How to Make Mornings Great Again!
Use the energy or lose the energy!
I’m in bed, with my second coffee, taking my own advice … for once!
It’s 6:00am as I write this.
I normally scroll through Medium and Substack, a couple of forums and by that time I start getting ready for work.
Here’s the problem:
By doing the scrolling, I’m using the mental energy I could be using for writing or literally any other creative activity.
Yes, I get inspiration from reading those I follow and discover on Substack and Medium but that uses energy too. I get so many ideas while I’m reading, I lose the energy to write them down. It seems paradoxical but there you have it.
So I’m writing this when I would normally be scrolling!
It doesn’t only apply to writing. If you have something to achieve for the day, get to it, before you lose the energy for it. Especially if you have a 9–5 to go to, which I do … and enjoy.
I’ve tried doing the thing after the 9—5, it doesn't work. My energy for the day is done (you may be different!).
We all have personal goals that sit, gathering dust, as we pay attention to the easier thing (scrolling) that slowly saps our energy, our attention span and our desires. Then we realise we are still at square one when we know we could be further along!
Why Do We Sabotage Ourselves This Way?
Scrolling gives us the dopamine hit … so we’re good!
No need to chase the hit, we already have it. Not from what we want to do, achieve or fight for, but from a small, insignificant activity that has sucked away time, energy and creativity.
Hit the ground running!
I didn’t do this last night but here’s what I will do tonight:
write the morning goal the night before! Read it, commit to it and get to it when I wake up.
This is about what you want to get to as soon as you wake up.
5 Tips to Make The Morning Great Again!
Write the morning goal the night before.
Use Mel Robbins’ 5-Second Rule to get out of bed:
“The 5 Second Rule is simple. If you have an instinct to act on a goal, you must physically move within five seconds or your brain will kill it. The moment you feel an instinct or a desire to act on a goal or a commitment, use the Rule.”
Grab your beverage of choice (if you have one), find your space and start.
Anshul Kummar suggests start by commit to writing 150 words. Just commit to that and see if you write more, odds are you will! And you’ll be off to the races.
Use the “Seinfeld Streak” to keep going, do not break the chain.
He (Seinfeld) said the way to be a better comic was to create better jokes and the way to create better jokes was to write every day.
He told me to get a big wall calendar that has a whole year on one page and hang it on a prominent wall. The next step was to get a big red magic marker. He said for each day that I do my task of writing, I get to put a big red X over that day.
“After a few days you’ll have a chain. Just keep at it and the chain will grow longer every day. You’ll like seeing that chain, especially when you get a few weeks under your belt. Your only job is to not break the chain.” Source https://jamesclear.com/stop-procrastinating-seinfeld-strategy
Making progress is about small steps. Every day. In the same direction.
Don’t waste another morning spending energy credits on things that don’t provide progress towards your goal.
Thank you for reading! 😊
My purpose in writing is for:
Personal Development — writing helps me articulate my thinking. I find discussing a topic quite revealing and, at times challenging. It allows me to be critical of my own thoughts. I can find myself thinking: “Why DO I think this?”
Developing Others — to help people make better choices by helping them think critically and realise their potential. We are often blinded by beliefs and thinking given to us by others.
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