The 6 morning rituals to help you start the day right

The early birds will inherit the earth. Or at least these are the findings of a 2009 study from the University of Leipzig. The researchers concluded that 'early risers were more dynamic than the night owl types.'

But being an effective morning person is not just about getting up before everyone else. It's also about getting into a positive mindset and doing the important work before everyone else.

That means there's no use in setting your alarm clock at a very early hour if you're just going to lay about watching telly before lumbering on to work. To start your day off just right, you need to pick up some good habits.

So, here are six morning rituals that may seem difficult to take up, but will benefit you a lot if you stick to them.

1. Plan out the next day every evening

It's technically not a morning ritual, but it's an excellent habit that paves the path for a productive morning. So make sure to set yourself up for successful mornings by setting up a plan of action the night before.

It always helps to have everything you need for the day ready and waiting when you wake up. Make sure to anticipate what you will require for a balanced breakfast. Make a little list of all that you need to accomplish for the next day.

It may seem simple enough now, but when you get home, there's nothing you want more than to crash down on the couch with a glass of something, telling yourself that you'll get around to it tomorrow.

2. Get up extremely early

Sorry night owls. It's time to adapt.

In a survey of 20 executives cited by Laura Vanderkam, a time management expert and author of What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast, 90% said they got up before 6AM on weekdays. PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi, for example, gets up at 4 o'clock and begins work at no later than 7AM. Disney CEO Bob Iger gets up at half past four. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey wakes up at half past 5 to go for a run.

Yes, it might sound awful, but if you go to bed earlier you can get up earlier and it will quickly become ingrained. In short: productive mornings must start with harsh wake-ups.

3. Start out your day with a spot of exercise

Yes, among us, there exists those superhuman people who cannot wait to get a workout in before sunrise (either that or they have some serious acting talent). Regardless, for the rest of us mortals, rising at the crack of dawn to sweat and get muscle cramps feels far from a walk in the park.

And yet, mornings are probably the ideal time to get some exercise. By starting out the day with a workout, you avoid any opportunity to procrastinate when tired later that day.

Think of it like this: if the busiest people in the world manage to make time for working out, so can you. For example, Vanderkam noticed that Xerox CEO, Ursula Burns, schedules a one-hour personal training session twice a week at 6AM. Former US President Barack Obama starts each day with a strength and cardio workout. Vanderkam says:

These are incredibly busy people. If they take the time to put in some exercise, then it must be important.

4. Take care of your priority projects

Tranquil morning hours can be a great time to focus on an important project without any interruption. In addition, spending some time on it at the start of the day guarantees that you will give it your full attention before focusing on the rest—children, employees, bosses—so make use of that time.

Vanderkam uses the example of a marketing strategist who had to deal with so many ad hoc meetings and interruptions during her day that she felt like she wasn't getting anything done. She started to see her morning hours as those reserved for her projects, and chose to focus on one priority project a day. Unsurprisingly, not a single colleague interrupted her when she worked at half past 6. She was finally able to concentrate.

5. Work on a side project

It's easy to forget your pet projects when you have meetings all day, you're tired, hungry, and you have to come up with what to cook for dinner. That's why many successful people reserve an hour or two for their personal projects before they officially start their day.

A history teacher at the University of Chicago said to Vanderkam she saved the time between 6AM and 9AM to work on a book about religious practices in Western Africa. She could read newspaper articles and write several pages before tackling her responsibilities as a teacher.

By taking time in the morning to write, it became a habit and she managed to see her project through.

And she's hardly alone in this. According to The Telegraph, Ludwig Beethoven, John Milton, Kurt Vonnegut, Maya Angelou and Victor Hugo all worked on their creative projects in the morning.

6. Enjoy the silence

Your daily life can very quickly become overwhelming. It's often difficult to find some time in a packed schedule. If you constantly find yourself running around all morning, it's hard to picture having a moment of calm.

But training yourself to full awareness is not a waste of time. Try to preserve a few minutes for some silent meditation at the start of the day. You can use these calming moments to pray, meditate, consider your future accomplishments, or find something in your life to be thankful for. It all comes down to the individual. This short break can put you in a great mindset for the rest of the day.