MORNING ROUTINES:
Every single Successful Person in the history of the world woke/wakes up early. Routines are not fun. They’re not creative or imaginative, and frankly, they can be tough to set. But routines can do a lot of good if we can get into the regular discipline of practicing them. Why? Because they help make room in our lives for other things.
• Start the routine the night before by sketching out a few items on your to-do list. Many productivity experts and successful people spend their evenings preparing for the next day because it makes their mornings that much easier. American Express CEO Kenneth Chenault ends his evenings writing down three things he wants to accomplish the next day.
• Have a consistent wake-up time (although I think there is negotiation on the weekends). Oprah wakes up every day at 6:02 am (without an alarm!). But the first thing she does is tell herself, “I am alive! Thank you, God.” She then gets out of bed and does stretches/yoga. Obama starts his day 2 hours before the meeting or event he has for the day. I like this idea of working backwards. The question is, what is best for you?
• Practice what I’ve termed “The 3 – 3’s.” Before getting out of bed, take 9 minutes to: 1) breath for 3 minutes without judging any thoughts, 2) next 3 minutes go through things you are grateful for, and lastly 3) visualize the day.
• Hydrate and give your body an inner bath first thing. When we sleep, our bodies repair and recycle old tissues/cells. Water is exactly what is needed to wash these out of our system, preventing the materials from being reabsorbed. Water really does make the body more efficient.
• Take 5-10 minutes, or more, to educate yourself. Accomplish this by reading or listening to a podcast. When Warren Buffett was asked about his key to success, he advised, “Read 500 pages like this every day. That’s how knowledge works. It builds up, like compound interest. All of you can do it, but I guarantee not many of you will do it.” If you think you don’t have time to read, it is shown to be financially worth it. A study of wealthy people (income over $160,00) all had a commonality of reading.
• Make your planner an anchor for your routine. Have your notes and to-do lists listed and and begin each day asking yourself – “How can I serve today?” If this seems hard to initiate, set a timer for 5 minutes and let the words come out. This practice can be the blueprint for conquering something big.
• Exercise (maybe even overlap the idea of listening to a podcast here too). Working out and moving is a huge part of building massive success. We need to move our body to move our brain and ideas around. In fact, I come up with my best plans while I workout. I find myself emailing myself notes for upcoming sessions.
These are thought-staters in creating your own personal routine. Pick a few items on this list, or even add to it. I look forward to hearing how your AMs evolve on our next call.
