Morning and evening routines prime you for success. They keep you from stumbling through your day and make sure you get the most important things done. They help you achieve more, think clearly, and do work that matters. All it takes is a bit of discipline, along with routines that set you up for success
Eat a proper breakfast
Fuel you consume in the morning has a significant effect on your ongoing performance-and thus, it should be the best fuel possible.
Morning Routines to Help You Start the Day Off Right
Ferris’ and Robbins’ morning routines both include meditation, while others include starting the day off with a fresh cup of coffee.
- Regardless of your morning schedule, here are some of the best ways to start your day and prepare for success.
Tidy up
Spend 10 to 20 minutes a night tidying up.
- This will help reduce stress in the mornings and help you avoid marathon cleaning sessions on the weekends.
- If there’s only one thing you do, clean and shine your sink. This will give you a sense of accomplishment and relieve stress.
Prepare for the next morning
The less time and mental energy you expend on inconsequential things, the more you’ll have for the things that matter
Rise Early
Many high achievers rise early to prepare for the day, and can execute their routines while the rest of the world is asleep.
- Increased productivity with fewer distractions in the early morning
- Creativity because you can work when your mind is fresh
- Less stress if you use that extra time for meditation or quiet contemplation
Recite Affirmations
affirmations are positive statements you can use to reframe how you think about yourself and the day to come
- The aim is to affirm and visualize the things you want to happen
- As you focus on these things, you begin to believe that you can and will achieve them, which then enables you to take action on them
The Science of Habits and Creating Routines
A routine is a sequence of actions that you do repeatedly
- They’re simply routines by virtue of being done regularly
- Every routine has its benefits
- For example brushing your teeth nightly and getting ready for bed is a routine.
- Waking up at 6:00 AM and exercising every morning is also a routine
- Purchasing a bagel and reading the news before you get ready for work is another routine
Practice proper sleep hygiene
It can be easy to minimize the importance of sleep, but it’s absolutely essential for optimum performance.
- To create your morning and evening routines, write down a checklist that you can walk through every day until it becomes ingrained in you, or set up a schedule.
Routines Put Our Brains on Autopilot
Humans are creatures of habit and can use that to accomplish whatever they want
- Routines put our brains into an automatic state where little or no willpower is required
- Steps to follow: step 1: Something happens that serves as a cue to your brain, putting it into “automatic” mode
- Step 2: Execute the routine
- Reap the rewards of the routine
Take a Cold Shower
Cold showers increase blood flow, burn away unhealthy fat, and release dopamine
- A morning routine takes the stress out of the start of the day and puts you on the best footing from the get-go
- Customize your morning routine for your own preferences
Prepare goals for the next day
Determining your objectives for the coming day allows you to identify your most important tasks in advance
- It allows your brain to begin thinking about those tasks as you fall asleep
- You’ll probably wake up with great ideas related to the tasks or conversations you hadn’t even considered
Get some exercise
Exercising in the morning increases blood flow, releases endorphins, and strengthens your body
- Numerous studies have shown that exercise is key in fighting depression and anxiety, and a Finnish study suggested that exercise correlated with increased wealth
- Implementing a daily routine of exercise will prepare you for maximum success through the day
Make Your Bed
If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day.
- It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task.
- By the end of a day, one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed.
Reflect on the day’s achievements
It can be easy to lose sight of victories after a long day. Taking just a few moments at the end of the day to reflect on and celebrate your wins puts things into the proper perspective and gives you encouragement for the coming day.
- If you reflect on the things you did right, on your successes, that allows you to celebrate every little success.
Clear your head
It’s easy to take your work to bed, making it difficult to fall asleep as you mull over job-related problems. Clearing your head before sleep allows you to put aside the challenges of the day and ready your mind to shut down.
- Numerous ways to do this include: Meditation, watching a peaceful television show, doing a brain dump, etc.
Routines Create High Achievers
Routines can be a finely calibrated mechanism for taking advantage of a range of limited resources
- Productivity guru and experimenter extraordinaire Tim Ferris has five morning rituals to get into a productive state of mind
- Making his bed, meditating, exercise, drinking tea, and journaling
- High achievers tend to find routines that work for them and then stick to them
