8 Morning Rituals That Can Change Your LifeImprove your life and make the most of every day with these 8 morning rituals. Do you have a morning routine? Something you do every day after you wake up. Do you have a morning routine? Something you do every day after you wake up? For years I didn’t really have a morning routine, I would just get up, get ready and rush out the door to go to work. Then all those articles on morning routines of successful people started growing like mushrooms out of nowhere and I said I need to try that. And I did. Many times. I’ve tried many different morning habits and ideas, but here are 8 morning rituals that I really find life changing. When I practice these, all good things go up – my productivity, my happiness, my health, my fitness and my kindness. Here they are. 8 MORNING RITUALS THAT WILL TRANSFORM YOU1. STILL…BEING AN EARLY BIRD PAYS OFF I’ve been struggling with this for years, because I always thought I’m a night owl. But waking up earlier, taking care of me, and getting the most important stuff done first feels amazing. There’s nothing like that feeling of having completed something you’ve been putting off for a week by 10am. 2. PRIORITIES ARE HUGEWe all have to do lists – they’re not difficult to make. However, to actually achieve the things that are important and will bring results long-term, you need to set priorities for the day and work on them first. Choose 3-5 things that will really make a difference in your life long-term. Currently my daily priorities include exercise, preparing healthy meals, spending time with my child and writing a blog post for this blog. Do this in the morning or, even better, if you don’t forget – the night before. It makes such a huge difference! I use this printable weekly productivity planner template to plan my weekly and daily priorities and it’s seriously been a game changer! You set your goals for the week, get clear on your priorities, break them down into actionable to do’s and then work toward the things you want each and every day. This printable comes with pages for each weekday, so you can stay on track and course correct if needed. If you want to check out the weekly planner, you can do so here and make sure to use my code NTB30 to get 30% off. 3. MOVEEven just 10 minutes of exercise can have such an impact on your mood, your productivity and your health. If exercise isn’t a part of your morning routine, I highly, highly recommend – you try it out. Yoga is my favorite way to start the day and its very beginner friendly. Plus, by now we know, you don’t need to rush to a yoga class at 5 am – you can do it at home whenever you want. You can find videos on Youtube or check out Grokker for more structured programs. If you want to give Grokker a try, I have a free 14-day trial for you here. 4. KEEP A GRATITUDE JOURNALEach day, start with three things you’re grateful for. You don’t need to buy anything fancy to do this – any notepad or your bullet journal can become that gratitude journal. Once you have your journal ready, write down that you feel grateful for today. It can be simple things like:
This will help you start the day in a positive way, it will make you more optimistic for what’s to come today. 5. EXPECT GOOD THINGSHappiness comes from intentional action. People aren’t naturally happy every single day. You decide to be happy. By choosing to do the things that make you happy today and by carefully choosing the way you react and think about what happens around you and to you. So set an intention to have an awesome day. I use my weekly planner also for this. Every daily planning page starts with daily intention. What do you want to experience or feel that day? Get clear and plan your day accordingly. When you go through your day with the intent to actually feel good – you shift your focus and see the good things instead of the bad. You start acting and reacting differently and all that makes for a happy day. 6. LISTEN TO UPLIFTING MUSIC.Don’t just listen to any music, listen to the music that makes you feel alive and sing along. This little habit can reduce stress and anxiety – it’s even been shown in studies. There’s nothing more rewarding than singing along to Bob Marley, Stevie Wonder or Mariah Carey. 7. SPEND TIME IN NATURE.Nature has a way of healing us. I feel at least a year younger when I disconnect and spend a few days in nature. But you don’t need to take a weekend off, you can do this on a daily basis. Spending time in nature can mean you sitting on the front porch for 5 minutes or taking a quick walk around your block to breathe some fresh air and look at the trees and sky. 8. LOOKING GOOD AND FEELING GOOD GO HAND IN HANDThis might seem superficial to some, but the way you choose to dress, wear your hair and take care of your physical self-overall does affect how you feel on the inside. Match the way you look on the outside with the way you want to feel. This way, even if it’s not your very best day, you’ll start feeling better and it’s only a small effort.
0 Comments
30 Places to Leave Your Business CardA great way to get your business in front of new people is to leave an old-fashioned paper trail. Hand out your business card whenever you can. 27 Great Content Ideas100 Hashtags for your Biz!17 Summer Marketing Ideas for social media. Holiday Marketing Ideas for Business.Here are top 17 Summer Marketing Ideas you can use for building your business fast. These summer marketing ideas are perfect for your social media marketing. Use the summer marketing ideas on your social media and watch your business grow. Creative summer marketing ideas for social media. Simple summer marketing ideas for small business owners. Summer marketing ideas business. Marketing ideas for summer.
