Harvard happiness expert shares his 6-step morning ritual for the 'best possible' day

The most successful people incorporate a morning ritual into their daily routine. Most people wake up and rush into their day, but those who are really on top of things have a simple morning plan to prepare for whatever the day may bring.

Harvard professor and happiness expert Arthur Brooks recently shared his own set of practices to start his day. He describes his "morning protocol" as essential to his well-being and suggests it's something we can all do to "to start your day in the best possible way."

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A 6-step morning ritual to start your day

Arthur Brooks shared "My 6-step Morning Protocol for a Better Day" on his YouTube channel, Dr. Arthur Brooks. He believes the process helps him avoid the negative emotions that can arise throughout a normal day.

1. Get up before dawn — Brooks likes to wake at 4:30 a.m., but with a busy schedule and travel, he can't always maintain that schedule. Therefore, the foundation of the rule is up before the sun rises.
2. Get Physical — Since Brooks has a gym at home, he's into a morning workout within 15 minutes. He's been working out for 30 years and considers himself "a bona fide gym rat," though his gym is at home.
3. Get Metaphysical — Brooks claims to have learned this practice from extensive work with the Dalai Lama, who, interestingly enough, starts his day at 3:30 a.m. (according to Brooks). He describes this process as "calibrating the work of the soul." Some form of spiritual practice appears to correlate with improved mental health, reduced depression, greater well-being, and better coping skills. A 2025 study published in Mount Sinai showed that love and kindness meditations led to positive changes in brain waves associated with emotional regulation and memory.
4. Delay the Magic Bean Coffee — Caffeine works by blocking the receptors that absorb a brain chemical, adenosine, which makes you groggy. The problem is that when the coffee wears off in the afternoon, all that swirling adenosine is then absorbed by the receptors, giving you the afternoon grogginess. Another reason for the delay is suggested by a 2024 study in the National Library of Medicine. Drinking caffeine can overlap with your natural hormonal cortisol spike. You get less of a boost because your morning alertness begins 30 to 45 minutes after awakening.
5. High Protein Breakfast — The older you get, the more important protein consumption becomes. His first meal of the day, he calls "tryptophan time." He enjoys Greek yogurt with fruits and nuts. He claims it keeps him full through the morning and fueled up until lunch. ScienceDirect shared a study showing that increased protein consumption enhances fat mass loss and lean mass retention. Both are crucial for maintaining mobility and metabolic health.
6. Find a Flow State — The first five steps have led to finding the perfect chemical balance. Brooks suggests avoiding emails, social phone calls, and behaviors like social media or reading the paper. Get right into your work. "When I do that, I can actually get two hours of super high-quality creative work," he said.

Good morning world!via CanvaPhotos (PeopleImages)

What YouTubers thought of the Brooks' video

YouTubers shared their opinions and experiences based on what Dr. Brooks shared in his video.

User @maricara3881 shared, "My dad served in the military. We grew up with early morning routines, and it’s been great as adults. In the office, most coworkers hate it- there’s great dislike for morning, happy people."

"Thank you, sir, you just radiate positivity, you really opened my eyes to those 4 components of happiness, and the way you approach things. You help a lot of people, thank you," shared user @khantuna.

User @rebeccagunn4381 was thoughtful about her own process, sharing, "It’s crazy how I’ve been waking up early for years but always rush through this time and get to the next thing. After listening here and giving it a name like “the creator’s time” has completely shifted my thinking and intentionality around this time."

User @_wa_ka_ exclaimed, "Delaying coffee is so amazing!"

A smiling team at work. via CanvaPhotos (PHadi Kandi Studio)

The expectation of being able to incorporate all the steps into someone's daily practice, although possible, is unlikely. But just incorporating a few can make big improvements in your life. Brooks himself says, "This is the result of my experiments. You need the result of your experiments."