MORNING AND EVENING ROUTINES
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
—Aristotle, Greek philosopher.
In the words of Hal Elrod, author of The Miracle Morning, “Focused, productive, successful mornings generate focused, productive, successful days—which inevitably create a successful life—in the same way that unfocused, unproductive and mediocre mornings generate unfocused, unproductive and mediocre days and ultimately a mediocre quality of life.”
United States Navy Admiral William H. McRaven believes that making your bed every morning helps you start your day with a sense of accomplishment that will drive your performance throughout the day.He’s right.
Consider starting your day by making your bed, followed by this 30 to 60 minute routine:
This morning ritual will jumpstart your day.
Before going to bed, plan and calendar your priorities for the next day. For example; on Sunday night, decide what you need and intend to accomplish on Monday and put each item in your calendar for Monday. Do this every night. Wake up every day knowing your priorities for the day.
Use the first part of your day to
work on your top priorities.
Determine what will have the greatest impact on reaching your goals. Do that first. Know in advance what you intend to work on first, second and third, after you wake up and complete your morning routine.
Before going to bed, try to forgive anyone that has offended you and seek forgiveness from anyone that you may have offended. This is especially important if they happen to be sleeping next to you. This will allow you to begin the next day unencumbered by conflict and with the full support of those you love.
Try to get a good night’s sleep. You can do that by sleeping in a cool and dark room; ideally, one that is free of phones and computers. If your pets prevent you from getting a good night’s sleep, have them sleep in their own bed or in another room.
Beginning each day with a morning ritual, which has been planned the night before, allows you to start your day with focus and intention. This increased focus and intention will profoundly affect your day and if that’s happening every day, it can’t help but affect your life.
You want your morning and evening routines to become habits. Habits are formed in 21 days. So, you need to continue the practice for 21 consecutive days.
