I love mornings. I wake up every morning between 5:30-5:45 am, get out of bed and start my day. There is something undeniably calming about mornings for me. No one is awake yet, no one is asking me for anything (except maybe the dog to go outside), and I have a clean slate to have a great day. But my mornings weren’t always like this…
I used to start my day a little bit later, convinced that the extra hour of sleep would make me a more effective version of myself, but little did I know that I was selling myself short. Way short. Waking up earlier has changed everything about my day and I end my day with more energy even though they are longer. If you’re anything like me, you may be scratching your head wondering how this is possible, so let me tell you.
When you start your day focused on you, you can spend the rest of your day focused on others.
By starting my day early, before everyone is awake allows me to focus solely on myself. Something that most of us cannot find time for any other time of the day. For example, not only am a the owner of a company, I have two kids under 10 years old, a dog, and a wife - all that demand my attention at one time or another throughout the day. Don’t get me wrong, I’m thankful that they do - but it is rare that I can find the time to sit down with a personal development book or and make it through more than a few sentences before someone asks me a question. Our days are filled with constant interruptions, distractions, and pulls on our attention. Most of us spend a lot of time focused on others and not on ourselves because society looks positively on such selfless actions, but this is no way to achieve your goals. Success requires a level of selfishness because it requires a level of inward focus to achieve external goals. You owe it to yourself.
Planning is the second most important thing you do all day.
Since you’re probably wondering what the first most important thing you do all day is, I’ll start there. Execution is the most important thing you do all day because that is what prompts the forward movement to accomplish your goals.
But, planning is a really close second. Why? Because planning is what allows you to focus on exactly what you need to execute and map out how you will do it. Planning is trendy. There are a million planners on the market, each with bold claims of how they will be the ones to help you achieve your goals. The kicker though - none of them work unless you do. (If you’re looking for one to fit your lifestyle, we have a whole list.) By taking the time to plan your day, be strategic about what will make it on your schedule and what won’t. What 3-5 tasks each day will help you make forward progress to achieving your big goals? Those should be your non-negotiable tasks for your day that you focus one first, not allowing other things to get in the way until they are accomplished.
Don’t cut and run at the end of the day. Use your evenings strategically too.
I get it. By the end of the day, we’re exhausted. After a full day, the last thing you want to do is plan for tomorrow, but doing so can drastically change the tone of your mornings. By not allowing the messes of today follow you into tomorrow, you’ll start your day with the clean slate every day deserves. Take some time each evening to clear your desk, write your list for tomorrow, and pack your things for the next day. I’ve found by doing these things, I’m able to start my day with actionable tasks and more focused on how I can make forward progress rather than looking back on what went wrong today. If you’re looking for a great place to start, try this helpful guide by Mel Robbins that she shared.
As Brendon Burchard, one of my mentor always says - “win the morning, win the day.” By starting your day making forward progress, even if it is incremental, you’ll gain momentum and build off of those actions to have a much more successful day.