6 things I stopped doing in the morning that completely transformed my energy levels

by Lachlan Brown | October 30, 2025, 8:33 pm

For years, I used to wake up groggy no matter how many hours I slept. I’d drag myself out of bed, reach for my phone, and wonder why I felt flat before the day even began.

It didn’t matter that I was eating healthy or exercising regularly—something about my mornings was off.

It wasn’t until I started paying close attention to my morning habits that everything changed. The truth is, your energy isn’t just about sleep—it’s about the mental and emotional tone you set the moment you open your eyes.

Here are six things I stopped doing that completely transformed my energy levels, focus, and peace of mind.

1. I stopped checking my phone first thing in the morning

For the longest time, my phone was the first thing I reached for. I’d scroll through messages, emails, and news before I’d even gotten out of bed.

Within minutes, my brain was in overdrive—reactive, distracted, and flooded with information I didn’t need.

Psychologists call this “cognitive clutter.” When you start your day consuming other people’s thoughts, problems, and opinions, you lose connection to your own.

Once I stopped doing that, I noticed something subtle but powerful: mornings felt quiet. I could actually hear myself think again.

Now, I leave my phone in another room overnight. When I wake up, I take a few deep breaths, stretch, and sit in silence for a minute.

It sounds simple, but that one shift gave me a sense of control I didn’t realize I’d lost. My mornings stopped feeling like a reaction to the world—and started feeling like an intention I’d set myself.

2. I stopped drinking coffee immediately after waking up

I love coffee. I’ll never stop drinking it. But I learned the hard way that timing matters.

For years, I’d stumble out of bed and brew a cup right away, believing it would “wake me up.” But I’d crash an hour later—hungry, jittery, and strangely exhausted.

Then I came across something called the cortisol curve. When you first wake up, your body naturally produces cortisol—a hormone that helps you feel alert and awake. Drinking coffee too soon actually interferes with this process, which is why you often need a second cup later.

Now, I wait 60–90 minutes before having my first coffee. During that time, I hydrate with a big glass of water and take a short walk or do light stretching.

The result? My energy feels steady instead of spiking and crashing. Coffee becomes a gentle boost rather than a crutch.

This one change alone probably improved my mornings more than anything else.

3. I stopped skipping breakfast

For years, I prided myself on “intermittent fasting.” I told myself I wasn’t hungry, that I was being disciplined. But in reality, I was ignoring what my body was trying to tell me.

By late morning, I’d crash—snapping at small things, foggy in meetings, and craving sugar.

Eventually, I realized what I was calling “self-discipline” was actually self-denial. I was operating on fumes.

Now, I eat a light, balanced breakfast—usually oatmeal with banana and peanut butter, or eggs with rice and vegetables (living in Vietnam has taught me that breakfast doesn’t have to mean cereal or toast).

I also pay attention to how food affects my mental energy. Some breakfasts leave me sluggish, others clear-headed.

When you start your day nourishing yourself instead of depriving yourself, everything feels easier. Your mind stops battling your body.

4. I stopped planning my day reactively

I used to start my mornings by opening my laptop and diving into emails. I thought I was being productive, but I was really just reacting.

Emails are other people’s agendas. Notifications are other people’s priorities. Before I’d even had a chance to decide what mattered most to me, I’d already given my best mental energy away.

Now, I do something different. I spend the first 10 minutes of my workday asking one simple question:

“What would make today feel meaningful if I only got one thing done?”

That one question brings clarity. It cuts through the noise and re-centers me on what actually matters.

It also ties in with a Buddhist idea I write about often: right intention—starting your day not with chaos or craving, but with conscious purpose.

When you begin from clarity, everything else becomes easier to navigate.

5. I stopped listening to the wrong inner voice

This one took me the longest to fix.

For years, my mornings were ruled by what I call “the critical commentator”—that voice in your head that wakes up before you do. The one that says:

“You didn’t sleep enough.”
“You’re behind already.”
“You should’ve worked out harder yesterday.”

It’s subtle, but it drains your energy before you even leave the bedroom.

The turning point came when I started practicing mindfulness in the mornings—just 5 minutes of noticing my thoughts without reacting.

