The Myth and Reality of the Morning Routine in Success
There is a genre of advice that never seems to go out of fashion: the morning routine of a successful person. Wake at five. Cold water, a journal, some exercise, twenty minutes of reading, all before most people have found their phone. The promise underneath it is always the same. Copy the routine, and a little of the success might follow.
As a writer rather than a sleep scientist or productivity coach, I share this as an observation rather than a prescription. Yet, after spending considerable time immersed in this promise, I remain skeptical about its universal effectiveness.
For instance, I spent two years waking at 5am in an effort to boost my discipline. What I primarily learned was that feeling tired earlier in the day did not translate into being more productive or successful. This personal experience aligns with scientific insights suggesting that the challenge I faced was less about willpower and more about biological predispositions.
What a Very Large Study Actually Found
In 2019, researchers Samuel Jones and Michael Weedon led a groundbreaking genome-wide association study on chronotype, published in Nature Communications. Their analysis included data from 697,828 participants from the UK Biobank and 23andMe databases. They identified 351 genomic regions linked with self-reported morning preference, a significant increase from the 24 regions found in earlier studies.
Although each genetic variant’s individual effect is small, and self-reported chronotypes are broad measures, the trend is consistent. The 5% of people with the greatest number of morning-associated genetic variants tended to go to sleep about 25 minutes earlier on average than the 5% with the least. While 25 minutes may not seem dramatic, this difference highlights that whether someone is naturally inclined toward mornings or evenings is partially hardwired in their biology—not merely a question of character or willpower.
It is important to note that genetics is only part of the story. Chronotype evolves with age and is influenced by environmental factors such as light exposure and daily schedules. Thus, these findings challenge the simplistic narrative that anyone can become a morning person just by trying hard enough.
The Study the Trope Is Built On
The notion that early risers enjoy greater success does have empirical roots, though the evidence is more nuanced than popular slogans suggest.
In 2009, German researcher Christoph Randler published a study in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology titled “Proactive People Are Morning People.” He surveyed university students and found that those who identified as morning-oriented also scored higher on proactivity scales, which measure one’s tendency to anticipate issues and take initiative. When writing about this work for the Harvard Business Review, Randler explained why this association might appeal to career-minded individuals.
However, it is crucial to understand what the study does and does not prove. It demonstrates a correlation, not causation, primarily in a young, student population using self-reported metrics. Waking up early does not automatically make someone proactive, just as owning a running watch doesn’t guarantee speed.
Randler himself has emphasized that about half of chronotype variation is genetic and that it shifts naturally over the lifespan. Teenagers tend toward eveningness, adults in their 30s and 40s show a mix, and older adults often lean morningward. This partially inherited and age-dependent trait cannot simply be overridden by willpower or routine.
Why the Routine Sells Anyway
Despite scientific nuances, morning routines remain a staple in self-help and entrepreneurial culture. This persistence is worth examining.
Startup and founder culture, in particular, prizes the pre-dawn schedule because it transforms the abstract concept of discipline into something visually tangible. Setting a 5am alarm is a clear signal—to investors, employees, and oneself—that seriousness and ambition are at play. Such routines become a kind of uniform for success.
There is also a comforting narrative behind this advice. Success often involves luck, timing, capital, and other factors outside one’s control. A morning routine, by contrast, feels like a personal lever everyone can pull. If the secret to success is as simple as waking early and taking a cold shower, then success appears more accessible than it actually is.
This logic is understandably appealing, but it is not strongly supported by how human biology and careers actually function.
What Seems to Matter More Than the Hour
If there is a meaningful takeaway from the research, it lies less in the exact hour one wakes and more in the alignment between one’s biological clock and societal demands.
Chronobiologist Till Roenneberg introduced the concept of “social jetlag” to describe the mismatch between our internal circadian preferences and the imposed schedules of work and social obligations. For many, this mismatch is the source of chronic tiredness and reduced productivity.
Viewed through this lens, the more relevant question is not how to become a morning person, but how to align working hours with one’s natural rhythms and maintain regularity day-to-day. These factors have a subtler impact and lack the dramatic allure of a 5am alarm, but they matter more for long-term well-being and effectiveness.
It is essential to acknowledge individual differences in circumstances, jobs, and biology. Sleep and productivity advice is best taken from experts specializing in these fields, rather than from generalized essays.
Ultimately, the confident claims that anyone can adopt a morning routine and thereby inherit the traits of successful early risers overstate the evidence.
The routine that endures is usually the one that fits naturally into your life and that you can consistently maintain.
The hour on the clock matters far less than whether it belongs to you.
Source: Here
