Waking up on the wrong side of the bed? Starting off on the wrong foot? Whatever you call it, there are good and bad ways to start your day.
Most anyone can associate with at least one of the following morning rituals. These behaviors can be a jumpstart for failure – even before your day has started! Try the tips listed below to help you start every day on the right track.
You check your phone the instant you wake up.
OLD ROUTINE: Many of us reach for our phones before we’ve even rolled out of bed in the morning. When you react to whatever is on your phone, you’re immediately taken off course.
FRESH START: Try meditating first – to bring focus and awareness to your goals. Thereafter, review your email to ensure nothing urgent has popped up overnight. In most cases, you’ll find nothing earth-shattering happened while you were slumbering.
Meditating can help center your thoughts and bring clarity to your decision making.
You tackle whatever seems important right away – without reviewing the day and week ahead.
OLD ROUTINE: You’ve barely been out of bed for 15 minutes, and you’re jumping into whatever task seems immediately important. At this point, the priorities you set yesterday are a distant memory.
FRESH START: Rather than diving into whatever seems imperative at the moment, start by reviewing your calendar to see what the day looks like. Rank your priorities and get started on the most important tasks for the day.
It helps if you’ve reviewed your calendar and set priorities the night before. A good night’s rest will give you a fresh perspective to realign any priorities as you see fit before you begin your day.
You allow someone else’s negative mindset to influence your day.
OLD ROUTINE: Your spouse or significant other is having a rough morning and is short tempered. The day starts off with an exchange of harsh words.
If you work in an office setting, a coworker rambles on about what a bad night/morning they’ve had or how much they’re dreading the day ahead.
If you work at home, you may start perusing Facebook or Twitter, potentially absorbing someone else’s negativity – misfortunes, complaints, rants.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with expressing the bad as well as the good. It’s the attitude with which the information is shared that makes the difference. Too often people share their misfortune – and leave you to deal with it.
FRESH START: Avoid the Negative Nellies, virtually and in real life, to conserve your energy for the day ahead. If you can’t avoid your disgruntled coworker or can’t resist sneaking a quick peek at some morning Tweets, make a conscious choice to detach yourself mentally from any negativity.
A confrontational family member can be more challenging, but see if you can find a way to understand the cause of the behavior – this might help turn the day around for both of you.
Conclusion
Try substituting one of your negative morning habits with a more constructive alternative. In time, the “alternative” will become your new ritual.Share your best practices for starting your day in a productive, positive way by adding a comment!