We’ve all seen it…
The alarm set for 3.50am.
The Saratoga water face dunk.
The banana peel seductively rubbed over the face.
I’m talking of course about Ashton Hall’s viral morning routine video that has quite literally taken over the internet.
Whilst it’s easy to laugh at the ridiculousness of it, I think this video is a mirror reflecting just how far this social media-fuelled self-improvement craze has spiralled.
But the thing is, Ashton Hall isn’t wasting his mornings… he’s simply making millions of dollars pretending to.
His morning routine isn’t a waste of time.
But I think yours could be.
We Are Obsessed With Procrastination
“Beware of routines that are just elaborate forms of procrastination.”
Tim Ferriss
We often forget just how massive the self-improvement market is.
In 2024, the ‘personal development’ market was worth USD $53 billion and that’s expected to almost double over the next decade.
That kind of growth doesn’t happen unless a lot of people are buying into the same idea: the idea that they constantly need to be improving.
So, we adopt this weird obsession with productivity.
Not actual progress, but the performance of it.
This Ashton Hall morning routine was an extreme example of this, that’s why it went viral – for its sheer stupidity.
But it’s the stuff that doesn’t go viral that’s doing far more harm.
The aesthetically curated routines, the productivity hacks and the endless “day in the life” content that seems to inspire and motivate but really just reinforces the idea that being busy is the same as getting better.
What’s wild is that we actually buy into that idea!!!
When I was ‘bettering myself’ I would wake up at 6am, take a cold shower, drink my warm lemon water, read 10 pages of Atomic Habits and meditate for 5 minutes (really just sit and wait for it to be over so I could tick off my habit tracker).
Then I would go to a job I hated because I was spending my morning engaging in useless habits that added nothing to my life, rather than actually facing the discomfort of doing the necessary things to change my situation.
Does this sound relatable?
‘Productive’ morning routines are simply a substitute for the thing that, deep down, you know you should be doing.
Just Do The Thing
“Busyness is not a virtue. It’s a sign you’re just being used.”
Seth Godin
Before I continue, I want to say this: if you absolutely love your morning routine (no matter what it consists of) and look forward to getting out of bed every morning, then keep doing what you’re doing.
I would never argue against something that brings you joy.
My issue with morning routines lies in the illusion of discipline and progress.
I think that, by definition, a productive morning routine simply does not exist.
If you’re looking to be productive in the morning, chances are you’re focused on a particular goal.
Whether this goal revolves around work, your career or side-hustle, or your fitness, they all have one thing in common.
There is nothing more productive than actually doing the thing.
By definition, productivity is being able to produce large amounts of goods or achieve a significant amount or result.
Unless you’re doing things that directly contribute to the attainment of these goals, then you’re not actually being productive at all.
Don’t get me wrong, this is far from a promotion of hustle culture.
This is a formula I wish I had when I was wasting a couple of hours each day doing things that I didn’t really want to be doing – a formula that would’ve allowed me to stop bullsh*tting myself and actually change things.
But now I feel like I’ve found the formula, and man it feels good.
Joy Beats Obligation
“We’re so obsessed with self-optimisation that we forget to ask: for what?”
Anne Helen Petersen
I am the most productive I’ve ever been, and I’m also the least productive I’ve ever been.
On Monday I’ll wake up, put on some music, drink my double espresso and just sit there doing nothing for an hour.
It makes me so happy.
On Saturday I’ll wake up, make my double espresso and spend three hours writing my weekly article.
It makes me so happy.
Which one is more productive?
You probably think there’s a clear answer, but I don’t think there is.
I don’t wake up on Saturday and start working straight away out of obligation, I do it because it actually brings me joy.
I spent way too many mornings not wanting to get out of bed in my 20s, and this led me to start asking myself a different, much simpler question.
Instead of, ‘what can I do that will get me closer to my goals?’, I started asking, ‘what can I do that will actually make me want to get out of bed?’.
Like pretty much every other precursor to happiness, the answer to that question is entirely subjective.
The thought of getting up and writing might make you cringe, and that’s a good thing because at least you know what to avoid.
But don’t you think it’s crazy that the idea of waking up and just doing something you really want to do is novel?
That’s the idea this booming hustle culture obsessed self-improvement industry has sold us.
Not everything needs to be a means to an end.
Not every action needs to lead to optimisation or output.
Some things (most things) are worth doing simply because they make you feel alive.
If your morning routine doesn’t make you feel good, like actually deep-down good, then it’s a waste of time.
You’re good enough, and nothing needs improving in your life more than your ability to become okay with simply ‘being’.
I wish I knew that ten years ago.
But hey, at least I know it now.
