It's not even my title. Somebody took a bunch of my videos and mashed it up into something and was like the morning routine of billionaires. But when you think more about your morning routine, it's just a simple series of promises that make you you, that no matter where you are, no matter what you're going through, that these simple series of promises are things that you do every day, to start your day, to take care of yourself, to set yourself up, to get the ball rolling, to put yourself first, to tap into your energy, to boost your mood, that these simple series of promises are going to create some simple discipline in your life that you can rely on, that you

know that you're the kind of person that if you say you're going to do it, you do it, that is the greater power in a morning routine. Yes, it will set your day up for success. Yes, it is the first domino to fall. But over time, what I have found to be really interesting about your morning routine is it makes you more of you. And I'm going to warn you, this is not a sexy topic, okay? Warning routines are boring, they are repetitive, but that's good because this concept that I talk about, simple discipline, simple discipline, simple promises. This is the foundation to an incredible life,

because when you know that you can keep a promise to yourself, your life opens up in ways that you can't even imagine. Because you know that you can count on yourself to do absolutely anything that you say you're going to do. And so this concept of using a morning routine to create simple discipline in your life and to practice keeping simple promises to yourself, it is a muscle that is going to pay dividends that are priceless because it's the foundation of confidence and it's the foundation of resilience and it's going to help you tap into this power inside you. So let me help you figure out what a million dollar morning looks like, okay?

But first we gotta go to our sponsors. They bring the show to you at zero cost. We love our sponsors. So pay attention and don't go anywhere because we're gonna jump into the five parts of the million dollar morning routine when we get back. Welcome back! I'm so excited you're still here. I didn't scare you off good because you deserve to feel like a million bucks.

And that begins with how you wake up. So let's talk about the five components of what I call a million dollar morning. Number one, when the alarm rings, get your ass out of bed. Look, it's your friend, Mel. I know. There's a million reasons not to get out of bed. But Mel, it's 30 degrees. It's dark.

It's raining. It's cold. It's depressing. I got a lot going on. I stayed up late, I'm exhausted, I'm hung over, I'm tired, my stress is through the, none of that matters. The only thing that matters is do you keep the promises that you make to yourself?

And how do you do that? I'll tell you how do you do that? You're gonna use my five-second rule. The alarm is gonna ring, and you are going to count backwards, five, four, three, two, one, and then you're just gonna roll out of bed. That's it.

It's not sexy, it's not fun. I have been getting out of bed this way for 14 years, and I still have to count backwards every single morning, five, four, three, two, one, because I don't like getting out of bed this way for 14 years. And I still have to count backwards every single morning, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 because I don't like getting out of bed. I do not have the discipline to get out of bed. If I have the choice any day of the week to lay in a warm, cozy, amazing bed with bamboo silky sheets in my husband sleeping next to me, or roll out of bed into the cold bedroom and start my day, I will choose the warm bed every day of the week.

But that's not the conversation you and I are having, are we? We're not talking about comfort. We're talking about simple discipline. We're talking about the promises that you need to start to make. We're talking about doing things that are hard and uncomfortable. Why? Because you deserve to have the life that you want. And sometimes feeling like a million bucks for the whole day means you got to feel like shit for about five seconds. And that's what it's

going to take. And this is also about keeping promises. If you can't rely on yourself to get up when the alarm rings, how the hell are you going to rely on yourself to do the really hard stuff? To have the hard conversation, to blow off the party and work on your resume, to get serious about your songwriting career, or the second act that you want to create, or finally meeting somebody who's not got so much childhood trauma that you're their therapist and not your lover. If you can't roll out of bed simply because you said you would when the going gets really

rough, you're going to bail on yourself, which is why getting up when the alarm ring matters. Now, there's a level of integrity. You're keeping that promise. The second reason why I want you to get your ass out of bed when the alarm rings is because let's just between friends talk about what we're doing as relying there in bed. We're looking at social media. We're indulging our anxiety. We're experiencing trauma triggers. We are riding the wave of cortisol and stress hormones that are flooding through our brain and body. We're bemoaning the hangover we feel. We're spinning negative thoughts about the day ahead or the

