Adele Miner: I tried Mel Robbins' early morning routine and this is what happened

As I stare at my expressionless face reflecting in the mirror, hoodie hood pulled over my head, and my hand hovering over the glass like an eejit, I’m not sure how this equates to smashing my life, but I persist nonetheless. 

Online strangers motivate me: “The Mel Robbins morning routine works wonders. I’ve walked and fed both my dogs, an hour on the walking pad, at home Pilates, edited and posted two TikToks, made breakfast and coffee, all before logging onto my job,” posts one person. 

“I made coffee and breakfast, unloaded/loaded the dishwasher, did laundry and got a workout in, all before 9am,” shares another. 

Robbins has six early morning habits:

Don’t hit snooze. As soon as the alarm sounds, count down from five and get out of bed.

Make your bed. Robbins calls this “a promise kept no matter what”.

Give yourself a high five in the mirror. To boost self- esteem and take control of your day, knowing you always have your own back.

Hydrate. Drink a glass of water when you get up before anything else.

Get outside. Once you’re dressed, you step outside for 10 minutes.

Move your body. Whether it’s a walk while you’re outside or a quick workout when you’re home, Robbins recommends moving your body for at least a few minutes.

Robbins also recommends sneaking into micro-habits, like tidying the house or writing a shopping list, and crucially, not touching your phone for the duration of all the above.

As a chronic snooze button hitter, I often think myself into a spiral before getting out of bed, so I was keen to see if I could shake up my usual morning habits.

Science suggests that a good morning routine is the
cornerstone for productivity, fulfilment, and wellness. A 2022 study by global market research firm Euromonitor International found that those with a solid morning routine were more likely to characterise themselves as highly productive (92%) than those who do not (79%).

Collecting star coins

Getting out of bed as soon as my alarm sounded took a herculean effort on day one, and, to my disappointment, it didn’t get easier as the week progressed. But not giving your brain a chance to ponder existential crises first thing in the morning works wonders for your serotonin, and once I was up and moving, there was no stopping me.

I followed all Robbins’ recommended steps, high-fiving myself, going on a brisk 10-minute walk or doing some stretches in the garden, before sitting down to my laptop to begin work.

Completing each task felt like collecting star coins on Mario Bros. The dishwasher was unloaded, clothes were folded, and that birthday card was bought. By 9am, I had done most of the tasks and errands I would spend the day procrastinating, and my mind was free to focus on other things.

I was on a roll until the weekend, when things derailed a little. After a productive work week, Saturday morning came around, and when I heard the rain hit my window as my alarm clock rang, I looked at my dog fast asleep in the bed beside me and thought, ‘Nah’.

The productivity cult is great until it involves jumping out of bed like a navy seal on a rainy Saturday morning when I could be resting and having dog cuddles instead.

Motivation to relax

Robbins calls her regimen the ‘million dollar morning routine’, citing the six habits that changed her life and led her to earn a million dollars. 

But maybe I’m too Irish to stick to a morning routine like this seven days a week, 365 days a year. I’m not whizzing through my to-do list to become a millionaire; I just want to wrap up boring stuff as soon as possible so I can plonk on the sofa sooner.

Unlike viral motivation trends such as the ‘75 hard’ or ‘100 push-ups’ challenge, which allow for little mercy, Robbins’ morning routine can be adapted — I still drank my water and got sunlight on the weekend but at my own pace. After seven days of trying it out, there are key elements from the routine that I’ll carry with me, but I would be lying if I said that I will continue with all six steps seven days a week.

Instead, in the future, I will follow her advice from Monday to Friday, but if you hear my alarm clock ringing 18 times on Saturday and Sunday mornings, say nothing.