Your Ideal Morning Routine Based on Your Personality Type

Start your day the Myers-Briggs way.

With no two days looking the same, establishing a morning routine is a lot easier said than done. Schedules are constantly changing, and our bodies run on different ‘clocks’, making the idea of the 'perfect morning routine' somewhat of an anomaly.

However, according to the Myers-Briggs type indicator personalities, there are certain steps and practices we can add to our morning routine to optimise the day ahead.

Below, we look into what a Myers-Briggs type indicator is, and how knowing yours* will allow you to perfect your morning routine so you can make the most of your day.

*If you don't know your MBTI personality type, search a 'Myers-Briggs type indicator test' online, and continue reading to find out how you can optimise your mornings.

Katharine Cook Briggs and Isabel Briggs Myers.

What is a Myers-Briggs type indicator?

Before we get into how each personality type should approach their morning, let’s first explore what a Myers-Briggs type indicator (MBTI) is, and how knowing which one you are, can work to your advantage.

In 1944 Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers, created a self-report questionnaire to indicate "personality types". The original cause for its creation was to help women entering the industrial workforce for the first time to identify the sorts of war-time jobs that would be the "most comfortable and effective" for them.

Nowadays, assessing an individual's personality type serves a multitude of purposes, from what kind of professions to enter, what sort of people to surround yourself with, to how to approach your mornings.

What are the different Myers-Briggs type indicators?

The MBTI assigns a binary value to each of four categories: introversion (I) or extraversion (E), sensing (S) or intuition (N), thinking (T) or feeling (F), and judging (J) or perceiving (P).

Here is a brief breakdown of these categories:

Extroverts: prefer working in teams, multi-taskers
Introverts: prefer working alone, like to focus on one task at a time
Sensors: realistic, fact-oriented
Intuitives: energetic, imaginative
Thinkers: prefer to make decisions using logic, strive for fairness
Feelers: prefer to make decisions using feelings, sensitive
Judgers: organised, prepared, rule followers
Perceivers: spontaneous, flexible

Intuitive & Thinking (NT)

INTJ, INTP, ENTJ, ENTP

Knowledgeable and pragmatic, these personalities are strategic, creative leaders with a master plan.

Those with intuitive and thinking (NT) in their MBTI, should start their mornings with some form of mindfulness practice. Whether it’s through gratitude journaling, positive affirmations or mindful meditation, implementing these internal self-care practices will allow them to gain insight for solving problems, and help them to base their actions on kindness. These strong-willed personality types will benefit greatly from these exercises, helping them to stay humble, increase patience, and set them up for a successful day ahead.

Intuitive & Feeling (NF)

INFJ, INFP, ENFJ, ENFP

Inspiring team players, these personalities are idealistic and eager.

Those with intuitive and feeling in their MBTI should focus on establishing a ritual in their morning routine. Whether it's making a morning tea or coffee to enjoy in the sun, or making their bed first thing in the morning, these repeated actions of self-love reiterate the care you have towards others, and help to nourish your giving soul. Educational podcasts, books, and deep breathing exercises are also extremely beneficial, helping you to stay grounded and manage stress before tackling the rest of the day.

Sensing & Judging (SJ)

ISTJ, ISFJ, ESTJ, ESFJ

Social and dedicated, these popular personalities are the best multitaskers.

Individuals with sensing and judging in their MBTI are often creative-minded, so putting pen to paper first thing in the morning is an effective way to wake their playful personalities up. Whether it's recounting last night’s crazy dream in a diary, or writing out manageable to-do lists, building a routine of writing and recounting each morning will allow their creative minds to flourish for the rest of the day. If writing is difficult in the morning, try a quick morning stretch routine or relaxing yoga sequence to calm your mind and get in touch with yourself before engaging with other people for the rest of the day.

Sensing & Prospecting (SP)

ISTP, ISFP, ESTP, ESFP

Spontaneous and charming, these bubbly personalities approach situations with enthusiasm.

People with sensing and prospecting in their MBTI are often seen as the life of the party – but this enthusiasm and vigour needs to be nurtured. Cold showers are an excellent way for these personality types to wake up their mind and body for the day, and make sure it’s started on a bright and positive note. Stimulating the brain with mindfulness activities and brain games such as crossword puzzles, word searches, and memory games will allow these individuals to clear their minds of unwanted thoughts, and help them to stay sharp and clever.