As I mentioned last week, what most people need in their mornings is not another “to-do” list, but a list of what NOT to do. Here are the eight things that you do NOT have to do before 8 a.m. Most of these are common sense, but are nonetheless a healthy guide for any busy person.
1. DO NOT Make Your Bed
There is a popular notion these days that the key to having a great day is making your bed. Fact: I’ve never made my bed once in my life. And yet here I am, the author of multiple books, a coach with thousands of clients, and the owner of ETR, the business of my dreams. If you like to make your bed, fine. But know that it makes no difference to how well you sell, market, or manage.
2. DO NOT Check Email
This is one of the ultimate faux pas in a Morning Routine gone wrong. What good can come of checking your inbox first thing in the morning? Very little. Negative emails can you put you in a rotten mood when you need to have intense focus on deep work, while newsletter emails can send you off to surf the web or over to Amazon for unnecessary purchases. Either way, email wastes your time away. If—as you might argue—that you’ll miss out on “important updates,” then I encourage you to reconsider your email behavior based on these two perspectives:
First, realize that your emails have been sitting in your inbox for hours. Why can’t they wait another hour while you work on a personal goal or daily priority?
Second, if you think you have emergency email messages waiting for you in the morning, then you need to build a better communication system. Email is not for emergencies. If you truly have emergencies to deal with, then these notifications should arrive via text or phone call. Email can—and must—wait until you spend some time on your priorities.
3. DO NOT Respond to Email
If you’ve made the mistake of looking at your email, you can still save your morning—and your colleagues’ mornings—by not replying before 8 a.m. Every email you send early in the morning loads up inboxes and overwhelms the mornings of countless others. Save your emails for later.
Oh—and when it comes to email, think of the children! Sounds strange, I know, but when I started telling entrepreneurs and executives that every minute spent absorbed in email robs them of a minute with their children, suddenly their eyes lit up. Ruthless email management became meaningful, and they started cutting back on newsletter subscriptions and the number of times they checked their inbox each day.
4. DO NOT Check Social Media
When it comes to Facebook and its ilk, here’s the cold, hard truth: You and I are up against a formidable enemy. Every day, thousands of America’s brightest young people set to work in Silicon Valley with one objective: To make their websites more addictive. And if you make the mistake of rolling over in bed and checking your social media feed before you’ve even said hello to your spouse, then you’ve played right into their hands.
Keep your phone away from the bed. Better yet, keep it out of the room, turned off, in airplane mode, and with a Post-it note stuck to it that says, “Keep Off!”
Again, my advice is to get something done that matters before you check the inconsequential updates of your countless social feeds. Think about your legacy and forget about your “likes.”
In the world of exercise, there are two types of people—those who don’t exercise at all and should, and those who exercise too much. That’s right—if you’re a regular exerciser, you are probably doing too much.
Before you hop on that treadmill, ask yourself, “Why do I need to run for an hour? Wouldn’t 45 minutes do just as well? Wouldn’t 30 minutes at a faster pace be even better?”
Almost everyone can exercise less and still get the same benefits—with less risk of overuse injury.
How do I know? Because I’m an expert. I’ve contributed to Men’s Health magazine for over 17 years, created the groundbreaking Turbulence Training program, and authored the book, “The Great Cardio Myth.”
I don’t say any of this to impress you. Instead, I want you to understand that if you cut back on your workout by half, you’ll likely get the same results. This saves you a lot of time that can be spent enjoying life or getting ahead in your career.
6. DO NOT Hit the Snooze Button
There are two reasons why you should never hit the snooze button. The first, as I describe in my 10-3- 2-1-0 Formula, is that getting a meager five or 10 minutes of bad sleep after your alarm goes off actually leaves you worse off than getting up right away.
The second reason is more about motivation: When you hit snooze, you’re telling your hopes and dreams that they can wait. Successful people do not do this.
