I recently discovered the Huberman routine as part of my growing interest in health and wellbeing (I know I’m a bit late to the game!). Developed by Dr. Andrew Huberman, a neuroscientist and professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, this daily routine aims to optimise mood and productivity. It entails key activities and non-negotiable throughout the day, such as sunlight exposure, cold therapy, caffeine intake, workouts to meal time planning.
Since it necessitates a number of changes, I opted to incorporate elements of his morning routine to see how they work for me. With the start of 2025, I wanted to discover ways to motivate myself to focus on what truly matters instead of getting constantly distracted by social media and entertainment. The practices in this routine are beneficial for both physical and mental health, so I thought, why not give them a try and see where they lead me?
How to Incorporate Into Your Life
I have made a few minor tweaks to align better with my preferences, namely: 1) I want to spend more time on meditation; 2) I prefer to exercise in the evening rather than the morning. Here are the core practices that I have incorporated into my morning routine.
- Jot down the time that I wake up
- Drink ~300ml - 600ml water
- Meditate
- Expose myself to sunlight within an hour after waking up
- Take a cold shower
- Delay my caffeine intake to 60 - 90 minutes after waking up
- Delay my breakfast to as late as I can (~2 - 3 hours after waking up where possible)
- Deep dive into my focus work for ~60 - 90 minutes
Another big change to accommodate for is to wake up at ~6:30am, such that I have at least two hours of me-time in the morning. Dr. Huberman is a big advocate of waking up early to help regulate the circadian rhythm, promoting sustained energy levels throughout the day and potentially improving sleep quality.
Does it Work for Me?
Overall a resounding yes, though some practices work better for me than others. My personal highlight is the two hours of me-time for sure! I used to sleep at ~12am, and I am the kind of person who likes to make the most of my evening time after work. However, I often find myself too drained to focus on what really mattered, which led to distractions such as doom-scrolling and gaming - essentially wasting my time on mindless activities. Now that I sleep and wake up earlier, I feel rejuvenated and ready to take on challenges, or simply meditate and enjoy my peaceful mornings.
Another practice that works well for me is the cold shower. This is not a big surprise as I am already a fan of sauna and cold plunges. While the morning cold exposure does not give me a sauna high, it does provide a shock to my system and give me a boost of energy through the release of endorphins. Now that I am somewhat accustomed to it, I actually look forward to the cold shower as way to kickstart my day!
Meditation also helps. I tend to follow the course on the Headspace app, along with a simple breathing exercise. I found that meditation requires a degree of consistency, with the benefits accumulating over time. The more that I do it, the more clarity I have and thus, the calmer I become. While I am not consistently aware of the present and still find myself distracted by my thoughts and emotions, I have made good progress somewhat and I try to remind myself to be more aware throughout the day.
As for the other practice, they do help me to some extent but the impact is not as significant. I would recommend experimenting to discover the ones that work for you as everyone is different!
Following Hubermann morning routine gives me small wins at the start of each day, which in turn fuels my motivation to tackle more difficult tasks throughout the day. It creates a snowball effect that has proven effective so far. I have accomplished more on my personal to-do list than I did in the last six months of 2024! I like that the routine is not as rigid as others I have come across before, and it can be easily adopted by anyone without any special prerequisites, as long as you are open to giving it a try.
Hope that this provides inspirations to revamp your morning routine and prime you for a successful day!
