I’ve always been a firm believer in starting everything strong. That’s why the start is always the hardest part. But once you break in on a challenging start, you’re off to the races. I first heard about the concept back when I was in the wedding industry. My superiors told me (if I recall right, it was something they quoted from Jason Magbanua) that when making a film, you need to start strong and finish stronger.
I’ve seen how that applies to many things in life- starting a business venture, writing a book, doing a speaking engagement, starting a blog or a vlog. But more importantly, it applies to the everyday. Getting a head start to the day is one of the most powerful applications there is.
The first thirty minutes to one hour of your day will heavily determine the course of the next sixteen to eighteen hours of the day. When you start right, you put yourself in a great position to win for the day. Those daily wins will then accumulate into bigger wins in the future. So what does a good start of the day look like? Here are a few pointers to keep in mind when creating a strong start to your day.
Resist the Snooze Button
Aren’t we all guilty of this? Hopping on the honest train, I’ve had my fair share of “snooze” mornings. The guilty pleasure of “five more minutes” never ends. We think that giving ourselves some more time to sleep will help us have a good and energised day. Truth is that it rarely does. All it does is stress us out because we end up rushing through everything else.
Don’t get me wrong. Sleep is important. Another five minutes is good if you only had four hours. But the better option would have been to say no to a series marathon until 2 AM when you knew you had to be up at six.
Slow Down
This is why point number one is so crucial- you need to make time in the morning to slow down. The worst thing to do in the morning is to rush. I love the example of Jesus when it comes to this.
The Bible tells us that “…rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.” (Mark 1:35) He wasn’t doing early morning preaching preparation, meetings or emails. He took the time to slow down. This allows us time to reflect on the day past and look forward to the day ahead. It also helps us pace and calibrate for what the workday might look like.
Plan Our Your Work Day
When building a house, what’s the first thing that goes up? Definitely not the roof and definitely not the living room! It’s the foundations. Planning is very much like the pillars and foundations of your house. It’s not glamorous, but it has to happen first. Without it, everything will fall apart.
Take fifteen to thirty minutes in the morning to review your schedule. Make sure to keep a good margin to be ready for unforeseen cases like traffic, weather and so on.