Gratitude is a beautiful thing. This habit literally changed my life. However, it is not mandatory for it to be done before breakfast, nor do you need an elaborate 30-minute gratitude routine. If you like to give gratitude (and you probably should), and if it fits your early morning schedule, that’s fine. But if adding this habit causes you to rush through it or feel stressed before you get to work, then simply do it another time of the day. There is never a bad moment to be thankful, but there are better ways to practice gratitude than as an afterthought or hurried “to-do.”
8. DO NOT Meditate
Meditation is a powerful tool. It can help you reduce stress, lower your blood pressure, increase your patience, and improve your focus. I began meditating in January 2013 and haven’t missed a day since. However, it’s only done as part of my morning routine when it doesn’t add to the stress of an already busy day. When I have a 6 a.m. flight, I don’t force myself to do it before leaving home. Instead, I wait until I’m on the airplane.
Likewise, if you’re a busy entrepreneur or executive that needs to deal with more important matters at home (like feeding a two-year) or getting into the office for a 7 a.m. conference call with your team, then you have permission to put off this practice until later in the day.
Practicing meditation is not necessary for success. It’s a good habit—and I definitely encourage it—but don’t let it overwhelm your morning.
After all of these “do-nots,” you’re probably trying to remember: What SHOULD I do before breakfast to be successful?
DAY 6 Watch the Week 2 – Day 6 Video <- Click Here Momentum: » You completed two mornings of priority work on your own.
» You checked in with your accountability partner daily on your bed and wake times and the suc- cess of your number-one priority focus time each morning.
» You freed up your time and focus in the morning by eliminating bad habits and habits that don’t serve you.
» You planned for overcoming obstacles and handling temptations/distractions.
» You prepared as necessary in the evenings to make the most of your morning priority time.
The Four Seasons of Life
Star the season that is dominating your life right now.
DAY 6 New #1 Priority Now that you have identified your season of life, what will your #1 morning priority be?
Tomorrow’s Priority Action
What action step will you focus on tomorrow that addresses your number-one priority?
Revisit Your Not-To-Do List
Note any additional habits to avoid as part of your new routine
Action Steps: Check in with your accountability partner. Revisit your bed and wake times, your priority for the morning, and any additional habits you need to stop (if necessary). Prepare mentally and physically for morning priority work. Complete 15 minutes (or more) of focus time on your priority topic tomorrow morning. Eliminate obstacles and temptations on your not-to-do list.
DAY 7 Watch the Week 2 – Day 7 Video <- Click Here Momentum: » You prepared appropriately for morning priority work.
» You completed morning priority work for at least 15 minutes.
» You checked in with your accountability partner on your bed and wake times, as well as your new #1 priority.
» You eliminated obstacles on your not-to-do list and avoided both temptations and distractions.
Your Morning Routine starts the . Proper makes perfect.
Steps to Planning Your Morning:
Brain dump – thoughts, ideas, action items, projects, contacts, etc. Prioritize your list – what is important, not as important, can be eliminated Process planning – what makes the path as smooth as possible
Practice it Here: Brain dump: Prioritized list: Process plan:
Action Steps: Check in with your accountability partner. Revisit your bed and wake times, your priority for the morning, and any additional habits you need to stop (if necessary). Prepare mentally and physically for morning priority work. Complete 15 minutes (or more) of focus time on your priority topic tomorrow morning. Eliminate obstacles and temptations on your not-to-do list.
DAY 8 Watch the Week 2 – Day 8 Video <- Click Here Momentum: » You eliminated obstacles on your not-to-do list and avoided both temptations and distractions.
» You completed morning priority work for at least 15 minutes.
» You checked in with your accountability partner on your bed and wake times, as well as your new #1 priority.
» You prepared appropriately for morning priority work and completed a brain dump, prioritized list, and process plan.
Qualities of a Activity: Can be completed in just a few minutes Allows your brain to switch from rest mode to work mode Something enjoyable that you won’t procrastinate doing Prepared for easy access in the morning Examples: o Short meditation o Reading the Bible o Listening to a song o Petting your dog o Gratitude Journal
What Will Your Centering Activity Be?
