A ritual does not need an altar room. It needs a fixed place and a fixed few minutes, and the rest takes care of itself. Here is the smallest version that actually holds.
Pick one surface
Choose a spot you pass every morning anyway: a windowsill, a shelf, the corner of a desk. The value of a ritual corner is that it is always the same place, so lighting the stick becomes muscle memory rather than a decision. Keep it uncluttered. A holder, the box, and maybe one small object that means something to you is plenty.
Let the room breathe
Even a clean, low-smoke dhoop is still smoke, and it is better appreciated in moving air. Crack a window. The draft carries the fragrance across the room instead of letting it pool, and it keeps the burn even. A stick in still, closed air smoulders unevenly and smells stronger than it should.
Light, wave, rest
Hold a flame to the tip until it catches, then wave it out so a single ember glows. Set it in the holder and step back. The whole point is that there is nothing else to do. Fifteen minutes with the first light of the day, a cup of something warm, and one honest fragrance is a surprisingly durable way to begin.
Keep it low-stakes
Some mornings you will forget, and that is fine. A ritual you can miss and return to is one you will keep for years. A ritual you feel guilty about is one you will quietly abandon. Start with one stick, one window, and one quiet quarter of an hour.