Get a quality 7-plus hours of sleep (wake up between 5 and 6 a.m.) The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) conducted surveys revealing that at least 40 million Americans suffer from over 70 different sleep disorders. Not only that: 60 percent of adults, and 69 percent of children, experience one or more sleep problems a few nights or more during a week.
In addition, more than 40 percent of adults experience daytime sleepiness severe enough to interfere with their daily activities at least a few days each month--with 20 percent reporting problem sleepiness a few days a week or more.
On the flip-side, getting a healthy amount of sleep is linked to:
Increased memory Longer life Decreased inflammation Increased creativity Increased attention and focus Decreased fat and increased muscle mass with exercise Lower stress Decreased dependence on stimulants like caffeine Decreased risk of getting into accidents Decreased risk of depression If you don't make sleep a priority, the rest of this article is irrelevant. You may use stimulants to compensate, but that isn't sustainable.
Don't check email or social media
Eighty percent of people between the ages of 18 and 44 check their smart phones within 15 minutes of waking up.
Checking your smartphone puts you in a reactive--as opposed to a proactive--state. Emails and other notifications are databases for other people's agendas. They're distractive inputs that get in the way of creative outputs.
Rather than immediately checking your email, and thus setting a reactive tone, go to a quiet place. Take some deep breaths, inhaling through your nose, holding deeply for a few seconds, and exhaling through your mouth.
Close your eyes and express gratitude for this day. Gratitude unlocks within you a view of abundance, as opposed to scarcity.
Recall the 4 power questions I asked my students, and I also should ask of myself. Revisit these every to stay on track:
Have I allocated the necessary space & time to complete the task? (If not, what can I eliminate to make space for it?)
Do I possess all the necessary knowledge, prerequisites, or resources to complete the task? (If not, do I have enough to partially complete my objective? Is there someone else who can do a better job at the task?)
Is fear (obvious or hidden, real or imagined) that is preventing me from taking action? (Let go of attachment to the outcome. Trust the path you are on, no matter what the result, is the right result for you. Great accomplishment often comes many failures.)
Have I let myself get distracted? Have I let something, someone, or my own lack of discipline get in the way? Has my energy and attention been pulled to the latest ‘bright shiny object’? (Become more disciplined by establishing habits and thought patterns that work for you. Be honest with yourself and admit if you heart is no longer in it.) Recall the PM questions that had me feeling really jazzed about my day: What was the best part of your day?
Wisdom gained comes for mistakes made and failures. Failure is the path the wisdom. What you lose in a setback you gain in wisdom! Each day, journal what you are grateful for and rewrite your top two audacious goals for the month. Write down what you can accomplish within 4 hours of your day ahead: Revisit your big picture "vision" everyday to drive it into both your conscious and subconscious. Research confirms the brain, specifically the prefrontal cortex, is most active and readily creative immediately following sleep. So write it down first thing! But be sure to do something with it. It is: This is the time to plan the next steps of the projects you're working on.
5 - Exercise
(20-45 minutes) Despite endless evidence of the need for exercise, only one-third of American men and women between the ages of 25 to 64 years engage in regular physical activity. Getting your body going floods your system with dopamine, increases your confidence, and makes you work more productively.
6 - Listen & Watch self-help, spiritual, and soul enhancing programs.
Ordinary people seek entertainment. Extraordinary people seek education and learning.
7 - Take a cold shower (3-5 minutes)
When practiced regularly, cold-water immersion provides positive long-lasting changes to your body's immune, lymphatic, circulatory, and digestive systems. It can also increase weight-loss because it boosts your metabolism. A 2007 research study found that taking cold showers routinely can help treat depression symptoms, often more effectively than prescription medications.
8 - Consume 30 grams of protein in the morning
Donald Layman, professor emeritus of nutrition at the University of Illinois, recommends consuming at least 30 grams of protein for breakfast. Similarly, Tim Ferriss, in his book, The 4-Hour Body, also recommends 30 grams of protein 30 minutes after waking up. According to Tim, his father did this and lost 19 pounds in one month. Protein-rich foods keep you full longer than other foods because they take longer to leave the stomach. Also, protein keeps blood sugar levels steady, which prevents spikes in hunger. Eating protein first decreases your white carbohydrate cravings. Eggs, nuts, meats, and seeds are great choices. For me, I just grab a protein shake. Takes two minutes in a blender-bottle.
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