Action Steps: Check in with your accountability partner. Revisit your bed and wake times, your priority for the morning, and any additional habits you need to stop (if necessary). Make sure you hold yourself accountable for your centering activity, too. Prepare mentally and physically for morning priority work and centering activity. Complete a centering activity lasting no more than 5 minutes upon wake up. Complete 15 minutes (or more) of focus time on your priority topic tomorrow morning following centering exercise. Continue to eliminate obstacles and temptations on your not-to-do list.
DAY 9 Watch the Week 2 – Day 9 Video <- Click Here Momentum: » You eliminated obstacles on your not-to-do list and avoided both temptations and distractions.
» You prepared appropriately for morning priority work and centering activity.
» You implemented a quick centering activity upon waking.
» You completed morning priority work for at least 15 minutes.
» You checked in with your accountability partner on your bed and wake times, as well as your new #1 priority and centering activity.
Adding a Cleanse There are two ways to implement your cleanse activity: • Cleanse the body • Cleanse the mind/spirit Examples: • Mediation (if not your centering activity) • Bible study (if not your centering activity) • Yoga sequence (if not your centering activity) • Water (with lemon) • Greens drink
Your Cleansing Activity: Your Centering Activity: Your Priority Action:
Action Steps: Check in with your accountability partner. Revisit your bed and wake times, your priority for the morning, and any additional habits you need to stop (if necessary). Make sure you hold yourself accountable for your centering and cleansing activities, too. Prepare mentally and physically for morning priority work, cleanse, and centering activity. Complete a cleansing and centering activity lasting no more than 8-10 minutes upon wake up. Complete 15 minutes (or more) of focus time on your priority topic tomorrow morning following centering exercise and cleanse. Continue to eliminate obstacles and temptations on your not-to-do list.
DAY 10 Watch the Week 2 – Day 10 Video <- Click Here Momentum: » You eliminated obstacles on your not-to-do list and avoided both temptations and distractions.
» You prepared appropriately for morning priority work, as well as cleansing and centering activities.
» You implemented a quick morning kick-start (cleansing and centering).
» You completed morning priority work for at least 15 minutes.
» You checked in with your accountability partner on your bed and wake times, as well as your new #1 priority, cleanse, and centering activity.
Rid the Device Vice
Keep your phone out of the bedroom No more snooze o Sleep quality o Subconscious sabotage No more checking emails first No more checking social media first No more checking texts/VMs first
Determine a Consequence What penalty will your accountability partner enforce when you slip back into bad habits like hitting snooze and checking social media in the morning? (Example: Pay them $5)
DAY 10 Action Steps: Remove the device vice from the bedroom; use your old-school alarm. Check in with your accountability partner. Revisit your bed and wake times, your priority for the morning, and any additional habits you need to stop (if necessary). Make sure you hold yourself accountable for your cleanse and centering activities, too. Prepare mentally and physically for morning priority work, cleanse, and centering activity. Complete a cleansing and centering activity lasting no more than 8-10 minutes upon wake up. Complete 15 minutes (or more) of focus time on your priority topic tomorrow morning following centering exercise and cleanse. Continue to eliminate obstacles and temptations on your not-to-do list.
If something is really important to you, then continue to
make progress on it EVERY day. The best is first thing in the morning...but no matter what, make sure that before you go to bed at night, progress is made. - craig ballantyne
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THE 30-DAY TRANSFORMATION CHALLENGE A Woman’s Beginners Guide to Becoming Productive, Self-Confident, Disciplined, and Achieving Success Now: Life change mastery, #1
Overthinking: Putting a Stop to Destructive Overthinking. Proven Ways to Stop Procrastination, Excessive Worrying and get Real Results in your Personal and Professional Life.: Fastlane to Success
THE 30-DAY TRANSFORMATION CHALLENGE A Woman’s Beginners Guide to Becoming Productive, Self-Confident, Disciplined, and Achieving Success Now: Life change mastery, #1
