Take fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) with a meal that has some fat, and treat water-soluble ones like B and C as flexible, with or without food. Many people take B vitamins in the morning and magnesium in the evening. None of it is strict, and a routine you actually keep matters more than the exact hour.
Fat-soluble vs water-soluble
Fat-soluble vitamins absorb better with some dietary fat, so a meal is their natural anchor. Water-soluble vitamins don't have that requirement.
B vitamins are tied to energy metabolism, which is why many people prefer them earlier in the day. Magnesium often ends up in the evening. Use this as a loose guide, not a rulebook.
For the fat-soluble group, pick the meal you almost never skip. That's breakfast for some people and dinner for others. Either is fine. A meal you can count on beats a specific time on the clock.
Water-soluble vitamins can move around more. If your mornings are already rushed, you can leave B and C for later, after lunch or with an afternoon snack, instead of cramming everything into the first ten minutes after you wake up.
Starting small when you add something new
When adding a supplement, introduce one at a time instead of several together. If something feels off, it's easier to tell which one is involved. This matters more if you take a prescribed medication, since your pharmacist may want to know exactly what you're adding and when.
You don't need the full lineup on day one. Give each new addition a week or two before adding the next. The routine feels less overwhelming that way and is easier to keep up.
One routine that ties it together
Grouping what you take and setting a reminder is easier than memorizing a timetable. Pillog lets you schedule each dose, check it off from the notification, and see your month as a card, all stored on your phone with no account and no ads.
Some people keep two groups: a "with breakfast" group for the fat-soluble ones and a "whenever" group for the rest. The reminder does the sorting, so you don't have to think about it each morning. After a few weeks it mostly runs itself.
If you take several supplements, a pharmacist can help you group them sensibly and point out any that should be spaced apart.
What to do when you miss a dose
Almost everyone misses a day eventually, and for a general supplement it's rarely worth worrying about. You usually don't need to double up. Just take the next dose at the normal time. If you're unsure whether a missed dose matters for something you take, especially alongside prescribed medication, check with your pharmacist instead of guessing.
A monthly log helps here as well. Rather than trying to remember whether you took something two days ago, you can glance at the card, see the gap, and carry on without second-guessing the whole week.