Most of us need something to strengthen ourselves first thing in the morning; a cup of coffee, a shower, listening to the radio on the way to work. We take these as necessary habits that enable us to get through the day. But what if there are particular things you could do in the mornings to not only fortify you for the day ahead, but to also push you into the stratosphere of success and achievement. Perhaps it’s time to look at your routine and adjust it to include the seven morning habits of highly successful people; habits that don’t just make them a success… but make them extraordinary.
“You snooze you lose.” – Wake up early.
Waking up early – and consistently early – is a hallmark of successful (and extraordinary) people. The likes of Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama and Indra Nooyi all set their clocks early to get the most out of their day and turn dreaming into doing. Think of what you could achieve with an extra hour per day.
Say good morning to your body – Eat breakfast.
To power an extraordinary brain and fuel a successful body, a nutritional, healthy breakfast is a must. Whether it’s breakfast on the go before a board meeting or a fruit smoothie at home before logging into Skype, successful businesspeople like Sir Richard Branson are renowned for indulging at breakfast; be it fruit salad or kippers!
Run with the rising sun – Exercise.
There’s nothing like adrenalin to wipe away the fogginess of sleep and turn both body and mind into a primed engine ready for the day ahead. Morning exercise is the hallmark of successful people, such as Apple CEO Tim Cook, who knows that a little bit of pain and sacrifice at his 5am gym sessions, go a long way towards his crusade for greatness.
Clear your mind – Mediate or practice yoga.
Another way to declutter your mind from the remnants of dreams and fugue of sleep is to seek clarity through meditation or yoga. Comedian and success story extraordinaire Jerry Seinfeld proclaims half an hour of mediation in the mornings helps him to function at a high level, and be more in control of his life.
Plan your work, then work your plan.
Sacrificing 10 minutes of the morning to sit down and plan your day can reap rewards later when you work your plan and things fall into place, rather than unravel around you. Benjamin Franklin was well known for spending a significant amount of time planning his day, asking the all-important question “What good shall I do today?” Why not follow the founding father’s footsteps and plan what good you will do every morning.
“You can do anything, but not everything. ”
It’s about prioritising the priorities, because in business, all work is a top priority right? But clarify what absolutely must be done today and focus your energy on that. And only that. Misdirected energy on unessential tasks is wasted energy. If necessary, learn to say “no”, or at the very least, “not today”.
Eat the frog – do the hardest thing first.
The advice most frequently attributed to Mark Twain, to eat a live frog in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you that day, simply means take on your hardest (or most hated) task first. Do not give in to procrastination and go with the smaller, easier task, otherwise you’ll find yourself dwelling all day on the knowledge that you still have to eat your frog.
Successful people, more often than not, were not born into their success. Successful people work hard and follow routines that drive and propel them, and make them do the extraordinary things they do. With a few tweaks to your morning routine, you too could be a successful… and extraordinary… person.
About the Author
Marcus Clarke has a degree in psychology, a masters degree in health psychology and has worked within the NHS as well as private organisations. Marcus started psysci a psychology and science blog in order to disseminate research into bitesize, meaningful and helpful resources that are interesting and insightful and often help people on the right track to improving their lives.
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