Happy Monday
MINDSET. Good Morning! Check out my websites: #riseandgrind #MotivationalMonday #hustlehard * http://kirchneradmin.weebly.com * http://AidenDKirchner.weebly.com * http://Avon.com/Repstore/aidenkirchner This is your Monday morning reminder that you are powerful beyond measure, that you are capable of pretty much anything you are willing to work for, and that you could change your life today.DAILY INTENTIONS
What does Monday mean to you?12 Toxic morning habits to give up if you want to be successfulThings you need to stop doing in the morning that can ruin your day and enhance your level of productivity, morning routine, morning habits, things to not do in the morning, daily morning routine, morning hacks #Morningroutine, #productivemorning routine Waking up in the morning can be a hassle for some people while for others getting up in the morning can be an easy and swift procedure especially with healthy morning routine put in check. We all focus on these beneficial habits to cultivate, subtracting those certain habits that can depreciate the quality of your day, ruin your mood, reduce your energy and set the stage for unproductiveness in the day. You have to cultivate the habit of making the most of the first 60 minutes of your mornings by eliminating some conscious and unconscious habits that have taken a toll on your mood as well as your performance. Remember this: Quality habits equate a quality life and bad habits equate a bad life. So, know what you cultivate. The early morning has gold in its mouth, so do not be left behind or lose out from the opportunity of achieving something. There is enormous power in nailing your morning routine as well as outlining unproductive habits that can hinder your productivity and achievement level. Developing an amazing morning routine is critical to you taking charge of your subconscious and conscious. If you don’t take charge, chances are, you are not going to be productive as you should because your daily morning routine is unbalanced. Below are 12 habits that can ruin your mornings, performance and productivity level that requires change. 1. Hitting The Snooze ButtonAt the peak of your sleep, there is a temptation to continue in the wonderland, sometimes after a long and stressful day your alarm goes off and you are far from facing the day, there is a temptation to hit that snooze button for some time to sleep in. You should resist that force of hitting the snooze button as it connotes putting your task and activities on hold. Hitting the snooze button also brings about an adjustment in your discipline level. For example, you prepare for the day to rise up by 5 a.m. and your alarm goes off only for you to hit the snooze button for more time in bed, you are distorting your discipline level and parts of your habits start building into routines. This is a vital factor that aids procrastination; distorting your attention from what you really want to achieve. Each time you hit the snooze button, you are stepping into the tracks of procrastination and how you condition your mind is going to influence the rest of your day. It may seem like a little act just snooze for one day, but it builds into a habit, and you are conditioning your mind for incompetency and altering your performance level. If this is a habit you resonate make sure you are cultivating a beneficial evening and night routine that will help you adjust the things you do before going to bed because how you go to sleep will impact how you feel in the morning. I used to be super guilty of this and as a result, my performance depreciated cultivating more negative behaviors but taking the time to bring certain changes in my life improved my performance level and you can do the same. 2. Checking Your Phone and social mediaWho isn’t guilty of this? … Let’s be honest. Before I even pray and express gratitude checking my phone was one act, I was vehemently guilty of. There is an addiction or rather a strong persuasive connection that pops up with the light of our cell phone. The urge to click through feeds, tweets, pictures, etc. To know what is going on and this act tilts the pendulum of productivity to a distracting end. When you wake up and want more result, avoid checking your phone first. This isn’t a new tip but a lot of us acknowledge the obvious and still do nothing about it. Knowledge isn’t all about knowing but the application, you know checking your phone first thing in the morning isn’t a healthy and productive habit, why practice it? I want you to understand that what you do first thing in the morning sets up your agenda of productivity. If you wake up attending to distractions and flimsy things without doing the needful of focusing on yourself, your performance level is altered. The first 60 minute of waking up is purely for you to nourish, recharge and condition your mind for success and nothing else. So, if you have been doing this, you have to disconnect from that persuasive addiction or attraction. Rather than reaching for your phone as the first thing in the morning, pray, express gratitude, hydrate, meditate, exercise, eat a healthy meal to groom and nourish yourself before you dive into the digital world. You can as well follow me on Instagram to join my several effective morning routine challenges and activities that will enable you build a healthy and more productive morning routine. I know some of us survive from the social world, Our shops, brands, business, etc. And there is a huge beneficial cliff to be up on your game or updated all round the clock but exposing yourself to your emails, messages, feeds set you up in a reactive mood which can set you in a distracting and low performing position. So, if you have been checking your phone first thing in the morning, desist from it. You can keep your phone far from your reach as you condition and work on your mind. 3. Skipping Breakfast and Eating Unhealthy BreakfastYou have