Good Morning Sunshine!

Four Things – Breakthrough your Morning Routine

Stop dreading the morning and wake up with vigor and vitality, weather it is a slow rise or mind blowing excitement!  Simple things for anyone to do to use the morning hours before work to get that extra edge – or breakthrough boom!

 

According to Inc. Magazine, morning people have been found to be more proactive and more productive. In addition, the health benefits for those with a life before work go on and on. What four things you can do before 7AM.

 

Four Things – Breakthrough your Morning Routine

 

Visualization – Buckle up I am going to go a little new age with you, but guess what it works. These days we talk about our physical health but we often neglect the mental and spiritual. The morning is the perfect time to spend some quiet time inside your mind meditating or visualizing. Take a moment to visualize your day ahead of you, focusing on the successes you will have. Even just a minute of visualization and positive thinking can help improve your mood and outlook on your work load for the day. Bonus – this contributes exponentially to your attitude and “attitude is every baby”.

For all of the commuters out there – meditation does not require a dark room, candle and some incense, use what you have.  Close your eyes and block out the world for five minutes.  A good friend of mine used to think I snapped early in my career when I listened to ocean waves crashing on the beach. Do what works for you.

 

Prime the Pump - Most people that work out daily, work out in the morning. Whether it’s a morning yoga session, a frigid swim (Cap that is for you) or  the gym, exercising before work gives you a boost of energy (physically and mentally), for the day.

 

Pre-Game - Maximize your potential by mapping out your schedule for the day, as well as your goals and to dos. The morning is a good time for this as it is often one of the only quiet times a person gets throughout the day. The early hours foster easier reflection that helps when prioritizing your activities. They also allow for uninterrupted problem solving when trying to fit everything into your timetable. I tell people to schedule personal time to get oriented at any point of the day to be more thoughtful of what activities must be planned.

 

48 Hour Rule – What are you planning to do today that you need two days from now.  Operating ahead of schedule allows you to shape the final product versus the just in time results that are often marred with errors and not well thought through approaches. One hint for beginning your day, do that least desirable task first on your to-do list. Instead of anticipating the unpleasantness of it from the first drips of coffee through your lunch, get it out of the way. The morning is the time when you are (generally) better rested and your energy level is up. Therefore, you are primed to handle increasingly more complex projects. 

Bonus, your day will get progressively easier, not the other way around. By the time your work day is ending, you’re winding down with easier to dos and heading into your free time more relaxed.

 

Start small and build, the key is to build upon new habits to focus your efforts. “People only see what they are prepared to see.”