stuff we didn't do or all the regrets we have because we can't remember what happened last night. That's what you're doing in bed. Let's be honest with each other. Is that what the new you wants to do? Of course not. That's the other reason why when the alarm rings rule number one to the million dollar morning, get your ass out of bed. Why? Because you're a winner and you got no time to lay in bed like a loser, like Mel Robbins used to be, and listen to that bullshit and feel those awful feelings. Get your fucking ass out of bed, and get on with your day, and show your body who's boss, and don't indulge that bullshit in your mind,

because the longer you listen to it, the louder it's gonna get, and look, I get it. Some days it's really hard. I don't give a shit. All that negative stuff is lying to you. Five, four, three, two, one. Shut it down and get your ass up. Because the fact is, if you want a new life, you're gonna have to fight for it. If you want a million dollars in the bank and financial freedom, you're gonna have to work

for it. This stuff isn't easy, but it's simple, but you have to do it. So number one, alarm rings, ask out of bed. And here's the final thing I want to talk about when it comes to this. Why are you doing this? You're doing it for you. You see, I think for years and years and years, you were getting out of bed for other people.

Think about it. When you were little, when would you get up? You would get up because mom was yelling at you too, or dad was yelling at you too. You were getting up because you had to get to school or make the bus or get to work or you get out of bed because you got to get the kids up or you got to get your age and parents up.

That ends today. Today, when that alarm rings, it is a fucking wake-up call. Ding, ding, ding. Your life is here and it's time for you to get up for you. So, tomorrow morning, we're not waking up for somebody else. We're not laying in bed and listening to that bullshit because you get to make a choice. You can choose to do what you've always done, which means you're going to have what you've always had, or you can make a choice to show up as the new you. You can make a promise that you're going to not only wake up, you're going to get up for yourself, that you, my friend, are going to become the driver of your life, and that bullshit story. And then a morning person, fuck morning people.

Who cares? This is not about whether or not you feel like it. This is about you building the discipline because you deserve to, because that's the kind of person that you are. And let's also tell one more truth. If I needed you, you would get your ass out of bed for me. If somebody that you loved needed you to set that alarm an hour earlier

because they needed a ride to the airport or they needed somebody to go to a doctor's appointment or heck, they just needed you to be there for them. You would do it. And so today, starting today, I want you to do it for yourself. And if you can't do that, then let me tell you the science. Okay? You want to know the scientific reason why you should never hit this news button? Let me hit you with some neuroscience here. Two words, sleep inertia. That's right, sleep inertia.

When you hit the snooze button instead of getting your ass out of bed, you mistakenly create a condition in your brain called sleep inertia. Sleep inertia is a state that your brain gets trapped in for four hours after you hit the snooze button because here's what happens when you hit the snooze button. You're awake and as the alarm turns off, your brain then drifts back into sleep. And here's the thing that researchers have figured out. When you drift back to sleep after you've woken up, your brain starts a sleep cycle. And sleep cycles take 75 to 90 minutes to complete. So when that alarm goes off again in nine minutes, and you're like, oh my god, like, have you ever noticed you're like, in

deep sleep when you drift back to sleep? That's because you're nine minutes in to a 75-minute sleep cycle. That groggy, exhausted, heavy, bleak feeling that you have when you hit the snooze button several times and you can't quite get awake and you complain that you didn't get a good night's sleep, that's not a function of how you slept. That's you and me being an idiot for hitting the snooze button and putting our brain in a state of sleep inertia because when you hit the snooze button, your brain is now freaking trapped in a sleep cycle. And it takes your brain based on research about four hours to get through that groggy ass feeling. So the most productive period of the day, which is the first two hours after you wake up, it's when your brain has the highest speed of processing, it's when you're the most alert. You just flushed the best two hours of brain power down

the fricking toilet because you hit the snooze button. Why am I so passionate about this? Because I wasted years of my life doing this. I was a chronic snooze button. Why am I so passionate about this? Because I wasted years of my life doing this. I was a chronic snooze button alarm hitter. I was also a chronic all-nighter puller in college. I was chronically late with deadlines. This was prolific in my life. I would always complain about not getting enough sleep. The truth is, I lived in a state of sleep inertia. So take your power back, whether you're inspired by the science, because it's just kind of stupid to do this to yourself once you realize that this is what happens, or you're inspired by this idea that wouldn't it be fucking awesome? If instead of waking up feeling obligated to the rest of the world, I took my life back and I started waking up for myself. I started seizing the day.

