I Tried the 5 AM Morning Routine. Here's What Actually Happened.

# I Tried the "Perfect" Morning Routine for 30 Days and It Was a Disaster

Let's be honest. You've seen those TikTok videos of people waking up at 5 AM, doing yoga while the sun rises, drinking lemon water, journaling, meditating, and somehow still having time to make a perfect avocado toast before heading to their dream job.

I used to watch those and think "That could be me! I just need more discipline!"

So I decided to try it. For 30 days, I attempted to become one of those "highly successful" morning routine people. I woke up at 5 AM every single day. I meditated. I journaled. I exercised. I did all the things.

And it was... well, let me tell you what really happened.

The Grand Experiment: Day 1-10

Day 1: False Confidence Woke up at 5 AM feeling like a superhero. Meditated for 10 minutes (mostly thought about how impressive I was). Journaling consisted of "Today is going to be amazing! I'm so productive!" Went for a run. Made eggs and avocado toast. Felt like I was conquering the world.

By 10 AM, I was so tired I wanted to cry. Had to take a nap at my desk. Spent the rest of the day feeling like I'd been hit by a truck.

Day 3: The Cracks Begin Still waking up at 5 AM, but now it involves hitting snooze 8 times and feeling guilty about it. Meditation is now just me sitting there thinking about coffee. Journaling: "Still tired. Maybe tomorrow will be better."

Started snapping at my coworkers. My friend asked if I was okay and I almost bit her head off for asking such a ridiculous question.

Day 7: The Meltdown Woke up at 5 AM, looked at my running shoes, and just started crying. Like, full-on ugly crying. What kind of monster wakes up this early when it's still dark outside? Who decided this was the key to success?

I ended up crawling back into bed and sleeping until 8:30 AM. And you know what? It was the best sleep I'd had all week.

Days 11-20: The Rebellion Phase

By the second week, I started rebelling against my own routine.

The Compromise Okay, 5 AM is clearly not working. Let's try 6 AM. Still too early. 7 AM? Getting warmer. 7:30 AM with the option to hit snooze? Now we're talking.

The Meditation Situation Turns out I hate meditating. I really do. Sitting there trying to "clear my mind" just makes me think about all the things I'm not doing. My mind is a chaotic place and that's okay.

Instead, I started listening to music while making coffee. Way more enjoyable, and it actually puts me in a good mood.

The Journaling Revelation My journaling was basically just a daily list of reasons I should feel guilty about not being productive. "I didn't exercise enough." "I ate too much sugar." "I spent too much time on my phone."

I switched to writing down three things that went okay yesterday. Even small stuff like "The coffee was good" or "I didn't yell at anyone." Weirdly, this made me feel better about myself.

The Exercise Disaster I hate morning exercise. I just do. My body is stiff, I'm half-asleep, and I spend the whole time thinking about how much I want to go back to bed.

I moved my workouts to lunch time and actually started enjoying them. Who knew being awake helped with exercise?

Days 21-30: Finding What Actually Works

By the final week, I'd abandoned the "perfect" routine entirely and was just figuring out what worked for me.

My "Real" Morning Routine: - Wake up between 7:30-8:00 AM (when my body actually feels ready to be awake) - Make coffee and listen to music or a podcast while it brews - Sit on my balcony for 10 minutes (no phone, just coffee and fresh air) - Get dressed and ready for work - Leave for work

That's it. That's the whole routine. And you know what? I feel better than I did when I was trying to be a perfect morning person.

What I Learned About Productivity and Mornings

1. Your Chronotype Is Real (And You Can't Fight It)

Some people are morning larks. Some people are night owls. I'm definitely a night owl. Forcing myself to wake up at 5 AM was like trying to force myself to be tall. It just wasn't going to happen.

**If you're a night owl:** Stop fighting it. Work with your natural rhythm, not against it. Maybe you do your best work from 10 AM to 6 PM instead of 8 AM to 4 PM. Who cares?

**If you're a morning person:** Great! Do your thing! Just don't act like everyone else can (or should) do the same.

2. "Productivity" Isn't One-Size-Fits-All

The morning routine industry would have you believe there's one perfect way to start your day. But humans are different. Some people need silence, some need noise. Some people need exercise, some need to ease into the day.

Your perfect routine is whatever makes you feel good and ready to face your day, not what some influencer on TikTok does.

3. Guilt Is the Enemy of Productivity

The worst part of my experiment wasn't waking up early or exercising. It was the constant guilt when I didn't do everything "perfectly."

Guilt doesn't make you more productive. It just makes you feel bad about yourself, which actually makes you less productive because you're spending all that energy feeling guilty instead of doing things.

4. Small Wins Are Better Than Perfect Failures

I'd rather have a "good enough" morning routine that I actually stick with than a "perfect" routine that I abandon after a week.

Success isn't about doing everything right. It's about doing enough things consistently to make progress.

What Actually Works (For Normal Humans)

Based on my month-long experiment and subsequent research, here's what seems to actually help most people:

✅ Things That Actually Work: - **Waking up when your body is ready to be awake** (not when some influencer says you should) - **Doing something you actually enjoy** in the morning (music, coffee, quiet time, whatever) - **Minimizing decisions** (lay out clothes the night before, have a simple breakfast plan) - **Not immediately checking your phone** (but let's be real, most of us do this anyway) - **Starting with something easy** to build momentum for the day

❌ Things That Are Overrated: - **Waking up super early** if you're not naturally a morning person - **Forcing yourself to do "healthy" activities you hate** (looking at you, morning cardio) - **Complicated routines with 17 steps** (that's just a recipe for feeling guilty) - **Comparing yourself to others** (especially to people who are probably faking it anyway) - **Beating yourself up for "bad" mornings** (sometimes you just need more sleep)

The Bottom Line

The perfect morning routine is the one you actually stick with. It doesn't matter if it's 5 AM yoga or 8 AM coffee on the couch. What matters is that it sets you up for a day where you feel reasonably okay and ready to face your responsibilities.

If you're a 5 AM morning person who loves running and meditating? That's great! Do your thing! But if you're someone who needs to ease into the day with coffee and quiet time, that's great too.

Stop trying to be someone you're not just because some productivity guru said that's the "right" way to live. You do you. The world needs all kinds of people, including night owls and people who hate morning exercise.

**Want to figure out what routine actually works for you?** Maybe try different things until you find something you don't hate. Or keep forcing yourself to wake up at 5 AM because you saw a TikTok video about it. Your call, your life.

Just remember: The goal isn't to have the "perfect" morning. The goal is to have a life that doesn't make you want to cry before you've even had coffee. ☕️

Now if you'll excuse me, it's 9 AM and I'm just finishing my first cup of coffee. And that's perfectly okay.