Over my many years in business, I have always made it a priority to closely observe others for what I might learn. One of the more valuable topics I paid particular attention to was their best morning daily activities.
morning daily activities
To give you some quick context, they’ve worked at companies like IBM, Lockheed Martin, Loral, and Northrup Grumman, or they’ve started their companies. Not bad, yes?
Be happy: Happiness Habits: The Best Laws of I’ve Ever Received
They’re also mostly funny, caring, smart and thoughtful. So I would consider them to be well-balanced.
Here are 16 0f my best morning habits and routines:
Keep moving forward
Here a quote from Sam about Walt Disney:
“Around here…we don’t look backward for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things.”
Sam said he was able to get through difficult times by always having something in the future to look forward to, even if it was just a small thing like a new comic book or a football game.
“This mentality includes staying in a forward-thinking state of mind. I try hard not to waste energy feeling badly about myself, Sam said, because when I do, I get stuck in a paradox where there is no room for happiness or any other emotion.”
Be OK with what you can’t do
There is so much you CAN do. Sam said he is very much aware of the things he can’t do, like ride a roller coaster, but instead of focusing on that he instead focuses on the things he can do, and the things he is passionate about.
Sam said you could put somethings that were impossible or out of reach before in the “can-do category” by making adjustments. To illustrate this point with an example, he plays a clip of himself with the marching band, the story he opened with, which further illuminates his theme or his core message.
Staying power
Be persistent and don’t expect results to happen on your timetable. Being good takes a lot of work and time.
Live in the present
Limit your dwelling on the past. Put the focus on the present and living each day at a time.
Expand your horizons: Habits of Highly Successful People: Learn These Useful Traits
Best morning daily activities … know when to move on
Don’t spend any time or energy feeling sorry for yourself. Never mope around!
Pay attention to events that signal it may be time to move on.
Morning habits and routines.
15 minutes of no screen time
Besides turning off an alarm that might be on your phone, resist the urge to check your email or social media. It sets you up for a day of being enslaved to technology, and your morning time should be reserved just for you.
This might mean disabling notifications on your home screen, so you’re not tempted by that Facebook update or mounting emails.
Daily activities … one simple question
In a commencement address he gave at Stanford back in 2005, Steve Jobs revealed the motivational tactic that he used to start each and every day.
For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?”
And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.
Expand your presence
Presence is far more intricate and rewarding an art than productivity. Ours is a culture that measures our worth as human beings by our efficiency, our earnings, our ability to perform this or that.
The cult of productivity has its place, but worshipping at its altar daily robs us of the very capacity for joy and wonder that makes life worth living – for, as Annie Dillard memorably put it, how we spend our mornings is, of course, how we spend our lives.
Goals and review
You want to make sure you set your goals and outcomes for the day as part of your morning ritual. You can do this in your task management system, or in a journal entry, or however, you like. There is the assumption that you have longer-term goals written out already (go ahead and write them if you don’t).
While everyone else is taking a nap on the train or twiddling their thumbs, they’re crushing it on their laptop and changing the world, one letter at a time. They also don’t make excuses.
For example: “Nelson, how could I do this? I have to drive to work; I can’t create something while I’m driving!” Sure, that’s true, but you could be learning with audiobooks.
Create motivation by asking “Why”
Ask yourself the hard questions like “Why am I doing this?” or “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?”
And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.” By the way, that last quote was from Steve Jobs.
Demonstrate a positive attitude
Build and maintain a positive mental attitude. Do things to let it be seen and felt by others.
The proper timing of your words and acts will give you a big advantage over people who are impatient. Take advantage when you can.
For example: Don’t click send on the email right away — breathe and reread it. The classic example would be getting irate and sending something with hostility.
Much of real happiness is a matter of being aware of what you’re doing while you’re doing it — and enraged people aren’t typically conscious of their actions.
Embrace change
Watch trends in the changing environment around you. Develop your abilities at consistent adaptation. It is an important key to remaining mentally strong.
Focus on being happy
Avoid complaining and negative thoughts at all costs. This is essential for your well-being. Don’t waste energy on things you cannot control.
Don’t procrastinate
Procrastination communicates to people that you’re hesitant to take action. This demonstrates the worst form of fear.
The bottom line
These are things that we already know, of course. They are not rocket science and shouldn’t be.
This list of little things simply reminds us of what we have forgotten. Then it is up to us to put these lessons (or reminders) into daily use through persistence and practice.
Remember … your experience and learning trumps all!
All you get is what you bring to the fight. And that fight gets better every day you learn and apply new ideas.
When things are not what you want them to be, what’s most important is your next step.
Test. Learn. Improve. Repeat.
Are you devoting enough energy continually improving your continuous learning?
Do you have a lesson about making your learning better you can share with this community? Have any questions or comments to add in the section below?
Digital Spark Marketing will stretch your thinking and your ability to adapt to change. We also provide some fun and inspiration along the way.
More reading on mentoring from Digital Spark Marketing’s Library:
Mike Schoultz is a digital marketing and customer service expert. With 48 years of business experience, he consults on and writes about topics to help improve the performance of small business. Find him on Facebook, Twitter, Digital Spark Marketing, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.
