Morning and Evening Routines
The morning is a pivotal time. If you start the day with a few positive actions, you’re setting yourself up for a great day. If you start the day without focus and purpose, you’re leaving the day to chance.
A good morning starts the night before. The night before, you should go to bed with at least the first few hours of the next day planned. Then you will be ready to spring into action the next morning. In his excellent post on morning routines, Benjamin Hardy says that the morning is the best time to take bold, decisive action. While the evening is a great time to reflect and plan the next day, The last thing you want in the morning is to get stuck in analysis paralysis. So the night before, take a few minutes to lay out your first few actions of the next day.
A good morning routine makes strong starts to your days automatic. We all have some kind of morning routine, but we could almost all make our morning routines better. More active, more positive, more energizing. Ideally, a morning routine involves some physical activity, like a walk, a run, or some other exercise. And it involves some kind of visualization of the future, whether that is just picturing how this day could be great, or picturing how this will be your best month ever. You should start your day with energy and purpose. This will set you up for better days and ultimately a better life.
Try coming up with a small upgrade to your morning routine, a realistic thing you can do every morning. It could be taking a brisk twenty minute walk shortly after waking up. Or doing ten pushups right before you take a shower. And try to do it every day this week. You might be surprised by how much better it makes your days.
A Book Recommendation
You might have noticed that I have linked to articles by Benjamin Hardy a couple of times. I’ve been reading books and articles about self improvement for a couple of years now, and I think he’s the best there is. He just put out a new book called Personality Isn’t Permanent, which I highly recommend. It’s not very long, but it makes a very powerful case for being more positive and focused on creating a better future for yourself. I’ve read many books on self improvement over the last couple of yers, and I think this one is by far the best. I bought the book on July 5th, about a month ago, and I can honestly say my life is a little better since reading the book.
Thanks for reading, and please let me know your thoughts, any feedback you have. Have a great week!