How a Consistent Morning Routine has Helped Me Succeed by Rylie

How a Consistent Morning Routine has Helped Me Succeed by Rylie - February 2026 Scholarship Essay

One small habit that has made a difference in both my academic and personal success is my morning routine. It is a commonly held belief that getting up early and having a productive morning routine can drastically change the trajectory of your day. I have found this to be unequivocally true in my life. I used to just get up whenever I felt like it- usually pretty late- and not have any consistency to my mornings. This made me feel rushed a lot of the time and led to me having less productive days, along with feeling more sloth like and tired throughout my day. I have started implementing a routine that gets me up and going a lot earlier and gives me a lot more consistency to my mornings. It was one of my New Year's resolutions, and I am already seeing the difference that it is making in my life. One, it gets me up and going earlier, which gives me more time to do everything I need to do before I leave for school. Two, it gives me a feeling of consistency; I know exactly what I am going to do when I get out of bed in the morning. And three, it helps me feel productive at the very start of my day, which then carries on into the rest of my day.
This habit that I have built of getting up early and being consistent with my mornings has made a difference in my success by making me more productive and by giving me a better attitude. It has made me more productive because, by starting my day being productive and checking things off, it sets me off on the right foot and I continue to carry that momentum with me throughout the rest of my day. Also this habit has given me a better attitude by causing me to see that, if I can do the hard thing of getting up early or staying awake while I read my bible or making myself get in some movement before I start my day, then I can continue to conquer the other hard things that I may have to do that day. For instance, having a phone call or a conversation I don't want to have, or doing an assignment that feels daunting. I know that I have already gotten through something hard that day, I have shown myself that I can do it, and so I am able to get through those tough things as well.
In conclusion, the habit that has helped me so much over the last few months to be productive and conquer the hard things in my life is having a consistent morning routine. It has helped me so much already and I can't wait to see what it encourages next!