A good start to the day: 4 rules

What are you doing in the morning? Do you drink coffee? Are you taking a shower? Heading out for a run or to the gym? Are you meditating? That’s great, you’re on the right track. Here’s what else you can do.

1. Tune in from the evening

A good morning starts in the evening of the previous day. To wake up early, it is important to go to bed no later than 23:00 and be sure to go to bed with the right mood. Think about what the next day will be like, what exactly you plan to do, and what if you succeed. Close your eyes and imagine a situation in which you are in control and feel completely at ease. Imagine that this is how you will feel at the end of the next day, when you have completed everything planned.

If you feel tired and overwhelmed every morning, then you are not sleeping enough or not sleeping properly. Needless to say, adults (ages 18 to 64) need 7-9 hours of rest per day. Sleep is the cornerstone of mental and physical health. You need to sleep in a comfortable bed, in a well-ventilated dark room at a temperature of about 19 degrees.

Are you doing everything according to the rules and still can’t open your eyes in the morning? Then take note of the formula “10-3-2-1-0” invented by fitness trainer Craig Ballantyne:

• 10 hours before bed no caffeine
• 3 hours before bed no food or alcohol
• 2 hours before bed no work
• 1 hour before bed no screens,
• 0 – number of clicks on the “Snooze” button on the alarm clock in the morning.

The author of the formula claims that with its help, many people have already regained a good night’s sleep and become more productive during the day.

2. Be proactive

We are reactive when we simply adjust to events that are created by others. Proactive behavior implies that we ourselves create events.

According to social psychologist Ron Friedman, if you spend the first 10 minutes of your day checking and responding to emails, you are setting your brain to work reactively. Instead of “going on the defensive” every morning, reacting to other people’s actions, use this time to your advantage. For instance,

• drink a glass of water (hydration is vital for mood and health);
• read a book about business, self-improvement, or just for fun;
• meditate for 5 minutes;
• think pleasant.

3. Plan

Start each day with a mini planning session. Morning is the best time to make lists for the next day, week, and month. After waking up, we think calmer and clearer than anything. Do not miss the chance to put everything on the shelves.

By the way, you should include all the cases in the list, even the smallest and most insignificant, because it is usually on them that the most time is spent.

Drawing up such schedules significantly unloads the brain, because you no longer need to think about how not to forget about something important.

4. Take time for self-development

“Most people are most productive and creative in the morning, but not immediately after waking up, but about an hour and a half later,” said Dan Ariely, a behavioral economist at Duke University. – That is, if you get up at 7:00, then it will be best to think from about 8:00 to 10:30. One of the main time management mistakes is spending the best brain time on things that do not require much intellectual effort (like scrolling through social networks).”

In the daily hustle and bustle, we devote too little time to what is really important for the future. Choose two things that you can and want to do in the morning for your development. It can be learning a foreign language, working on an important project, writing a book or a scientific article. Put these items on your schedule. If it is not possible to devote an hour and a half to them on weekdays, set aside time in the mornings on weekends.

Eliminate distractions before you get started: turn off notifications on your mobile device, close tabs on your computer, and ask your family not to disturb you for the next hour and a half.

These tips may seem too simple and obvious to you, but what are you missing? On one side of the scale – little effort, on the other – increased efficiency, productivity and a new quality of life. So maybe worth a try?