Terri's Tuesday Tip of the Week - February 5th

People think, 'If I could only get motivated, then I'll act.' Nope. In actuality, it's the opposite. - Brendon Burchard

Waking up early, connecting with nature, and having my quiet time are priorities to me, and they are non-negotiable. - Danette May

If I fail to follow my morning routine I try to get a hard workout in. A hard workout is like a manual restart of the day. - Aubrey Marcus

Routines are powerful when they become rituals that no longer require conscious thought and willpower. Without iteration, however, they can become stale and can be hard to keep up. - Joel Gascoigne

Readers of this blog know I am a routine person.  Recently, I had a dream about my morning routine and that is when I knew had come to a new level of intention about my routines!

Morning Routine

Some articles state that to be successful a person has to be a morning person that gets up at 4am or they have to work out before they go to the office.  However, I would challenge that there is no right way to have a morning routine.  I am an individual that wakes up at 5am no matter what time I go to bed probably because I have been getting up early for so many years of my life.  However, there are some people that can not get out of bed until 7am.  No matter what time you get up, it is important to incorporate a morning routine into your life. 

Now is a great time to think about what you want to accomplish each morning.  Being a month into the year, have you said, “I wish I still didn’t do that” in the morning?  What do you need to incorporate or change in your life to make it easier in the morning?

For me, I have my morning routine of getting up, turning on a podcast, going to the gym and then return to my apartment to start completing my daily tasks.  Rarely do I stray from this and when I do, I can honestly say my whole day feels off.

Nightly Routine

After my technology detox realization, I did start thinking about what technology I wanted to remove from my life.  For me, I love to read and always want to take time to read when I can.  One of my favorite things to do in the evening was to complete my nightly activities and then climb into bed to read.  However, the problem for me is that reading in the evening actually puts me to sleep. 

At the beginning of 2019, I changed my nightly routine.  I changed my routine to where I now read from 7-8pm allowing me to be awake and learning while reading.  After that, I now clean up my apartment and prepare for the next day.  Then, I climb into bed and do something with technology.  Many scientist and doctors would be aghast at this because they believe the light from phones or iPads, etc. can actually spark brain function causing people to stay awake.  However, at this time, I do not agree with these individuals.  I have no problem falling asleep after scrolling through Facebook, watching a television show or a movie on my phone.  For me, it allows my mind to wander, relax and then I fall asleep. 

CHALLENGE: Evaluate your morning and nightly routines.  What changes do you need to make to make your life more productive?  Remember that there is no perfect way and it should be what is best for you. 

Resources

The 5 Morning Habits That Make Me Super-Productive - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMrnsi8Vgxw&feature=youtu.be

The World's Most Successful People Don't Actually Start Work at 4 a.m. They Wake and Work Whenever the (Heck) They Decide - https://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/the-worlds-most-successful-people-dont-actually-start-work-at-4-am-they-wake-work-whenever-heck-they-decide.html

15 ways to be more productive and manage your time better, according to career experts - https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/career/15-ways-to-be-more-productive-and-manage-your-time-better-according-to-career-experts/ss-BBQxtk1?ocid=spartanntp#image=1

The "Block Schedule" System - LIFE CHANGING productivity hack! - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BKuSlstIBM&t=720s

10 Habits Of Unsuccessful People You Don’t Want To Copy - https://dariusforoux.com/10-habits-of-unsuccessful-people-you-dont-want-to-copy/

10 Bad Habits That Successful People Avoid - http://www.theelpodcast.com/10-bad-habits-that-successful-people-avoid/

5 steps to stop procrastinating once and for all  - https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/career/5-steps-to-stop-procrastinating-once-and-for-all/ss-BBPMchz?ocid=spartanntp

5 Morning Rituals to Boost Your Productivity - https://www.inc.com/marcel-schwantes/5-morning-rituals-to-boost-your-productivity.html?cid=sf01001&sr_share=twitter

Craig Groeschel – It’s About Time – Part 1 - https://api-assets.life.church/uploads/message/378/podcast_show_notes/its-about-time-part-1.pdf

Craig Groeschel – It’s About Time – Part 2-  https://api-assets.life.church/uploads/message/379/podcast_show_notes/its-about-time-part-2.pdf