Win Your Morning - Win Your Day
How a top CEO reclaimed his energy and performance with one simple tip.
I know this might sound like a big statement but that first hour of the day is so crucial to set you up for success and a good day ahead. Win the morning- win the day.
Recently, I’ve been coaching the CEO of quite a large company, and he said that he often felt scattered and pulled in different directions all day long, and consequently would be totally wiped out at the end of the day. He loved his work and the busy energy throughout his day, but his ‘attention fatigue’ was starting to affect his mood and home life too.
One of the first things we established was that he slept with his mobile phone by his bedside and he would check things first things in the morning, like the weather, some social media and his emails while still in bed. I explained that the moment you wake up and check your phone you are no longer in the present moment (waking up) and you are already entering your day in a reactive way, and maybe already in a stress response if one of those emails triggers stress.
So I set him his first mindfulness challenge- to not check his phone for at least an hour upon awakening. I invited him to just wake up and ease into his day with a warm shower, and a nutritious breakfast, enjoy all the morning routines and the commute to work, and then mindfully commence his workday with purpose and intention. No phones, no emails, no Facebook, no checking!
At first, there was some resistance to this, and he found it extremely challenging not to check his phone, but eventually, after some weeks he managed to create the habit, and he loved it so much that he extended it for two hours. He wakes around 6:30 am, does his morning exercise of a brisk walk with the dog (or gym some mornings), then has a nice warm shower/shave, followed by a coffee and yummy breakfast, then on his drive to work he puts on his favourite music and arrives at his workplace mindfully. All of this without checking his phone once.
He explained it was like having a two-hour holiday every single day and his workflow improved dramatically as he took more control of his schedule, worked more proactively- instead of reactively, was far more productive and he still had plenty of energy at the end of his workday. This one little shift has totally transformed his stress levels, his productivity, his performance and his mood and he loves the extra energy he has both physically and mentally! He thanks me endlessly for this one simple new routine.
YOUR TURN:
Four tips to reclaim your morning.
My invitation for you is to try it out for yourself, instead of waking up reactively, mindlessly checking your phone first thing in the morning, try waking up mindfully. You might need to get a little alarm clock, so your phone is not even in your bedroom. Here are four tips to get you started:
Mindful breaths: Before you rush out of bed, simply lay on your back and take about 5 deep mindful breaths, rest your awareness on your breath and your body.
Mindful showering: Notice where your mind goes when brushing your teeth or showering, chances are your mind is already at work. Bring your mind back to the warm water on your back, the smell of your shampoo, and the simple pleasure of showering.
Get Moving: Move the body for at least 20 mins, this could be a brisk walk, jog, cycle, swim or exercise routine. Move the body any way you can, it’s not only great for the body but also for the mind.
Mindful breakfast: Take your time to prepare and eat a healthy nutritious breakfast, savour the tastes, the aromas, and the time for yourself. Fuel your body before the big day ahead.
Set your intentions: Now, take a moment to set your intention to how you’d like your day to flow. This is not your to-do list, you can do that at work, this is what intention and energy you are going to bring to your day today. For example, today I’m going to be more present, or today I will remain calm no matter what lies ahead, and so on.
This may be challenging at first, but please give it a try if you want to enter your day more mindfully. Enjoy!
If you’d like some help with this, get in touch melo@melocalarco.com
