Why You Don’t Need A Morning Routine – Dear Night Owls…

I’m a morning person. Always have been, always will be.

I look forward to the mornings. Heck, I look forward to Monday mornings! A hot cup of tea in bed, an inspiring book…maybe a trip to the gym for a sweat sesh before starting my day and smashing the majority of my to-dos, all before lunchtime. 

My energy – creatively, physically, mentally – is at its peak in the morning time. Much to the dismay of my friends or fella – who would rather not be asked 5 hundred questions about their day before they’ve even had a coffee (lol).

So naturally, all the morning rituals and routines we’re recommended online (that promise success, vitality and lifelong happiness) – it comes easily to me. I get it.


Does the thought of going to the gym at 6:30 AM make you wanna throw up?


I reap the benefits of working out first thing, or sitting down with my laptop at 7 AM and knowing that those 2 hours of majorly productive work can amount to 40-50% of my day’s to-do list! A morning routine makes sense to me – making the most of my morning, a time I’m up and at ‘em and ready to smash it. 

However, I know many people reading this will be rolling their eyes. Does the thought of choosing to go to the gym at 6:30 AM make you wanna throw up? You’re not alone!

So many members of my community reach out to me with feelings of admiration, hopelessness or even guilt or shame that they attempted to get up at 6 AM and ‘failed’, or they ‘wish they could be motivated like me’ in the mornings.

Many of my clients come to me beating themselves up. They’ve tried my morning routine and it didn’t work for them. They struggle with snoozing their alarm, or attempted the gym every morning this week and ended up not getting out the front door.

Let’s stop this right here, right now…because honey, if you ain’t a morning person – you don’t NEED a morning routine.

To prove this point, let’s go to the opposite extreme – night owls. Some people, particularly creatives, find themselves filled with a huge surge of energy in the evening, sometimes in the middle of the night. They’ll struggle to switch off, fighting the urge to work, create or do something, anything except go to sleep. Or someone who looks forward to a Friday or Saturday night, letting loose with their friends and coming home as the sun sets.

Let me tell you…I am not this person. I’m an 80 something soul living in a 20 something’s body. I struggle to stay up past midnight – New Year’s Eve requires lots of caffeine. If I need to finish off work in the evening, I find it nearly impossible to concentrate, I’m often completely distracted, disengaged and just not into it. 

Creativity, ideas, all the brain powered stuff that I need to do – there’s no chance any of that happens past 6-7PM.


You don’t have to be up at 5 AM every day to be successful.


Do I feel guilty as a freelancer that I can’t work in the evenings if I need to? Yes.

Does my to-do list suffer on days I haven’t had my usual productive morning, and therefore lose that time of my day where I’m most effective? Yes. 

Despite this – Do I beat myself up for being tired in the evening and try and force myself to be a night owl? No! 

So why should you do the same, for the alternative? Go to the gym after work. Save your creative task for the evening once everyone’s gone to bed. Enjoy your laptop time with a caffeine-free herbal tea instead! Just do you.

Okay, I can already hear what you’re saying…

Most of us need to be ‘on’ in some capacity during regular working hours of the day – whether you’re in full-time employment, run a business, freelance, study or care for someone else full time.

But outside of those hours, don’t be afraid to embrace your own way of doing things. You don’t have to be up at 5 AM every day to be successful. You don’t have to be in the gym before the sun comes up to get fit. You don’t have to have a morning routine, if the only morning routine you need is getting out of bed, showering, grabbing a coffee and running out the door! You don’t have to be something you’re not, just because the internet makes you feel like you should be. 

So yes – I love my morning routines. Mornings make me feel happy and energised. If they don’t do that for you – let it go and embrace the times in your day that do.


Do you feel you’re naturally a morning person or a night owl? I’m curious to know! Please share your thoughts on this on social media – tag me @kat_horrocks

*There is something to be said for wanting a morning routine because you genuinely believe it benefits your life and lifestyle. In this case, I invite you to explore a morning routine tailored to you and your needs. It doesn’t have to look like an hour of yoga, meditation and green juice.

It could be 15 minutes in bed reading before you hop in the shower, or 5 minutes writing your to-do list after you’ve had your breakfast – for some people, actually preparing breakfast at all could be a revelation in itself! If you are a night owl in need of a quick and simple routine that benefits you in the morning, make it work for you! 

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