When we lived in MD, I always volunteered to speak to students at Seneca Valley High School in Germantown, MD for their career day. Jeff Baker, the Career Academics Coordinator there did a phenomenal job at rounding up speakers in a wide variety of careers so the students could get a real-world perspective on different paths.
My presentation was really more on how to prepare for any career than on a specific one (since I do a variety of different things in my business) so I gave the students 3 Keys to Career Success. One of them asked me what my morning routine was and so I shared. I guess I never really thought about it, but that morning routine, done well, sets up the rest of the day for a win. I’m not sure what yours is, but I’ll share mine. Maybe something on my list will be a good one to add to yours. Oh yes, If you want to follow mine, be sure to do the steps in the order I’ve listed them.
Get up Early
People often lament that “there are not enough hours in the day” and that’s true. If you’ve experienced that, here’s the solution: get up early and make use of some of those early hours. I know that’s not going to be popular with everyone (it certainly wasn’t when the high school kids heard it) but it’s the key to getting everything going. I got in this habit years ago while working full time in the Navy and taking my Masters program. The only time I had available for the reading and massive amounts of writing was early. I kept this up and for the most part, I’ve stuck to it. Instead of 3AM now though, I usually get up somewhere between 4 and 5 (depending on whether or not I go to the gym).
Feed and Water Yourself
I’ve found that starting the morning off with a big glass of water is a great way to wake up. Depending on when you went to bed, you make wake up somewhat dehydrated. You may not be thirsty, but do it anyway. Then, take two tablespoons of Chia seeds (get the from Whole Foods or someplace similar – yes they are the same type that you grow a Chia Pet with [cha cha cha chia….] but made for human consumption) place them in a glass of hot water, and let them soak for 10 minutes. It looks nasty (like cigarette ashes) but it actually doesn’t taste bad at all. Kind of like oatmeal with the same consistency if you’ve let them soak. Then, if you want to, have that first cup of coffee.
Make Your To-Do List
My friend Bruce Johnson turned me on to a great productivity app called ToDoist and I have been making good progress with it. It’s a great way to know, from the get-go, what the most important tasks of the day are (which by the way are in addition to whatever your job entails – often I’m teaching a workshop all day so these To-Do items need to be accomplished either before, during, or after).
Read
- This is the most important item on the list. I begin by checking out current events. My favorite sites are (and I go in this order):
- CNN
- USA Today
- Sports Illustrated
- MSN
- Facebook (to see what my friends are up to and to link up any relevant articles to my Fan Page.
- LinkedIn (to look for new connections and post to a few current ones)
Then, if time permits, I’ll spend some time reading my current book.
And then…
Then I’m back home, jump in the shower, get dressed, eat breakfast (something with at least 30 grams of protein) and then out the door.
So that’s my routine. It’s worked well for me all these years. Testament to that is when I’ve deviated from it (which I had done for the past year or so) I gained weight, lost focus, suffered a lack of creativity, and basically felt like crap most of the time. I don’t usually follow it on weekends although I never sleep past 6:00 AM – even if I try it never seems to happen.
I don’t expect you to follow mine to the letter (although you’re welcome to) but at least think of one that works for you and get busy doing it. Good days and bad days aren’t always predetermined. You have the chance to get them started on the right or wrong foot. Having a routine at least gives you a better shot at daily success.