Do you get to the end of your day feeling like you didn’t accomplish much? What if I told you the secret to having a productive and fulfilling day depends on how you spend your morning?
In this blog post I’m explaining how I’ve transformed my business and mindset by adding a simple, yet powerful wake up routine to my life.
I still remember, everyday was like I was stuck in a hamster wheel. I worked several hours throughout the day but I couldn’t get much done. By the end of the day I was mentally exhausted and couldn’t strategize my business! I was always tired and not able to get things done.
A few years ago, when I decided that success was no longer an option, I researched several ways to improve my focus and productivity. I had just resigned from a well known corporation with very good pay to become my own boss and stay at home with my son. Going back was not an option, so I needed to make-things-happen! But I was stuck…
During my coaching program (I actually hired a coach for myself!), I came across a book called “The Morning Miracle” by Hal Elrod. The title of the book made me think it wouldn’t work for me because I was the type of person who hated mornings and everything related to it.
But I decided to give it a try! I’m not exaggerating when I say that after incorporating a wake up routine it all changed for me.
After just days dedicating a few hours of my morning to intentionally set myself up for success, I started seeing growth in my business and a change in my mindset. I started having way more energy, focus, broader view of situations and consequently, I was becoming a better version of me!
Having a wake up routine helped me deal with stress, with my fears, goal setting and getting things done!
But you might be asking: what did you do to actually see such transformation, Juliana?!
Glad you asked!!! I want to share with you one of my most powerful business weapons, my Wake Up Routine… Which I call WAR!!! (Because sometimes when we don’t have clarity our days feel more like we are fighting a war, right?)
Let me start by saying that…
Let’s get rid of the mentality that we need to wake up at 5 am to be successful. If that’s you, great! But if not, don’t worry, you can start your WAR at any time. You just need to start it as soon as you open your eyes in the morning.
Keep it short and sweet! Make this ritual yours. Take as long as you want or go through the steps in a speed that fits your daily lifestyle. The secret is to be consistent and to get in touch with you, your dreams, goals and gratitude before the world gets access to you.
I suggest you spend the 1st week adjusting your bedtime and your wake up time. In order to have a great productive day we need to feel rested. So the first step is to determine how many hours minimum you need to sleep at night to feel good the next day.
The second step is to determine your bedtime and wake up time.
Now that you know exactly what time you need to go to bed and to wake up, it’s time to plan your WAR for ultimate success.
Here are the steps you must include in your WAR
- Make your bed daily
- Hydrate as soon as you wake up
- Silence
- Thankfulness
- Affirmations
- Visualization/clarity
- Reading/Learning something
- Exercise
- A word for yourself
The order you choose doesn’t really matter, but these are the steps you must follow to start seeing the transformation.
I suggest you make your bed as soon as your feet touch the floor and follow that up with hydration (leave a cup of water on your bedside the night before to make it as easy as possible). The reason why I start my day like this is to start sending signals to my brain that I am in control of my day and my day is going to be clear and organized.
Then I spend a few moments in silence followed by a 5-10 minute meditation and prayer.
I get a cup of coffee, my planner and I start writing 3 things I am thankful for. There’s a Havard research study by author Shawn Anchor that says that happy people are successful (I highly suggest his TED talk. It’s amazing!)… and happiness is achieved when we are thankful! So even though this may seem simple, think about it as David’s sling. Small but it killed Goliah, a giant!
After that I repeat the daily affirmations I wrote for myself. Make it personal. For example, if you are holding yourself back because of fear of failure, write affirmations like “I am a great photographer and my business will prosper”. Follow that up with your visualization… close your eyes and see yourself as a successful photographer.
Before you close this page and accuse me of spreading woo woo, let me tell you something. Brian Moran, mentions in his book The 12 Week Year that we can change our circumstances by thinking about our desired outcome. Research has shown that when we think about what we want to be or accomplish, the neurons fired in our brain are the same neurons fired when we act on them.
That means we can train our brain to act on our goal just by thinking about it. WOW, powerful, isn’t it?
When I’m done with this step I will either spend a few minutes reading a book or listening to a class or a podcast. Sometimes I combine exercise with learning, if on that day I’m using the treadmill, for example.
Then I finish my routine with exercise, a shower and a quick review of my to-do list for that day.
I know I just gave you a lot to think about but the secret here is to make it simple and to the point. If you only have 20 minutes every morning, determine what are the essential steps that will fuel your day. It may take you some trial and error, but I guarantee you’ll get there.
Now go conquer your day! Create your WAR and become a better version of you!
And to lend a helping hand, I created The Successful Entrepreneur Morning Routine Planner, a FREE WAR step-by-step guide you can use daily to set yourself up for success.
You’ll get:
– Instant access to my go-to Morning Routine Template
– A PDF template you can print and use every single day
– A video explaining to you the why behind each section and how to use this template
Inspired by the book The Morning Miracle, this template is perfect to help business owners carve some time in the morning to fuel their day and consequently their business.
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