For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today? And whenever the answer has been no for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something. – Steve Jobs
The first few hours of your day are crucial to your success. Your routine should prime and pump you up to conquer what lies ahead. This morning routine helps you feel energized and empowered to conquer the day. Set yourself up for success with these 7 morning habits to conquer your day.
Wake up early
The most successful people are early risers. They know that those early morning hours can give a big boost to their productivity. Wake up before 6 am, preferably at 4 am. If you aren’t naturally an early riser set your alarm for 1 minute early every day until you wake up and your desired time.
Reading
Read a book, your favorite blogs or newspapers. You could even listen to a podcast if you’d rather. This should be a combination of fun reads as well as things related to your field or topics that provide inspiration. The key here is to learn something that you can apply to your day.
Write a to-do and prioritize it
Make a list of the things that need done for that day and prioritize from most important to least important. Celebrate the fact that you don’t get through the list by the end of the day, more than likely there are things on there that have little to no impact on your success.
Engage on Social media
Read your feeds, share what is interesting, engage with your network and post your own content. Pepper several 15 minute intervals of engagement on Twitter and LinkedIn throughout the day. Grow your network in a meaningful way.
Workout
Make time for a 1 hour daily workout that should be a combination of high and low intensity. I typically do an hour of weights with a half hour or more of cardio. I find this clears my mind, removes stress and I get some of my best ideas while at the gym.
Goals
Regularly review your goals both professionally and personally. Are you on track? Are they still relevant? Most people set goals and then after a few months they “lose” the paper they were written on. Keep them top of mind to ensure you achieve them.
Write
Write down the things that are going well, the things you are grateful for and the things you need to change. Taking time to reflect will help re-energize you and keep your momentum high. It helps you see how far you’ve come and also helps to make sure that what you are focused on are the right things.
What morning routine do you follow? Share your comments below.
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