If you want to achieve great things and seriously move forward in life, you won’t get there by lounging in bed, twiddling your thumbs. 

Unless you’re exceptionally fortunate, life just doesn’t work this way. 

For you to become a success, you have to want it bad enough… something that should consistently reflect in your daily habits. 

How you approach your mornings is no exception. 

After all, how you start your mornings sets the tone for the rest of the day, and in a sense, for the rest of your life. 

Very few people become successful by habitually rolling out of bed at noon. 

In this article, I’ll take you through the morning habits of unsuccessful people who never move forward in life. 

If you recognize a few of these habits, consider it time to start making adjustments. 

Remember, your mornings are sacred, you should begin treating them accordingly. 

Let’s dive in!

1) Hitting the snooze button repeatedly 

The majority of people dread having to hear their alarm go off in the morning and will thus hit snooze repeatedly… until the very last second. 

This means they’ve wasted valuable minutes getting a bit of extra sleep rather than getting the day started. 

By hitting snooze, they’re putting things off, which means they’ll have to rush to get ready, likely creating unnecessary stress for themselves in the process. 

The latter represents a negative, sluggish energy that could follow them for the rest of the day, something that may manifest as a lack of motivation and productivity. 

If you feel sleep-deprived, then try to start going to bed just a bit earlier… and therefore, naturally, you’ll start rising just a bit earlier.

By getting out of bed earlier than you normally would, you’re giving yourself time to decompress and do other things, rather than just frantically and chaotically rushing to get ready and head to work. 

2) Starting the day without a plan

Avoid clutter and mental pressure by planning and having a schedule.

Be systematic in how you tackle your days, rather than just winging it. 

By making the extra effort, you’re saving yourself a whole lot of trouble. 

Have a loose itinerary of what needs to be done on a given day and start conquering each item methodically. 

Stand out by being more organized than the rest, by showing the initiative to plan. 

Not having a clear idea of what needs to be done can lead to aimless activities, wasted time, and ultimately, missed opportunities. 

3) Checking social media immediately 

These days, nobody is safe from mindless scrolling… you and I included. 

Just the other day, I found myself scrolling through Instagram reels for at least two hours, not realizing how much time had passed, and how many things I had put off. 

I kept telling myself “Just a few more reels,” but wasn’t able to gather the resolve to just put my phone away until it was, in many respects, too late. 

Besides, the content on social media by its very nature lacks substance. 

95% of the time you’re just watching inane street interviews or people getting jumpscared. 

And for every video, there are strangers ruthlessly fighting and name-calling in the comment section… being exposed to this negativity and pessimism is not an ideal way to start your day.

Real talk. 

4) Skipping breakfast 

I get it: intermittent fasting is all the rage now. 

But here’s the thing: Every successful, high-achieving person I’ve come across in life makes it a point to consume a nutritious breakfast in the morning. 

Healthy, unprocessed food is the fuel you need to jumpstart your productivity and performance for the day. 

Fasting or not eating healthy can potentially lead to low energy levels and decreased concentration. 

So if you haven’t already, start planning your meals in the morning.

Prioritize things like whole-grain foods, fruits, yogurts, smoothies, lean proteins, and so on. 

Leave the Denny’s Grand Slam meal for a weekend cheat day. 

5) Ignoring personal development 

As touched on, your mornings shouldn’t simply be about sluggishly getting out of bed and rushing to get ready. 

You should make time for self-care activities like reading, journaling, and even meditation. 

It’s easy to get caught up in the chaos of life. 

You owe it to yourself to slow down once in a while to engage in activities that can increase your opportunities for growth, reflection, and self-awareness… which in turn, can create further professional and personal opportunities. 

You’re more than a mere cog in the system. 

Be kinder to yourself. 

Start valuing and respecting your autonomy and independence as a living, breathing human being, by regularly engaging in personal development work. 

6) Watching TV or news

We live in a contentious time in history. 

Non-stop wars (both culture wars and real ones), inflation, climate change, a global pandemic, the polarization of people, and so on. 

You rarely see actual news on TV that is positive and uplifting these days. 

So save your news consumption for another time of the day, not your mornings. 

Remember, how you start your mornings can set the tone for things to come. 

Consuming negative, heartbreaking, and sensational news shortly after waking up can set a pessimistic and unsettling precedent, almost certainly distracting you from more productive tasks. 

7) Skipping physical activity 

In case you haven’t gotten the memo, the benefits of a bit of daily physical activity are boundless. 

The morning is an ideal time to incorporate some exercise into your daily routine. 

Why you ask? Exercising in the morning can boost your energy levels, enhance mood, and improve focus throughout the day. 

It helps establish a consistent routine, speeds up your metabolism, and almost always results in better quality sleep in the evenings. 

Morning exercise also reduces the chance of neglecting workouts due to unanticipated daily commitments, such as getting lazy and finding an excuse to skip. 

Trust me, the toughest part of starting a morning fitness routine is starting. 

Once you get into the swing of things with exercise (and any morning habit really), it will soon feel effortless. 

You’ll feel motivated to conquer your days, the energy from your workout sustaining you throughout. 

You got this.