Mornings Are The Secret

Mornings, The Secret to Managing Your Schedule.

I am a morning person. I am also constantly on the hunt to maximize/manage my time better. So when I came across the book ‘What Successful People Do in the Morning’ I figured it would be the perfect read.

Turns out, it was a GREAT read. Here is a quick synopsis for you:

Mornings are the key to taking ahold of your schedule. If we use them wisely, we can build habits that allow us to live happier/more productive lives.

At 4pm when you tell yourself you’re ‘going to read that book’, or ‘finally finish that online course’, or ‘go to the gym and get a great workout in’, chances are there are a MILLION reasons not to.

  1. You’re too tired. You just worked your butt off for 8hrs. You had to make 456 decisions – all of which do take a toll on your energy. Answered 62 emails. Talked to 2 unhappy customers. Sat through 3 team meetings and your family called you 6 times to talk about dinner on Saturday. Now, you’re tired, grumpy, you’re brain is fried and just wanna sit and watch some ‘Shameless’ to ‘unwind’. Totally understandable.
  2. You’ve got more urgent things to do. Timmy ruined his backpack today at school and needs a new one for tomorrow. Your family told you you’re in charge of dessert on Saturday so you have to figure out what you are going to make and get groceries. Your dog also ran away, so you gotta go find him.

Do you see the trend? The problem is that once you start your day, other people’s priorities often ‘invade’ your day. (This ‘invading’ is not a bad thing, it’s just the reality of having great relationships and people who count on you.)

However, YOUR priorities and happiness are also important. To ensure you have better control over your priorities and days, successful people get things done in the morning, when they have the most control over their schedule.

 

The items you should do in the morning is are the things that are important, but not urgent. Things that nourishes your career, your relationships or yourself. Things that you WANT to do, but can never find the time to do.

Bad Examples: Laundry. Laundry will get done regardless of when you do it, because you need clothes. Cleaning – same deal. You’ll do it because you have to eventually. It’s not something you’ll avoid for too long.

Good Examples: Work on the business you’ve always wanted to start. Read the books you’ve been trying to read for the last 4 months. Make the lunch you’ve been telling yourself you will make each day. OR, our personal favourite, WORKOUT! Get yourself into the health/shape you’ve always wanted.

The good examples are things are hard to do, but you KNOW that when they are done repeatedly, over a long period of time, the results will be substantial and you’ll thank yourself later for getting up those few hours earlier. (The key to not waking up miserable btw, is getting yourself to bed early.)

 

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