June 21 2017 | By Belle B. Cooper for Rescue Time
How To Craft The Perfect Morning Routine
Some of the most successful people in history have relied on morning routines to help them start their day consistently. From Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of Vogue, who famously starts her day with an hour of tennis, to author Cal Newport, who heads outside for a walk first thing, morning routines help artists, entrepreneurs, politicians, and CEOs control how they start their days.
After waking up, Newport stops only for a glass of water before heading outside with his dog. During their walk, he’ll listen to audiobooks and do pull-ups at a local playground. ‘This time of year, it’s dark when the walk starts, but I don’t mind the solitude,’ he says. ‘For me, interesting thoughts have a tendency to emerge when the rest of the world is quiet.’
When he arrives home, he employs a hack that allows him to stay on top of non-work productivity: He’ll dedicate 20-30 minutes to household tasks, like paying bills or researching a contractor for a project.
‘This simple morning habit allows me to stay (reasonably) on top of these obligations while expending a minimum of energy in making decisions about what to work on and when,’ he says.
A morning routine gives you a chance to start with positive momentum that will carry you through the rest of the day. It also gives you a chance to set your priorities and focus on what’s most important to you.
Rather than letting other people, emails, and notifications interrupt you all morning and start your day reactively, creating a morning routine gives you the control to start your day in the way you want to and to prioritize what you care about most.
So what should your morning routine look like? It depends, of course, but there are some common aspects of a morning routine that can get you started and help you figure out what will work best for you.
1. OVERCOME SLEEP INERTIA
2. CLEAR YOUR MIND THROUGH WRITING
3. START YOUR DAY WITH POSITIVITY
4. DO WHAT’S IMPORTANT TO YOU
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