I started seeing that alarm as more than alarm, it is a wake up call for the rest of my life. So rule number one, for a million dollar morning. Five, four, three, two, one, get your ass out of bed because you, my friend, have a lot of cool stuff to do. And that brings me to rule number two. So when we come back, after hearing a short word from our sponsors, we're going to talk about rule number two.

Do not go anywhere. You need all five things for the million dollar morning routine. I'll be right back. Okay, it's Mal. We're talking million dollar mornings and why you deserve one and how you create one and we're on rule number two. So let's dig into it. Rule number two of the million dollar morning, you're ready because you deserve to feel

like a million bucks. You're going to make your bed. That's right. Make your bed. Why, Mel? Making the bed is about completing things. See, normally, the old Mel would roll out a bed after hitting the snooze button and the bed would look like a tsunami hit it. And then for the rest of the day, whenever I walked into the bedroom, you know what I saw? Something that was incomplete. I saw a mess that needed to be made that I had left for myself to clean up. And so one of the reasons why I love this simple habit as part of your morning routine, always make your bed. And I mean always, if I am traveling for work and I'm staying in a hotel, I make my bed, even though you know somebody's gonna come

through and make it even nicer later, I don't care. Why? Because your morning routine is a way for you to be you no matter where you are. If I'm visiting my parents down in Florida or up in Michigan, I make my bed. Why? Because I'm myself no matter where I am.

That's the power of your morning routine. This is about the promises you keep. It's about the rhythm in which you start your day. And this is a habit about completing something. Isn't it awesome to think that you start your day by checking a box that you make your bed because you know it's a way to finish something? And there are mornings where Chris might still be sleeping.

Maybe I got up a little earlier and he's sleeping in for whatever reason. I just make my side of the bed. I might even tuck in the sheet around him, you know, kind of tuck him in a little bit as a little act of love. But there's another reason why to do this. And I love this framing of it too. Because making your bed is a way to give the future you a gift. Later on, you're going to walk into this bedroom, and you're going to lay down, and you're going to dream. And isn't it awesome to walk back into this bedroom tonight? And there is a beautiful bed made for you, a beautiful place for you to lay down tonight and dream, a little gift from the morning you to the evening you to say you deserve this.

It's also a gift because if you walk back into your bedroom, you've already taken care of it. There's nothing to do. There's no mess that's been left for you to clean up. You have left this gift of getting it complete. Just amazing. So rule number one, alarm rings, it is a wake up call. Your life is waiting. Get your ass out of bed. You get stuff to do. Rule number two, we're going to make our bed. Because this is about a series of promises that create a positive domino ripple effect to start your day. And rule number three, high five habit, baby.

You got to get in that bathroom after you brush your teeth and high five yourself in the mirror. Now, I did a whole episode about this, but I'm going to explain it for those of you that are brand new. Here's how we're going to do this. Right after you brush your teeth, and we're going to do it after you brush your teeth because this habit should be paired with something that you already do and you don't even think about. That's called habit stacking,

and it's gonna help you encode this habit of simply high-fiving yourself in the mirror. So when you're done flossing, brushing, rinsing, spitting, put the tooth brush down. Take a moment. Look the human being in the eyes. You know who I want you to see? I want you to see all your hopes and dreams in the hands of the person in that mirror.

And I'll tell you something. That person needs your support. And that person needs you to keep a simple promise every single day. You're going to start your day and your million dollar morning with a little huddle with yourself. You're going to set an intention with yourself as you stand there after brushing your teeth. This is so grounded in research. You got to get your mind right.

