As I'm writing this article, it is 5:54am. I'm trying to tell myself that "I'm not a morning person" -- but this simply isn't the case anymore. If you are anything like me (or how I used to be), pressing the snooze button every morning was a ritual. "10 more minutes... 5 more minutes" -- these phrases were far too common for me every morning. Over the course of the last 4 months, I've committed to reading a book every 1-2 weeks. That said, I've noticed that many successful entrepreneurs and business tycoons have one thing in common: they have a morning ritual and pride themselves on waking up early.
If you are consistently hitting the snooze button and consider yourself not to be a morning person, I encourage you to read on. If after reading this article you feel energized and excited, I welcome you to join the Private Fit Opportunity Facebook Community -- full on entrepreneurs and business owners looking to live a healthier lifestyle.
First, let's talk about how YOU can start waking up earlier in the morning which will allow you to become more productive than ever before. An early morning all starts with the preparation the night before. Just as many successful people have a morning ritual, it's equally as important to have an evening ritual before bed. Here's what I find works for me:
- One hour before bed I put away all electronics (laptop, TV, cell phones, iPad, etc.)
- I brew a mint tea which helps relax my body
- I hold myself accountable by reading for at least an hour, to let my brain wind down
- On a piece of paper/journal, I write down 1-2 major goals for the following day (these could be personal, business related or anything else that you have been putting off doing)
This is the easy part. My nightly routine remains fairly consistent and it helps me relax after a long day. (Follow me on Snapchat @KaranNL if you want to see this routine in action virtually every day.)
Now, let's talk about the aspect that's going to change your life forever -- the morning routine. Remember what I said earlier, many successful people in the world today (Oprah, Tony Robbins, Gary Vaynerchuk, Kevin O'Leary, Tim Ferris) pride themselves on having a morning routine. Here's a sample morning timeline that I have been experimenting with:
5:30-5:40am -- Wake up -> I place my alarm clock/cell phone on the other side of the room so it forces me to actually get up (this is the hardest part for many people). After that, I chug a glass of water and immediately go brush my teeth. This 'wake up' strategy is discussed in the book The Morning Miracle -- by Hal Elrod.
5:40-5:45am -- Sit in silence and focus on my breathing.
5:45-5:50am -- Practice my affirmations by saying them out loud. This is new for me, but not for many of the successful people that I have mentioned above.
5:50-5:55am -- Visualization; also new to me but successful people in various industries (Will Smith, Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan) tribute visualization to their success.
5:55-6:25am -- This is where my productivity kicks in. In this 30 minute window, I try to accomplish one of my goals for the day. This could be writing an article, working on an aspect of my business or anything else that I feel will add major value to my long-term goal of being a successful entrepreneur.
6:25-6:45am -- I read and comment on articles on various platforms in and outside of my industry. For example, I'll read articles on fitness, nutrition, business, marketing, entrepreneurship -- this can be whatever you fancy.
6:45-7am -- I perform some sort of physical activity that will increase blood flow to my body. This does not have to be a strenuous workout - yoga, stretching, foam rolling, jumping jacks, push-ups, body-weight squats -- once again, the options are endless. I'm a big believer that you have to earn your shower!
And that's it. Most people are still asleep and I've already had a productive morning! Waking up like this, with purpose and intent can truly change your life. Wake up earlier tomorrow (10 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes or even an hour earlier) and see how you feel afterwards. I promise that if you commit to having a nightly and morning routine, waking up earlier will seriously change your life. You will wake up with excitement and forget about hitting snooze. You will want to wake up earlier and earlier because you will start to value this time and associate it with productivity. You will wake up with more energy and look forward to waking up every day for the rest of your life -- and that's a powerful advantage to have.
Do you have a nightly or morning ritual that you swear by?
If so, please share in the comments; I would love to hear from you!