Mornings are critical when you prioritize success.

Many experts reason that the best work comes in the early hours because that is when you have the most energy. As they tout in the military, getting even small things done early—like making your bed—increases the likelihood you’ll be more productive as it sets a positive intention for the day.

This is exactly what Damon Zahariades shares in his book Morning Makeover.

He believes the reason early risers get more done is that they are setting an intention. Having a clearly defined intention or purpose drives the productivity in the morning and for the rest of the day. He not only shows you why mornings are so valuable, but how to make the most of these precious hours of the day.

This success book starts with exploring the internal clock, or rather arcadia rhythm, which helps you discover the best time for you to sleep and wake each day. Once you’ve divined that internal clock’s messaging you will see how it conditions your brain, signaling that it’s time to go to bed each night and wake up to get a jump start on your day. Zahariades also shares in each chapter “10 Reasons Why” for every activity that he suggests, including the reasons why mornings are so powerful. The ones that really spoke to me include decreased stress as an early riser, less burdened with mental clutter and having more control of your day. He also confronts obstacles to the idea of rising early, how to minimize resistance and what habits need to be cut in order to increase productivity.

This is not just another book on how to establish a routine both for morning and night. Rather, this is your guide to getting the most out of your mornings and life-changing reasonings behind this intention.

One key aspect that I want to highlight is that Morning Makeover is universally applicable. Let me explain. I admit that I do get a little frustrated with authors who simplify the advice they give, assuming everyone has the ability to adopt it. Come on. We’ve all read those bestsellers touting how easy it is to become a millionaire overnight with just a few simple strategies. The problem is that what worked for them doesn’t always work for everyone else. When success “experts” fail to take into account all the obstacles everyday people face like care of children, pets, personal and professional commitments, health issues, etc. it quickly disappoints the reader. But author Damon Zahariades does humanize the process.

Morning Makeover is targeted to cut through the physical and emotional obstacles to morning productivity. That is key for everyone who doesn’t have the luxury of quietly extracting themselves from the world, spending their mornings at Starbucks and setting their own pace for getting work done. Rather, Zahariades takes this challenge head on, especially in step three where he asks you to determine just how much time you need, personalizing the equation to fit your particular needs.

But another favorite part of this book is the “10 Morning Routines of Highly-Successful People.” It’s a nod to Rich Habits and shares how easy it is to adopt these for yourself and most importantly, if you’re prioritizing success, why you would choose to adopt these in the first place.

Image courtesy of author Damon Zahariades