EXPOSE | Morning People Are Better. So There.
"..as it turns out, morning people do have a little bit of an edge over night people." - Michael Hyatt
EXPLORE | Your Best Day Starts Early
Actually, there are a number of reasons that should convince you to seriously consider becoming 'one of us', or at least give it another try: the impact it will have at work, it lessens stress, you'll be more reliable, more alert, and could lose weight. Sounds almost magical, doesn't it?
Here are a few of the reasons I've used to argue for becoming a morning person:
Feed yourself first. This puts you in the best position to help others. You get what you need, and you'll be able to provide what others will require of you. Reserve the best, most productive time of the day for yourself.
Routine is good. Get your morning plan or routine together because as Michael Hyatt say, "a morning ritual can be something that really sets us up for a productive day if we really think through it intentionally."
Take control of your day. Lose control of your mornings, lose control of your day. A good, productive day starts the night before by dealing with any sleep issues.
Use it before you lose it. Take the energy of those first few hours in the morning, with no interruptions, to surge forward on things that matters most. When you hit the office, that time and energy becomes someone else's.
EXECUTE | Creating Your Morning Routine
In his This is Your Life podcast (season 6, episode 9), Michael Hyatt offers 9 "easy steps" for becoming a morning person. This is based on an article he wrote on establishing routines, which is what he is suggesting as an approach to mornings. Intentionally create a morning routine to pave your way to becoming a morning person. Here are a few of those steps:
Change your story. Stop saying to yourself, “I’m not a morning person.”
Determine what's at stake. What would happen if you don't change? Well, for one, things stay that same... as in, they don't get better.
Commit to six weeks. "I used to say 21 days... but there has been a lot of research on habits, and all of the research I’ve read says you can’t really change a habit in 21 days. It really takes more like six weeks..."
You need to become a morning person. Don't sleep through this tremendous opportunity! Wake up when you need to and leverage this most important part of the day. This is about "self-care" and getting into the right position to use your day most effectively, to have the greatest impact, and to plan for wisdom in all things.
Be sure to read the full article to get the rest of Michael's tips, and some links to a few other helpful articles.