You're going to stand there and decide, who am I going to be today? Is today a day about peace, about freedom, is it a day about momentum, courage? How am I going to show up today? For myself. Who am I going to be? And then when you're ready, just like a winning team does, you are going to raise that hand and you are going to high five the future you in the mirror. You are going to send yourself into the game of life knowing that no matter what happens today, you're a winner, you can do this, you are going to do your best, you

are going to try, you're going to shake off the bullshit that comes your way and you're going to get out there and you're're gonna make it a great day. And the thing that I love about this and again, I have covered the science in this in the episode that we released called the most important habit you can have this year. It was the first episode we released in January of 2023. It is a game changer. My husband is also on that episode, and it's crazy emotional because he describes what happened to him when he added the high five habit to his million dollar morning routine, the breakthrough that he experienced, because you deserve to feel like a million bucks, and you don't feel like a million bucks when you're beating the hell out of yourself.

And you don't feel like a million bucks when you're dragon, shame, and regret and failure with you. And the high five habit is the science-backed, fast-tracked research-backed way to plow an entirely new neuro pathway and relationship with yourself into your brain, body, mind, and spirit. I'm so passionate about this. Million dollar morning, you are going to add a high five in the mirror to your future self and set an intention as part

of your morning routine. Alrighty. Rule number four, move your body and move your mind. Now I need to say something because I haven't said it yet. And I forget to say this because I just think it's like something you need to do. It's like so obvious. And that is, have you noticed what I haven't done yet? I haven't looked at my phone. And I want to be very clear about this. You are to get your ass out of bed without looking at your phone. You are to get your ass out of bed before you look at your phone. You are supposed to make your bed without looking at your phone. And you are supposed to walk into the bathroom and wash your face and brush your teeth and do

all that stuff and then do the high five habit and send the future you into the day after this awesome huddle and not look at your phone. And I now want you to move your mind and your body without checking your texts and email. Why? Because the second you pick up that phone and you look at a text or an email, you have now put the entire world in front of you. I want you to stop and think about how many people follow you online, even if it's just a couple hundred people on Facebook. Would you want them to walk into your bedroom every single morning? No, of course not. Would you want them to walk into the bathroom as you're standing there without underpants on,

brushing your teeth? No! Then why on earth? Are you letting them do that by looking at your phone? Because that's what you're doing. And more importantly, the second that you look at your phone, you are giving your most important resource as part of your million dollar morning,

which is your attention and your intention and your energy to other people. We got to fucking conserve that shit for yourself, like your dreams, your energy, your focus, your intention, your attention. You got to fight to keep that yours. And so yes, you may listen to something as you move your body or you may listen to a guided meditation as you move your mind, but do not under any circumstances. Look at your fricking texts or your email or you screw the whole thing up. It goes from the million dollar morning to bankruptcy 101 because you just let everybody

bankrupt your attention and bankrupt your energy and stress you the hell out before you gave yourself the time you're not gonna find the rest of the day. And this is so important because I know a lot of you're like, but I like to do it at the end of the day, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, you can't count on that.

The only thing that you can count on is that first thing in the morning, if you get up early enough, you can put yourself first. You can move your body and you can have a mindfulness practice before the rest of the world steps in and steals your time and energy. And so get serious about this. Yes, you can have a longer workout routine at night. Nobody's saying you can't do it twice.

I'm just advocating for something based on the research and common sense. And so rule number four of the million dollar morning, move your body and move your mind. And I'm talking 10 minutes. There's a brand new study published in the journal of the American Medical Association that has found that just 10 minutes of power walking every day can add years to your life. And the best part is that walking is fast, it is free, and it is a way for you to achieve better health, a better mood, and even better sleep. Now, what is a power walk? Walk like you're late.

