HOW TO GUARANTEE SUCCESS WITHOUT A MORNING ROUTINE!

Do you feel pressured to wake up at 5 a.m., meditate, exercise, and sip on a green smoothie to achieve success? In this episode, we bust the myth that a perfect morning routine is the ultimate secret to success.

Join us as we dive into why success is more about consistency than timing, how to craft routines that align with your unique energy levels, and why flexibility often trumps rigid structures. With real-life examples from Elon Musk, Oprah Winfrey, and Jeff Bezos, we’ll show you that there’s no one-size-fits-all formula for achievement.

Whether you’re a morning person, a night owl, or somewhere in between, this episode will inspire you to rethink your approach to productivity and focus on what truly matters: results. Tune in now and unlock strategies tailored to your life, rhythm, and goals.

Transcript

3 Reasons Why a Morning Routine Is Not the Secret to Success

If you want to be successful, you must wake up at 5 am, Exercise for 15 minutes, practice mindfulness for 10 minutes, drink a home-made smoothie, have a cold plunge at 6 am and your success is guaranteed. 

That’s what many people advise. The truth however is far more nuanced. While morning routines can be beneficial for some, they are not the ultimate determinant of success. In this video we’ll explore why a great morning routine may not make you succeed.

Welcome back to 3 Point inspiration where we talk about courage, resilience, and grit. My name is Bessy Ebule.

1. Success Is About Consistency, Not Timing

The real driver of success is consistency and not timing. While starting your day with purpose is valuable, success depends on maintaining productive habits throughout the day and over the long term. A morning routine might set a tone, but it’s not the full story.

 Consider Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX. Musk is known for his unconventional work schedule. He doesn’t dedicate his mornings to elaborate rituals; instead, he dives straight into his work. Musk operates on a time-blocking system, splitting his day into five-minute increments. His success comes from his ability to focus intensely on what matters most, not from how he starts his day.

Contrast this with someone who spends hours on a picture-perfect morning routine—meditating, journaling, exercising, and drinking a green smoothie—only to spend the rest of the day procrastinating. Obviously, nothing productive can come out of that day. Success doesn’t come from how you start but how consistently you perform throughout the day.

Research shows that we only have 3-5 hours a day to be productive and our energy levels are not the same throughout the day. So, you really want to know when those 3-5 hours are for you. Because if you don’t, you will fail to maximise them. For some it might be in the morning while others may be at night. You will have heard of being a morning person or a night owl. 

Don’t get caught up trying to copy other people’s template of success. Carey Niewhouf talks about this in his book “At your best”. Carey suggests that if you have discovered when your energy levels are highest, then schedule your most important tasks then. For example, if you are a writer and a morning person, it would make sense for you to schedule writing in the early hours of the morning when you brain is still very sharp and energy levels are high. On the other hand, if you are a dancer and a night person, it would be wiser to stick your headphones on and do your dancing in the night. No point struggling to do things without the necessary energy.

Hey, let me know in the comments, are you a night or a morning person? 

2. FIND A ROUTINE THAT WORKS FOR YOU

By now, we all know that one size does not fit all. What works for one person might not work for another, and forcing everyone into a rigid framework can be counterproductive. Some of the most successful people have vastly different routines.

 For example, Oprah Winfrey famously begins her mornings with meditation and exercise, followed by a healthy breakfast. This helps her feel grounded and prepared for the day. For Oprah, this routine aligns with her personality and values.

 On the other hand, Winston Churchill, one of history's most influential leaders, had a completely different approach. He spent his mornings lounging in bed, reading the news, and dictating letters. His productivity peaked later in the day. Despite his unconventional morning habits, Churchill’s contributions during World War II were monumental.

These examples illustrate that success is not tied to following a specific morning formula. Instead, it’s about finding a routine—or lack thereof—that aligns with your energy levels, priorities, and natural rhythm.

So, if you wake up most mornings and don’t feel the energy to do anything, don’t let anyone make you feel that you are lazy or useless. You may just be an evening or night person. 

In our modern world, most people will not care when you do the job they ask you to do- unless you must fix a broken pipe in a house immediately or tow a broken-down car from the middle of the road. If I asked you to build a website for me or send a quote for a job, I will not be bothered when you delivered the website or sent me the quote. Whether you did it first thing in the morning, or last thing at night is irrelevant to me. And I don’t think many people will be bothered as well.

Find what works for you and stick to it. When I was in the university, it was very fashionable for students in those days to go and read all night. I tried it once and it was a disaster because I slept all through the night. I just couldn’t bear the torture of trying to stay awake to read when my brain was asleep.  I quickly discovered that reading all night was not for me, so I stopped it.

Don’t assume that because other people exercise in the morning, you have to. Don’t believe that if you have not read two books in a month, you are not learning or growing. Don’t believe that if you do not do your shopping on Saturday morning, you have failed as a mum. Find what works for you and stick to it.

Hey, before I go to the third point, please consider following the channel if you find this episode valuable. On this channel, we talk about the secret strategies of successful people and encourage you to apply them to your life. 

3. LIFE CAN BE UNPREDICTABLE

Life is unpredictable. Relying on a rigid morning routine as the cornerstone of success can lead to frustration when external factors inevitably disrupt it. Flexibility and resilience are far more important.

 For example, Imagine a parent with young children. Their mornings are often chaotic, filled with preparing breakfast, getting kids ready for school, and handling unexpected tantrums. For them, a strict morning routine is impractical. However, they can still achieve success by finding pockets of time during the day to focus on their goals.

 Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, has said that he values time for unstructured thinking in the morning and prefers to schedule important meetings only after 10 a.m. While he doesn't adhere to the highly structured morning rituals advocated by many, he prioritizes decision-making during his peak mental clarity. His success comes from knowing when and how to work effectively, not from rigidly following a morning routine. 

Don’t try writing a chapter of a book when you are preparing your kids for school. Don’t try fixing a strategic meeting when you are tired and sleepy. Leave some margin for the uncertainties of life.

Many self help gurus have advocated a solid morning routine as the secret of success. While these rituals can be helpful for some, they are not universally effective. Here’s why:

You Should Focus on Results, and Not Rituals:
The purpose of any habit is to support your goals. If a morning routine helps you focus and be productive, that’s great—but don’t mistake the ritual itself for the source of success. Success Is Multi-Faceted: It comes from a combination of skills, hard work, adaptability, and timing. While routines can provide structure, they’re just one small piece of a much larger puzzle.

Self-Awareness Is Key:
Understanding your strengths, weaknesses, and natural tendencies is far more valuable than trying to adopt someone else’s routine. Customization, not imitation, leads to success.

To truly thrive, it’s essential to strike a balance between having structure and staying adaptable. For instance:

• Identify Your Peak Hours:
  Instead of forcing productivity in the morning, identify when you naturally perform best. Some people are night owls and achieve their greatest breakthroughs late at night.
• Prioritize What Matters:
  Focus on high-impact tasks that align with your goals, regardless of when you tackle them. A structured morning is pointless if it doesn’t translate into meaningful progress.
• Embrace Flexibility:
  Give yourself permission to adapt. Life is unpredictable, and the ability to pivot when needed is often a stronger predictor of success than rigid adherence to a routine.

Remember, success isn’t about fitting into a mold; it’s about carving your unique path. So, if you’re not a morning person, don’t sweat it—you can still achieve great things on your own schedule!

Hey thanks for listening and let me know in the comments below if you are going to rethink your morning routine. If you want to supercharge your success, don’t hesitate to watch my other videos.

Always remember, if others can do it, you too can and with God all things are possible. I‘ll see you in the next episode. God bless you.