to watch what you consume in the morning and avoid kicking off your day on an empty stomach. You need adequate supplements to perform for the day and when you skip breakfast, the very first meal of the day, you are setting a cranky road for your day. Also, note that typical cereals that have been outlined as the basic healthy breakfast are no good for you, you have to make sure that you eat something that is going to nourish your body for the rest of the day because without health you got nothing. Your body is a preservative; if you put in junk, you are going to feel like junk. 4. Making Impromptu DecisionsOne major route to success in anything we choose to do is adequate planning. When you plan, prepare and prioritize, it enables you to perform better rather than making decisions without proper analysis, evaluation and assessment. When you make impromptu decisions in the morning you are working in a disoriented position, you are forcing your body to process signals within a few seconds which can induce mental and physical stress. When you do things impromptu you do not have enough time to think through the action which equates poor results. I plan and schedule my day the night before. To adequately plan your day, you should do the following:
Adequate planning and scheduling is extremely helpful and needed in having a stress-free and productive day, so if you haven’t been cultivating such habits or outlining an effective and prioritize to-do list, the time is now. Stop making impromptu decisions! 5. Not Having a Productive Morning RoutineWhat you do in the morning outlines the blueprint of your day, if you indulge in beneficial and healthy activities at the early hours of the morning your day will effectively pack with the right amount of energy to spike productivity. I cannot overstress the importance of developing a productive morning routine, it is vital and extremely important. Not having a productive morning routine is being unarmed and unprotected to fight and an unarmed warrior in the battlefield is as good as dead. When you indulge in high productive routine, you supercharge your day with the right ounce of performance. 6. Starting The Day Without BathingAfter indulging in your morning routines, it is inherent that you take a cold shower before stepping out for your daily activities. That single and small act of bathing activates certain hormones in your body that sets you up in a high performing level. You are also more comfortable. Do not start your day without bathing. 7. Stop Being NegativeHow you condition your mind is going to have a huge impact on your long-term result. This points down to what you consume in the morning; what you listen to, what you watch and what you read. If you are going to be consuming content make sure it is something that is empowering and valuable; such as listening to an important podcast, valuable videos, self-help and improvement articles. Do not entertain negativity in the morning, rather cultivate and sharpen an optimistic view instead of complaining and entertaining unrest worrying about what you cannot control, shift your energy to what you can create, be mindful, be grateful, be positive, be true, be kind. 8. Let The Sun Rays InAfter waking up in the morning, do not leave the curtain closed, getting ready or sitting in a dark room for so long sends signals of grogginess to your body instead of being alert for the day. Letting the sun rays into your room in the morning is a great way to wake yourself up, the beam of sunlight piercing through your window sets ripples of alertness to your eyes. If you choose to get ready in the dark, your habitual system may be confused and think it’s nighttime this sets your brain in sleep mode, leaving you sluggish for the rest of the day. 9. Not HydratingA lot of us forget to hydrate after waking up and we just venture into our daily activities. After waking up your body needs to be hydrated, you have taken a long night rest without water hence you need to refresh. Drinking water regulates your alertness, gets your metabolism moving in the right direction. If you find it difficult in drinking plain water, you can add lime. Drinking water first thing in the morning helps with weight loss, boost your immune system, flush your body system, keeps your skin healthy, helps in the creation of new blood cells, fuels your body, etc. If you haven’t been hydrating, you should. 10. Leaving Your Bed UnmadeThere is a spike of organization in making your bed every morning after waking up. I personally love to declutter and arrange my space before bathing, I love to come out from the bathroom into a clean environment it gives me the space to do things. When my bed is made, room arranged and vacuumed I feel in charge that I can handle anything. Experts have it that making your bed after waking up cultivate an organizational altitude which conditions your performance level. 11. Waking Up at Inconsistent TimesNothing is more effective than consistency in anything you do. When developing or cultivating morning routines of success, it is advisable that you develop a consistent and habitual routine such as waking up at the same time, it sends signals to your body that your brain can easily adjust and work with. If you have an inconsistent time of waking up you are sending negative rhythms to your body and disrupting your sleep pattern and quality. 12. ComplainingA lot of people love to wake up in the morning and complain; complain about how early it is, complain about going to work, complain about how tired they feel. I used to be tied down in such hook and the problem with complaining is that the negative words that you use to express yourself send negative signals to your body, which can disrupt your daily experience. It has a tangible effect on your level of motivation, so instead of waking up and complaining, dwell and think on the things you ought to be grateful and positive about.
