The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod: Can One Hour Change Your Life?

If you’ve ever felt like you start your day in a rush—barely awake, glued to your phone, scrambling to get things done—then The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod offers a compelling alternative. It’s not about waking up at 5 a.m. just to be productive. It’s about reclaiming your mornings so they set the tone for a better, more intentional life.

In this post, I’ll walk you through what The Miracle Morning is all about, why it’s resonated with so many readers, who it’s right for (and who it might not suit), and how you can try it in a way that actually works for you.

What Is The Miracle Morning?

Hal Elrod believes that how you start your morning determines the rest of your day. After surviving a near-fatal car accident and later facing financial and health challenges, he developed a simple but powerful morning routine that helped turn things around—and he began sharing it with others.

The core of the Miracle Morning is a daily practice built around six activities, referred to as SAVERS:

• Silence (meditation, deep breathing, prayer)
• Affirmations (positive statements about who you want to become)
• Visualization (seeing your goals as already achieved)
• Exercise (anything from stretching to a jog)
• Reading (a few pages of a good book)
• Scribing (journaling, gratitude lists, goal setting)

Elrod suggests doing each of these for 10 minutes, resulting in a 60-minute morning routine that prepares your mind and body for the day ahead.

Why It Works for So Many People

People love The Miracle Morning because it gives structure to the start of the day. Instead of jumping straight into email or social media, you’re grounding yourself with meaningful practices. You’re aligning your mindset, your goals, and your energy.

The book has built a passionate global following—Elrod even started a Miracle Morning community with thousands of people sharing their daily routines and results. It’s especially popular among:

• Entrepreneurs and self-employed professionals
• Parents trying to carve out personal time
• People going through life transitions (career, health, or emotional)

There’s something empowering about having the first hour of the day just for you—before the world starts demanding your attention.

Who Might Not Click With It

Let’s be real: not everyone is wired for early mornings. If you’re a night owl or you’ve got a baby who wakes at 4 a.m., even the best routine might be hard to stick to.

Some readers also find Elrod’s tone a bit too enthusiastic. If you’re looking for a more calm or analytical approach to habit change, a book like Atomic Habits by James Clear might be more your style.

Still, you don’t have to follow the plan perfectly. The great thing about The Miracle Morning is that it’s adaptable. You can start with a 6-minute version (1 minute per SAVERS activity) or shift it later in the morning.

A Real-Life Example

I tried the full 60-minute routine for a couple of weeks. I’ll admit—I didn’t love getting up earlier at first. But once I stopped checking my phone first thing and started with silence, some light stretching, and 10 minutes of reading, I noticed a difference. I felt calmer, more focused, and more optimistic.

Now, my adapted version takes 30 minutes:

• 5 minutes of silence or deep breathing
• 5 minutes of affirmations (I write them fresh each week)
• 5 minutes of visualizing a clear, focused day
• 10 minutes of reading something uplifting
• 5 minutes of journaling

I walk the dog afterward, so that ticks the exercise box!

Tips for Starting Your Own Miracle Morning

Here’s how to begin without overwhelming yourself:

1. Start Small – Try 6 minutes to begin with. Even 1 minute of each activity can set a positive tone.
2. Prep the Night Before – Lay out your clothes, prep your journal, and plan your reading.
3. Use a Timer or Playlist – Set a 10-minute timer for each segment or create a playlist to guide you through the SAVERS.
4. Stack the Habits – Attach the routine to an existing habit like making coffee or walking the dog.
5. Keep It Flexible – It doesn’t have to happen at 5 a.m. Do it at 7, 8, or whatever works for your life.

Miracle Morning Resources

Some items that readers often use when setting up their Miracle Morning include:

• The Miracle Morning book itself
• The Miracle Morning Journal 
• Meditation tools like Insight Timer
• Noise-cancelling headphones for silence
• Gratitude or affirmation cards
• Comfortable mat or yoga equipment

Final Thoughts

What I love most about The Miracle Morning is that it’s not just about productivity—it’s about purpose. It’s about taking time to connect with yourself before you start reacting to everything else. You don’t have to follow every suggestion. You don’t even have to be a morning person. But giving yourself that intentional time—even for 10 minutes—can completely shift your mindset.

It’s about momentum, not perfection.

And once you begin, you might find it’s the best part of your day.

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Want to try it yourself?
Pick up The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod here and take the first step toward more energized, focused mornings.

Let me know how your mornings evolve—I’d love to hear about it in the comments or through the contact page.