Sometimes, I feel like a squirrel, who hoards food in its burrows for the entire winter and hibernates there too. It’s been months now and we haven’t been to my school, college or my office. We start with a lazy morning and end up doing nothing productive throughout the day. We resolve everyday to start our days more efficiently. But that never seems to happen? So in today’s video we will look at
- how successful people begin their day and 6 easy peasy ways for us to plan our Morning Routine
- 3 barriers to a focused morning routine
- 3 morning hacks
But before that, Do you know what happened when Bill Gates met Warren Buffet for the first time?
Bill met Warren for the first time when he invited Warren over for dinner. And the world’s two wealthiest people landed on the dining table along with Bill’s parents and some delicacies. In a conversation, Bill’s father asked both of them an intriguing question, “What was the most important ingredient to their success?”. There were no second thoughts. Both had an answer and were excited to spill it out first. They responded simultaneously, “My focus.”
Not just them. Even Albert Einstein once said, “It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer than anyone else.”
So what Bill and Warren really meant when they said “focus” are the habits they acquired to create a daily routine that maximizes their time and energy to focus on important aspects of their business.
It is said that the first hour of your day determines the rest of it.
So, Focus is not what you do but what you become. For instance, you woke up at 10 am, had a nice stomach-full breakfast, played a round of a mobile-game and now you want to focus on your studies. It will fail eventually.
Instead, you woke up at 6 or 7, did some exercise, had a light breakfast and sat in a peaceful place with your book, you will notice that you ended up with a very focused study-time. Can you observe the difference? In the first case, you tried to focus and in the second case, you focused automatically.
You always have the time for things you put first. So let’s see how we can put a few things in place to put our day on auto-pilot.
So, here it is.
6 Things you must do in the morning
- Wake up to your alarm – Be bigger than your best excuse. Sometimes when I know I have something interesting to do in the morning, I jump out of bed. So the trick is, that before going to bed, think about something that is important and excites you that you plan to do the next day and this will make you spring out of bed in the morning.
- Exercise – An early morning walk in nature is invigorating. It not only gets your metabolism up, it also gives you time for deep reflection and acts like meditation. Keep your phone at home and use this time to focus on your breathing, and as you walk, think about that ONE big priority for the day. Do this for 15 minutes and for another 15-20 minutes run / jog to get your heart pumping.
- Gratitude- You are a part of something larger than yourself. The Dalai Lama once said, “Every day when you wake up, think that I am fortunate to be alive. Remember that you are powerful and that one person can change the world. So prepare to seize the day and make it count.
- Lemon Water and lots of water – I drink about 3-4 glasses of water first thing in the morning. Take the first one lukewarm with half a lemon, the second one lukewarm plain and then just have another glass or two after 10 minutes.
- Coldwater bathing- Wim Hof, also known as The Iceman because of his extreme athleticism and Guinness World Records for swimming under the ice. His method states that regularly bathing in cold water reduces stress levels, increases the level of alertness and also leads to increased will power. And what else do we need in the morning?
- Reading – Slot about 30 minutes in the morning for reading. This could include catching up on the morning news update or listening to an audio book. Take in some positive and motivating thoughts and some great ideas to set you up for an energy filled day. These days I like to listen to an audiobook while I do some cooking or cleaning in the kitchen.
3 Barriers to calm and focused morning
- Mobile the first thing in the morning- Mel Robbins, a famous American Author and TV Host alerts that scrolling through your social feeds and watching other’s lives first thing in the morning is one of the worst ways to start your morning. Instead of starting your day with what others are doing, focus on what you want to do.
- Scrambled Bed- “I feel less tempted to go back to my bed once it’s prepared.” Said, everyone. It just takes about 60 seconds and you can quickly make your bed as soon as you step out of it. That way when you come back to your room at night, you are welcomed by a neat room. They say, if you want to change the world, start off by making your bed
- A list of Million Activities– The worst day is one where you have 100’s of small and irrelevant things to do. Instead think of one big To Do item and one big To be Item. Focus on being productive instead of being busy.
A To do item for me could be writing the script of a video or perhaps shooting a video. A To Be item could be – what kind of person do you want to be today. Positive, happy, caring, encouraging – which quality do you want to develop in your life? Start by practicing it every day.
A Few Morning Hacks
- Educational Podcast- If you have a topic to study, how about you find a good educational podcast on that subject – on any free podcast app like google podcast or spotify. Download it the night before and in the morning while doing your morning chores, this will give you a great headstart and perspective.
- Start your Activity- As a regular morning habit, Holly, a student from Cambridge University starts her study assignments before having her breakfast and completes it during the later part of the day. Indeed, just a mere start of even a few pages will motivate you to continue later in the day.
- It all starts with a good night- A morning could never start well without a night of good sleep. So, keep your phone outside your room and avoid using it at least half an hour before sleep. A simple habit of cleansing your face, brushing your teeth and planning the next day will result in sound sleep and a more productive morning.
Coz, well begun is half done
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