Instead of trying to silence that inner critic, I started talking to it differently. I’d say, “I hear you. You’re trying to protect me. But I’m okay.”

That small act of compassion shifted everything. My mornings stopped feeling like battles and started feeling like beginnings.

As the Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh said, “The way you start your morning determines how you live your day.”

If you start with self-criticism, you carry that tone into everything you do.
If you start with self-kindness, the day unfolds differently.

6. I stopped multitasking my mornings

There was a time when I’d listen to podcasts while brushing my teeth, check emails while making coffee, and mentally plan my to-do list while in the shower.

I thought I was being efficient.
In truth, I was draining my attention before the day even began.

Energy isn’t just about sleep or nutrition—it’s about attention. Every time you split your focus, you create mental fatigue.

Now, I give myself permission to do one thing at a time. I make my coffee and actually taste it. I shower and focus on the water. I walk to my desk and feel my steps.

It’s mindfulness in motion.

When you stop fragmenting your attention, something beautiful happens: ordinary moments become energizing instead of exhausting.

The deeper shift: realizing mornings are spiritual

These six changes weren’t just about having more energy—they were about learning how to arrive in my own life.

In Buddhism, there’s a principle called “beginner’s mind.” It means approaching each moment as if you’re experiencing it for the first time.

That’s how I try to treat mornings now—not as a list of tasks, but as a sacred space to begin again.

When you remove the noise, the rush, and the pressure, you reconnect with something simple but profound: being alive and aware before the world makes demands of you.

What my mornings look like now

Here’s a glimpse of my current routine—not as a prescription, but as an invitation:

  • Wake up naturally around 5:30–6:00 a.m. (no scrolling)

  • Drink water, stretch, and take a few deep breaths by the window

  • Journal briefly about what I’m grateful for or what I want to feel today

  • Exercise—a short run or cycle, just enough to sweat

  • Eat breakfast with my wife, no phones at the table

  • Enjoy coffee slowly after that

By 8:00 a.m., my energy feels calm but focused. There’s no rush, no fog.

And ironically, I get more done now than I ever did when I was “hustling.”

Because energy isn’t about doing more—it’s about doing less of what drains you.

The truth about transformation

When I first started making these changes, I expected dramatic results overnight. But what I’ve learned is that transformation is subtle—it unfolds gradually.

You wake up one morning and realize you’re not tired anymore. You’re not anxious before you’ve even started working. You feel present, grounded, and quietly motivated.

That’s the magic of changing your mornings—it ripples into every part of your life.

You don’t need a complicated ritual or a 5 a.m. miracle routine.
You just need awareness.

As I often remind myself: how you greet the morning determines the kind of day that greets you back.

Final thought

If your mornings feel chaotic, drained, or heavy—don’t try to overhaul everything at once. Just stop doing one thing that doesn’t serve you.

Maybe it’s the phone. Maybe it’s skipping breakfast. Maybe it’s starting the day in your inbox.

Pick one, let your energy rebuild, and notice how your body and mind respond.

Small changes compound. Eventually, you’ll realize—as I did—that energy isn’t something you chase. It’s something you protect.

And it all starts the moment you wake up.

Lachlan Brown

Lachlan Brown is an entrepreneur and co-founder of Brown Brothers Media, a digital publishing network reaching tens of millions of readers monthly. He holds a Graduate Diploma of Psychological Studies from Deakin University, though his real education came afterward: a warehouse job shifting TVs, a stretch of anxiety in his mid-twenties, and the slow discovery that studying the mind is not the same as learning how to live well. He started experimenting with Buddhist principles during breaks at the warehouse and eventually began writing about what he was learning. That writing became Hack Spirit, a widely read personal development site, and his book Hidden Secrets of Buddhism became a bestseller. His work breaks down complex ideas into frameworks people can apply immediately, whether they are navigating a career change, a difficult relationship, or the gap between knowing what to do and actually doing it. Lachlan splits his time between Singapore and Saigon. He writes about high-performance routines, decision-making under pressure, digital innovation, and the intersection of Eastern philosophy with modern life. His perspective comes from having built things from scratch, failed at some of them, and learned that clarity comes from practice, not theory.