The alarm on your phone goes off. You let it go for a few seconds while you search desperately for the Snooze button. You hit Snooze and try to go back to sleep. You repeat this a few times.
You've finally had enough of the Snooze game. You are now awake, but you don't get right out of bed. You lay there for a bit and start thinking about all of the stuff that you have to do today. You're sure there is absolutely no way you're going to be able to get it all done.
Your anxiety level rises with each passing minute. With your mind racing, you jump out of bed and hurry to get ready to leave the house to get your day started. If someone were to ask you how you were feeling (and you answered honestly), you would say something like, "Stressed. Hurried. Overwhelmed."
And it's only 8 a.m.
Sound familiar? Scenarios like this are how most of us start our mornings, and we wonder why our days don't turn out the way we wish they would.
The good news is that it doesn't have to be this way. I'm going to show you three super simple ways to condition your mind each morning to:
- Overcome procrastination
- Be positive
- Set you up for accomplishment
... all in less than three minutes.
1) Wake up when your alarm goes off. (Never hit Snooze.)
Are you a Snoozer? If you are, you're not alone. A recent survey found that more than 57 percent of Americans hit the Snooze button each morning (and wind up spending three and a half months of their lives hitting Snooze).
Are you a Snoozer? If you are, you're not alone. A recent survey found that more than 57 percent of Americans hit the Snooze button each morning (and wind up spending three and a half months of their lives hitting Snooze).
Comedian Demitri Martin summed up the insanity of Snoozing perfectly when he said:
"Hitting the Snooze button in the morning doesn't even make sense. It's like saying, 'I hate getting up in the morning, so I do it over and over and over again.'"
One of the biggest problems with the Snooze button is the mindset it's putting you in first thing in the morning. If hitting the Snooze button is the first action you take, you are starting your day off procrastinating ("I'll wake up later"). You are effectively sending a message to your subconscious mind that you don't even have the self-discipline to get out of bed in the morning.
Tip: Set your alarm for whatever time you actually want to wake up and then get out of bed right at that time. Put your phone or alarm clock across the room to make it even easier.
2) Say something positive (out loud).
As soon as I wake up each morning, I say this simple sentence out loud, "This will be the best day ever!" It doesn't matter what's going on in my life on that particular day, I say those words and I smile while I do.
Why do I do this? I want to put myself in a positive state of mind immediately. You see, my mind tries telling me all the things that are wrong, but through positive thinking, I overcome it. According to the Mayo Clinic, positive thinking helps manage stress and even improves your health.
So instead of having my first words be a complaint or talking about what's wrong, my first words are always positive, which sets a good example for the rest of my day to follow.
Tip: Come up with a short sentence that you can say as soon as you get out of bed each morning (or simply borrow mine). And then as soon as your feet hit the floor, smile and say it like you truly believe it (even if sometimes you don't).
3) Make your bed (and do a good job at it).
Imagine there was a simple way for you to feel a sense of pride and accomplishment each morning. Something that would make you want to accomplish more and more throughout the day. Well, there is, and you don't have to look further than your own bed to find it.
Last year, U.S. Navy admiral William H. McRaven delivered the commencement address at the University of Texas, Austin, and spoke about 10 lessons he had learned from Navy SEAL training. The first lesson that really stuck with him was simple: Get up and make your bed. Here's why:
If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another.By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter.If you can't do the little things right, you will never do the big things right.
Tip: Make your bed first thing in the morning, and take the extra minute to do it the right way.
These three super simple strategies will work for anyone and at any time. It doesn't matter if you are an early riser or someone who likes to sleep in, simply take about three minutes each morning to do these three things and you will prepare your mind for a day filled with action, accomplishment, and positivity!
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