Well I’ve done it. I’ve committed myself to sharing tips each month on my blog to help anyone lower stress, accelerate success and increase feelings of peace and well-being in their life. Now that I’ve publicly said I’ll do it, I guess that means I’m all in and committed to writing every month – YIKES! So let’s get started. This month’s topic is on morning routines and habits. What are your typical mornings like? Do you hit the snooze button several times before stumbling out of bed and rushing to get ready for the day? How energized do you typically feel when you get up in the morning? Research shows that the way you spend your first moments after waking up, effects your whole day. Here are the three “magical” morning habits that have made the biggest impact on me.
Habit One: Don’t hit the snooze button! Not even once. You may think that you’re tired when your alarm first goes off, but you will be even more groggy after one or more snoozes. There’s science behind this, and you can read one of the dozens of articles written on this topic here if you’re interested in learning more. But let’s just say that you are putting your brain in a fog for the next few hours of your day after hitting snooze and it can affect your productivity all day long. So bite the bullet and launch yourself out of bed as soon as your alarm goes off. You’ll be glad you did. And the next habit should help you do that.
Habit Two: Take the first 10-20 minutes of your day (before looking your phone or turning on the news) to do something that makes you feel peaceful, positive and energized. By eliminating the snooze button, you’ll have a few extra minutes in your morning. And knowing that the first thing you do will be something you really enjoy, will help motivate you to pop out of bed as soon as your alarm goes off. Some examples of relaxing morning activities: meditate/pray, listen to an inspiring podcast, take your time making and savoring a delicious, healthy breakfast, etc.. The only rule is it can’t be a “should.” Make sure it’s something you really love to do that will motivate you to get out of bed and will put you in a good mood to start your day.
Habit Three: Schedule time early in the day to work on an important goal. Research shows that the happiest people are those that make some progress each day on a goal they care about. That’s “some progress,” not “huge leaps of progress.” Some days you will have more time, but if you spend just 15 minutes a day making progress on an important goal, those daily small wins will add up to not only real progress on your goal, but surprising levels of satisfaction and feelings of accomplishment at the end of each day. So schedule that time and decide what one small action you will take in that 15 minutes to inch yourself closer to your goal.
These three habits make up my current morning routine. Habit one gives me more energy, habit two gives me a great reason to look forward to getting out of bed (no matter what the day holds) and habit three gives me a feeling of productivity and satisfaction at the end of each day. I won’t lie. At first it won’t be easy because you currently have different morning habits. But once you get past your initial resistance and give these habits a try, you’ll be amazed what a difference they can make in your day.
Lastly…UPCOMING EVENTS
Female leaders: Are you seeking tools to lead more effectively? If so, check out this pilot program for female leaders I’m running with fellow coach Stephanie Smith-Ejnes.
FREE workshop: I’ll be leading a workshop on how to reset your mindset to decrease stress and accelerate success on July 16, 2019 at the LAX Coastal Chamber of Commerce. For those of you local to LA that would like to attend, please use this link to register.
Until next month…