That's all you need to do. Get outside for 10 lousy minutes. This is so important. It not only adds years to your life, it improves your mood, mood impacts focus all day. And also, if you can get outside first thing in the morning and bang these 10 minutes out by walking your dog or walking with your kids or walking around the yard

or whatever it may be, it resets your circadian rhythm when you see bright light or the outside first thing in the morning, and based on research, that's one of the best ways for you to develop healthier sleep habits. So 10 minutes, physical exercise, 10 minutes of a mindset practice,

whether you're journaling, meditating, praying, listening to some sort of calming app, just move your mind, move your body. That's it. You're done. And bought a bing, bought a boom. You have put your mind and your body and your spirit first. And don't look at the faunette.

Don't check email yet. Because rule number five, and this is what will make you a million dollars. This is what will help you pay off a million dollars in debt. It's called the progress principle. The secret to getting big things done is making little progress every day. You want to know how I have accomplished everything that I've accomplished. I make little progress every day. And so before you look at your phone, before you look at email,

before you let the rest of the world in, take five minutes and move the ball down the field on something that's important to you. This comes from research out of Harvard Business School. They call it the progress principle. It is so simple. People who feel like they've made progress on something that's important to them feel more fulfilled. Period. It's not about getting things done.

It's about making progress on things that actually matter. So whether that thing that matters is getting the photo album assembled for mom and dads anniversary, or it's getting the paperwork in for financial aid, for the degree that you want to go get, or making progress is clearing out the back bedroom. Now that your kids have moved on, so that you have a place for the future you to really work on that new book you've been writing, or maybe it's progress on something like I've been working on, like launching a podcast, slowly chipping away at learning about it, studying it, moving it down the field,

5, 10, 15 minutes a day is all it takes because those little moves add up to major change. And that, my friend, is the million dollar morning. It's really that simple. It's based in profound research. It checks all the boxes. You can add anything you want to it, but what I love about it is no matter where I am, whether I'm home in Southern Vermont, or I'm visiting my parents, or I'm visiting a friend, or I'm sleeping on my

daughter's couch in Southy, or I am staying in a hotel. This simple series of five promises, it makes me feel like me. It makes me know that no matter where I am and what's going on, I know I can rely on me. Because every single day when that alarm rings, I wake up, I roll out of bed, I get started, I get my ass out of bed, I do not look at my phone, I do not look at my emails, I do not check my texts, I do not look at social media, I wouldn't dare do it because it's not part of my million dollar morning. I then go and make the bed. Why? Because it makes me feel like a million bucks. I'm just that kind of person, you know? And then I set the intention with the future mail. That's where I bitch.

We're going to go get it today. High five to that. Get out there. Let's go. And that high five, it washes away the worry. It checks me up. It makes me feel a little bit more like I'm up to something. Let's do this thing at 54. I feel kind of cool, not going to lie. Got to make time to move my body in my mind. 10 minutes. You got 10 lousy minutes. I still haven't looked at my messages or my emails. Not going to let it bankrupt me. I am on a million dollar role and then I got to move the ball down the field. That's it. And I'm serious about this. I want you to try this million dollar morning and I want to help you get started. So if you want some help, let me kick your ass. Well, I'll actually just encourage you. Join my free five day challenge.

I created this to help you put this into practice. I say this all the time. We're not just here for listening. This is a doing podcast. And so we created the no cost wake up challenge for you. Go to MelRobins.com slash wake up. Start tomorrow. Tens of thousands of people have already completed it. And in the challenge, you learn more hacks, tips, science,

research, all kinds of things that will not only motivate you, it's going to help you become the future you. That's what this is about. And you know why we're doing this? Simple, because I love you. And I believe in you. And I believe that you can do this. You can create a morning routine that makes you feel like a million dollars. You can keep a set of simple promises that helps you create the foundation to achieve your goals. And trust me when I tell you, it will be worth it. All right, I'll see you in the wake of challenge,

and I will see you in a few days. Go do it, I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. Oh, one more thing. It's the legal language. This podcast is presented solely for educational and entertainment purposes.

It is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, professional coach, psychotherapist, or other qualified professional. Stitcher Stitcher