Written by: Ryan Hodgson, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
In all my years of coaching and working with over 10,000 people I can honestly say the most successful ones I have worked with have almost always had a good morning routine.
It sets the tone for the rest of the day. Equally, a vast majority of the busy professionals I work with who have struggled (before working with me) have had next to no morning routine, and their mornings are filled with chaos. Now, I ask this question, how can a person expect to have a good day (in all areas of their life) when their morning routine is filled with chaos?
It’s why when a client first joins us, I like to look at their morning routine before anything else, in a bid to help them, set the tone for the day. I had a mentor once (Paul Mort) who said, if you want a good year, you need to have a good month, if you want a good month, you need to have a good week, if you want a good week, you need to have a good day, and if you want a good day, you need to have a good morning. It all starts with having a good morning.
Reality: Alarm goes off, hit snooze, The alarm goes off, hit snooze again, Maybe do that 3-4 times
Then it’s a rush to get up and grab a coffee and something for breakfast on the go.
Sound familiar?
Now I know many of us feel tired which is why the prospect of bouncing out of bed at the first alarm is uncomfortable, to say the least, however, when we hit that snooze button it’s allowing us to sacrifice what little time we genuinely have control over. Possibly the only time that there’s no one fighting for your time or attention.
Perhaps you’ve heard of the 5 am club?
I’m not suggesting you need to get up at 5 am (although I highly recommend it with time). Who is battling for your attention? No kids, no partner, no work colleagues, it’s just 'you' time. When did you last do that?
I wake up at 4 am (even without an alarm now, but I'm not saying you need to do that) every day, and the 90mins-2 hours before anyone needs my attention is the most productive time of my day, with my body, with my mental health, and with my business.
So I am personally telling you the benefits of creating a good routine in the morning, and that then leads into the rest of the day. Now, I know what you’re thinking you’re tired, you work late, or don't sleep, well. Now that’s a vicious cycle and one for another day however here’s what I’d start with.
Say you get up an hour earlier than you currently do, what would you do with an extra 45 minutes a day that you have complete control over?
Ok, so we have what you’ll fill most of the time with, set the alarm an hour earlier, yes an hour earlier not 45mins, I need the 15 minutes from you, than you currently get out of best at (not the time the first alarm goes off).
When the alarm is set, set it away from the bed so you need to get out of bed to turn it off, this will assist you in reducing the temptation to hit snooze (as you can tell, this isn’t my first rodeo). You’ve just regained an hour of your day that you have complete control over, no chaos which will over time reduce stress. No rush, which will give you better mental clarity and help you make decisions better and so many other benefits too.
Now the first 15 minutes of the day upon waking up, hydrate, at least 1 pint of water (I will confess I also caffeinate at this time), and give your body a little bit of movement for at least 3-5, right now it doesn't matter what the movement is, just give it some movement, it could be a few bodyweight squats, press ups, and sit-ups, or a full workout. This will improve your blood flow and give you endorphins.
That’s it, then you have the remaining 45 minutes to fill with what you wish. It could be mapping out your day, having a balanced breakfast, doing some bits of work that you want to focus on, whatever it is, but you’ve had a productive hour.
Like creating any change to habit, it’s not easy and requires some work but once you commit to it, and stay the course to force that habit, it is quite simply life-changing.
Ryan Hodgson, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Ryan Hodgson, is an executive health coach who helps busy professionals outsource their health and fitness with his 6 month coaching program. Having been in the fitness industry 13 years and having worked with over 10,000 people he’s become an industry leader. Having won several awards, and become a best selling author too. Ryan is a family man and has 2 daughters, which drive his passion to have a holistic approach to health and performance. He is the CEO of Team HH online and runs it with his wife and business partner Elly Hodgson.
