Does this sound familiar to you? The alarm starts screaming, BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP! (Can you hear it in your head when you read it or is that just me?) You jump up and grab your phone and have that quick argument with yourself, can I get away with snoozing this or do I have to move now? Maybe you have conditioned yourself over the years of getting up that you have no problem jumping up and punching the gas to start.
What happens next though?
I was recently introduced to the concept of having a morning routine, yeah, everyone has a morning routine. No, I am talking specifically about having an intentional morning routine to set the pace and flow of your day. I interviewed entrepreneur Ryan Cote who actually wrote a book on the subject called The Entrepreneur’s Secret Weapon (there is a link in my library page, and I will link the interview below) Ryan shared a lot of insights about why you should consider a morning routine and researching for the show I found that a lot of people we would commonly deem as successful have one. I found 100k plus searches and views on videos about Elon Musk morning routine, Grant Cardone’s Morning Routine, Tim Ferris’s morning routine and about every big name you can think of. Turns out they all have one that they swear by, but Ryan shared a valid point. You aren’t those people, so you need to make yours specific to you. So, I have started playing with the idea of building my own morning routine based on what I need and what works for my schedule. It is definitely a work in progress as I am in a time of transition and change so “routine” is a loose term right now. I did stumble upon one thing already that was too good not to share with you now.
It can be called a digital sunrise but it may not be the most accurate description. The concept is simple, set a time frame to start your day in which no form of news or digital media is introduced until after it has passed. During that time proceed with your routine that includes pouring into yourself and or your family.
Simple enough right? Let me give you a simple example of today. I got up later because I am still recovering from being ill for 2 weeks. So I got up at 0500hrs. I took my shower and spent some time praying. (I like to do that but you don’t have to, you can meditate or something else if you prefer) I like to pray before my day gets in the way. I then sat in my office and read for 30 minutes. My oldest daughter woke up and came to my office because she is an early riser, and I am the only one awake when she wakes up. I put my book down and cuddled with her for a few minutes then moved to the couch with her. She snuggled up and we talked. We talked about Halloween, school, my job, our business, geography and world history. We talked about the Youth rally I am a part of that is coming up and about the next Phoenix conference.
No screens, no devices no distractions. Just my 10-year-old getting my undivided attention and talking about what is on her mind. I was greeted by my 8-year-old when she got up and my wife and helped them start their day.
All of that is very nurturing to me emotionally and mentally. It was simple and maybe you can’t do 3 hours like I got away with today. Trust me, that is not a common event for me to have that long either. This is not the first morning though, it started with a camping trip I took my family on in the beginning of August. We camped at an ocean campground and every morning we were there I got up with the sun (because that’s when my oldest wakes up in a tent) and we walked to the beach from the campground to see what there was to see. Their first trip to the ocean, and the morning walks were amazing! No screens, no Facebook, Instagram, or news. My phone worked solely as a camera for that week. We experienced peace because it was just us and the occasional like-minded individual who smiled and nodded knowingly as we explored low tide.
I knew it was therapeutic but could not last forever. So I distilled what I could from it. A morning free from outside influences and negativity.
We are often too eager to return to the world from the day before. Deadlines are looming, emails need checked and answered and of course we must see what someone on social said or did. We spend a great deal of our waking time reacting to outside influences in the world and the evidence that social media is bad for us emotionally and mentally is overwhelming.
!! BREAKING NEWS !!
It will be there in 30 minutes, you will never run out of social media nonsense! There will always be emails and they are still going to be there in 30 minutes. The world didn’t end while you slept, it will wait 30 minutes.
You came to this article for Focus, clarity and calm and here it is for you, the key to it all. Take the first hour of your day and pour INTO you. Meditate, do yoga, read a book, get a shower, eat good food, enjoy your first cup of coffee quietly, go for a walk, stand in the sunshine and breath fresh air, do a mixture of all of it. The goal is to feed your heart and soul for the first hour of your day. Nurture yourself emotionally and mentally. You can work out if you want, for some of us that nurtures the soul as well as the body.
The rules are simple.
1. No NEWS of any Kind
2. No Screens (a book on a e-reader is okay but not preferred)
3. NO SOCIAL MEDIA
4. NO EMAIL
5. No going back to bed
Do whatever feeds your heart and soul. You know you. Invest in your own emotional and mental well being for the first hour. It will keep you from moving into a reactive posture to start your day. Be proactive in your well-being instead of reactive to everything else. I Guarantee you will find more Focus, Clarity and Calm and I double dog dare you to try it!
Be better tomorrow because of what you do today!