In my last article on forming super sticky habits, I tried to clarify how one can develop and acquire a new habit in 21 days. There, I also critiqued what has become commonly known as the 21 day habit formation myth. For the full article see here.

In this article, I want to focus on the factor of timing, also known in psychology as (TOD); or time of the day

All the habits that I’ve acquired and still practice to this day were habits that I began working on either first thing in the morning or early on in the day, whether it’s reading, writing, running, working out or working on creative projects. Moreover, working on my habits in the morning made them much more likely to stick than the ones that I worked on later on in the day.

For instance, I struggled with keeping my closet organized since childhood. I just never cared enough to put things where they belonged at the time. Up until a few years ago, I made a serious attempt to get this area of my life fixed, so I began spending about an hour in the evening organizing my closet… only to get off track just after a few days.

It was weird to me that I couldn’t get this small habit to stick. So I finally decided to play with the timing and see if that would change anything. So for a while, I took 15 minutes in the morning to organize my closet, and within a short period of time things started to change. Organizing my closet was beginning to feel enjoyable for once, and over time it was beginning to feel natural to keep my closet organized all the time. To my pleasant surprise, this habit become robust quite quickly and I’ve been able to keep it since.

So what is it about the morning hours that can help us form unrelenting habits?

1. Your Morning Cognition

Studies confirm that adults tend to be cognitively sharpest in the morning. Their brain’s executive functions, including their memory and problem solving abilities, operate more efficiently during those hours. In fact, some of the most prominent philosophers and writers such as Nietzsche, Marx, and Hemingway produced some of their best and most prolific works as a result of practicing their habit of writing early in the morning. They would start working just before the sunrise and they would do so until a little before noon. They essentially discovered the value of working in the early morning and took full advantage of it.

I personally follow this early morning ritual and I’ve experienced amazing results with it. As some of you already know, I wake up at 5:00 am and start working pretty much right away. I work best using a time-block system which I have referred to elsewhere on this blog as an energy-management system (not a time management-system) and it allows me to work with my natural rhythm and energy to be as productive and as efficient as I can possibly be.

In addition, I’ve found the mornings to have a greater reinforcement effect on my habits than the evenings. That’s because I can give my habit the fresh attention it needs, and also because I know it’s certain that I won’t have anything to distract me from practicing my habit again the next day. That’s unlike the evenings. See more on this point below.

So if you’ve tried different strategies and you’re still stuck, then try working on your habit in the morning for a couple of weeks. It can make a big difference.

2. The Morning is Yours

Not only are you sharpest in the morning to tackle your habits, but you also have the advantage of working uninterruptedly for a few hours. It’s almost guaranteed for you not to receive texts, phone calls, or invitation to events when you’re up at 5 or 6 in the morning. And in today’s world, having a few hours of silence where you can work productively and without distraction is almost nonexistent, so don’t waste it.

On the other hand, you can get quickly sidetracked if you work on your habits in the evening. Not only do you have to focus on your work, but you also have to exert your energy fighting off other distractions. I find this to be extremely uncomfortable. Moreover, if you leave working on your habit till the end of the day, unplanned errands, meetings, and other life commitments might unexpectedly demand your attention and stop you from taking action on your habits. This includes spending time with your family, grocery shopping, and sometimes attending late afternoon meetings. You simply can’t avoid these commitments, and trying to reschedule them can make you feel guilty. Whether you like it or not, the evenings are not yours…but your mornings are.  So you’re better off working on your habits, and anything of value for that matter, early in the morning

3. Early Morning is Freeing

Working on your habit and practicing it first thing in the morning will free you to be fully present in other areas of your life. Most people, as I mentioned above, leave practicing their habits till the evening. Unfortunately, if you don’t get to your tasks in the morning, then they will clutter up your mind until you get home in the evening and tackle them, and that can be pretty stressful. Not only that, sometimes it will be hard to get to your tasks in the evening, and that will create a lot of stress in your life. In fact, the stress of thinking about your tasks when you skip working on them will rob you of being in the moment with your friends and family. So instead of relaxing in your play time, you find yourself preoccupied with feelings of guilt and disappointment. That’s not a happy place to be.

Don’t be enslaved by your old habits. Be the master of your day and work on your habits first thing in the morning. It will help you get unstuck and make the necessary progress you want to see on your habits and your goals. If you’re struggling with rising early, then you may benefit from reading this article .