Mornings can be transformational. Here are 15 tools to support a more productive and creative morning routine.
When it comes to building a creative morning routine, you need to be motivated, practice good morning habits and have the best creative productivity tools to support your creative goals. Picking the right tools to support your morning routine and productivity comes down to a balance of supporting healthy living and productive work.
Hustle culture isn’t going to help you build a long-lasting morning routine, but healthy habits, the right mindset, and tools will keep you going and growing.
Do you have trouble waking up in the morning? Try this creative lifestyle app to support a creative morning routine.
Alarmy is an alarm clock that challenges you with missions that challenge your body and brain to get you out of bed and prove you’re awake to turn the alarm off.
Mission Examples:
- Photo Mission – Wake up and take a photo of the registered place, away from the bed, to dismiss your alarm.
- Memory Mission – Energize your brain by memorizing which tiles are open
- Barcode Mission – Scan the barcode or QR code you registered to turn the alarm off.
- Math Mission – Solve simple or advanced math problems and kickstart your brain.
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Simulate a sunrise and sunset at your bedside with a sunset alarm clock. Good lighting that supports the circadian rhythms can help you wind down and wake up more naturally. These sunrise wake-up lights have been clinically proven to help establish healthy sleep and wake routines. Feel more refreshed and ready to conquer the day by changing your wake-up to calming sounds and a simulated sunset.
Do you love the boost you get from coffee but hate the jitters that can come with it? This organic mushroom coffee mix is half the caffeine and double the mental clarity. Perfect for all diets and is made from all-natural organic ingredients. Lion’s Mane mushroom is a natural nootropic shown to support cognitive functions like memory, focus, and concentration. It also has antioxidant properties to support immune function and well-being; Plus organic Rhodiola root to help fight stress. It’s a great alternative to coffee and supports healthy morning habits for creativity.
Journaling is a great way to support creativity and well-being. Research shows that expressive writing can be a therapeutic tool for improving emotional health and even longer-term physical health. There are many ways to journal, and no one way is correct. You don’t have to write long poetic prose to experience the benefits. Journaling can be as simple as a to-do list. For example, the five-minute journal has a structured format to boost your happiness in 5 minutes a day with prompts that includes: gratitude, prioritizing your day, 3 amazing things, inspiring quotes, daily affirmation, and end of day self-reflection.
How often do your best ideas come in the shower? Some research says the reason is showers are a distraction, or monotonous task, or dopamine increase that free’s up space for idea generation. Whatever the reason may be, make sure you have a way to capture those ideas.
Aqua Notes are a unique eco-friendly and water-proof way to capture your thoughts anywhere – even in the shower or rain. It includes suction cups for easy mounting and includes a pencil to capture ideas, draw, doodle, or even leaving notes for family or roommates in the shower.
There’s a long list of smart lights out there to brighten up your creative space, but these bulbs are top of the line. Science has shown how colors can affect a person’s mood, and now technology is catching up. With these smart bulbs, you can set the mood with over 16 million colors. It’s also easy to change with your mobile device or your favorite voice assistant.
Notebooks are by far one of the most essential tools for creatives. From journaling to brainstorming and beyond, a good notebook could be the key ingredient to unlocking one’s creative potential.
For a good morning routine, creative can use notebooks to help:
- Plan the day – Support accountability and goals
- Journal – Clear the mind and aid self-discovery for growth
- Brainstorm – Freewriting ideas to get the creative juices flowing
- Creative Travel – Support one’s creativity on the road
- Research / Knowledge Building – Writing things down to explore new knowledge is a great way to support continuous and effective learning
Meditation Apps
Meditation is an important and helpful habit for any time of day, but when done in the morning, it can help clear the mind and set a base to counteract stress and support clear creative thinking.
If you’re new to meditation or need help practicing this wellness habit in the morning, there are some fantastic apps to support all levels and styles of meditation.
Favorite Meditation Apps:
Read The Full List
Smart Desk
A good desk is essential for any creative space, and having the option to adjust the height can support one’s health and creative productivity. Changing perspective can have a positive effect on creative thinking. That’s why creatives like Ernest Hemmingway and other famous creative minds would change their surroundings during their creative process or even have a standing desk to support their creative process.
There are many types of smart and adjustable desks starting around $200 (US) and going up to over $1000 (US). If those are out of your price range, consider getting creative with what you have available to mix up your creative space to support creative thinking and productivity.
How to Choose a Desk for Productivity:
- Enough space for creative work
- Adjustability for personalization
- Organization and minimalism for flow
- Durable and quality materials to withstand creative work and time
Best Smart Desks for Productivity
- SHW Adjustable Standing Desk – $$
- Flexispot EC1 Standing Desk – $$
- Seville Tempered Glass Workstation Desk – $$
- FEZIBO Adjustable Standing Desk with Double Drawer – $$
- Uplift v2 Commercial Standing Desk – $$$
Have you ever been in a creative flow only to reach over for your coffee or tea to find it’s gone cold?
With the Ember smart mug, you can keep your drink perfectly hot for up to 1.5 hours on a single charge and not have the distracting cold throw you out of the flow. This smart mug lets you choose the exact temperature you prefer (between 120°F – 145°F), and you can even control it with your smartphone through an app.
The five senses have a remarkable effect on creativity and well-being. Not only can you use this aromatherapy device to add inspirational and relaxing scents in the air, but you can also diffuse and clean the air with its ultrasonic vaporizer. This smart wifi wireless essential oil aromatherapy is a great way to spark creativity.
The wandering mind has its place in the creative process, but the successful creative is one that is focused. Clear the brain fog and fatigue with this healthy drink with 13 brain nutrients that support cognitive functions and protect the mind against burnout.
BrainGear provides cumulative benefits for a stronger brain over time and supports focus, clarity, concentration, stress relief, and anti-anxiety. BrainGear has natural nootropics, no caffeine, and nothing artificial. It’s a non-GMO project verified, soy-free, allergen-free, sugar-free, and gluten-free drink. Zero calories and keto-friendly.
Natural Nootropics: Acetyl L-Carnitine, N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine, Inositol, Choline, DMAE, L-Theanine, Green Tea.
Mindfulness Cards are an easy way to cultivate mindful moments—anytime and anywhere. With 50+ prompts and exercises for the mind and body, you can bring awareness, calm, and joy to everyday life. Each card includes an inspiring phrase on the front and a bite-size mindfulness exercise on the back. Users can draw one card to form an intention for the day, pull several for a more complex reading, or display around the home or office as inspiring mantras.
Maximize your creative workspace and support creative thinking and productivity in your morning routine with a Small Desktop Dry-Erase-Board.
Designed for comfortable reading and writing and to sit perfectly between a keyboard and monitor, this slop angled dry-erase board can help you organize your day, write down some quick thoughts, and organize your space.
Light therapy goes back to ancient times with examples in Ancient Greece, Egypt, and Rome. Backed by science, it’s become an even more popular tool for fighting the winter blues, depression, and skin conditions.
This Theralite Aura Bright Light Therapy Lamp is an essential self-care tool that can set the mood, fight low energy, and support well-being in creative spaces and homes. With four light settings, this clinically tested gadget is helpful, safe, and a great way to support the creative mind at work and home.
Zach is an international writer, photographer, filmmaker, martial artist, and creator of Creative Enso, the Zen art of creative living. His goal is to empower and inspire creatives to live healthier, happier, and more creative lifestyles.