Tips For Creating a Vision Board That Actually WorksTHE MINDSET + PURPOSEFirst things first, you need to truly understand the meaning and purpose behind a vision board and cultivate a positive mindset. If you think you can just slap a bunch of pictures onto a poster board and call it a day, then you’ve got it all wrong. If you think you can just cut and paste down pictures of things that you want in life, and you will magically receive them because they’re on the board, you’ve also got it all wrong. You should be choosing the pictures and words for the vision board intentionally and understand that you have to put in work in order for the vision board to work. The vision board is not magic on its own, but with the correct mindset, and ambition, the results can be magical. Don't expect your vision board to work unless YOU do! THE PREPARATION1. REFLECT ON THE CURRENT YEAR Like I said, it’s important to be intentional in creating your vision board which means there’s a lot of things to think about before you go crazy and start picking out a bunch of pictures. That’s why I designed a Vision Board Planning Workbook to guide you through the steps to create a vision board that actually works. The workbook has worksheets for each step I’m going to talk about + some free printables that you can actually use on your own vision board! Vision is merely a dream without action ~ Joel Barker With that said, the first step is to reflect on the current year. Why? Because it’s a good idea to build off of your accomplishments from the current year, when you’re writing goals for the upcoming year. It helps you to create measurable goals, and continue to grow in specific areas of your life. Download the free Vision Board Planning Workbook for journal prompts to help you get started with reflecting on the current year! 2. AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT The next step in preparing to create a vision board is to think about which areas of your life you want to improve or grow in. Take a look at the life areas in the Eight Dimensions of Wellness when completing this exercise: spiritual, emotional, intellectual, social, physical, environmental, occupational, and financial (sounds familiar huh? kind of like the 6 domains of self-care!) Develop goals for each life area and reflect on the steps you need to take in order to reach those goals. This process helps to ensure that you pay attention to all areas of your life as opposed to only focusing on the one that may stand out to you the most in the moment. This is important because all seven life areas work together and contribute to your overall wellness and satisfaction with your life. If one area is particularly suffering, it can negatively affect other areas of your life and your overall balance. 3. BUCKET LIST The bucket list is for the fun stuff! Think about places you want to travel to, new things you want to experience, fun things you want to do, new food you want to try, anything that comes to mind! Your bucket list is like the icing on the cake of the new year. Things to do to add some spice and excitement to the year, and switch things up from your regular routine. 4. SET THE MOOD It's really important to create a peaceful space and cultivate a positive mindset before putting your vision board together. You don't want any negative vibes to interfere with your process because you're going to need all the positive vibes you can get! The vision board is all about manifesting positive energy into your life, so start this project off on the right foot. Create a calm environment for yourself and make sure you have enough space to be creative. Light some candles, diffuse some essential oils, play uplifting or calming music, meditate, do whatever it takes to get you feeling relaxed, motivated, and inspired. Like I said earlier, treat creating a vision board as a self-care practice, and as quality "me time." This is the part you've been waiting for, right? It's time to gather all of your pictures and words for your vision board! Use your pre-planning reflection worksheets as a guide when intentionally searching for your images. There's a variety of ways you can go about this:
If you're creating your vision board digitally, just save all of your images into a designated folder on your desktop so that they're all easy to find when you start putting them all together. If you're using a poster board or cork board, you can copy and paste the images you find onto a word document, and then print them all out at once. Save the trees girl. Create a vision board with intention & purpose to make next year your best year yet After you've found all your images it's time to let the creative vibes flow. This is pretty self-explanatory, and there's really no right or wrong way to do this. Place your images on your vision board whichever way looks right to you! Just make sure you make it something that you'll be happy to see every day. Something that truly represents you and your dream life. A VISION IS NOT JUST A PICTURE OF WHAT COULD BE; IT IS AN APPEAL TO OUR BETTER SELVES, A CALL TO BECOME SOMETHING MORE ~ ROSABETH MOSS KANTER HOW TO MAKE YOUR VISION BOARD WORK FOR YOU Like I was saying earlier, you got to put in work, if you want your vision board to do anything for you. You can't just sit back and relax now just because you made a vision board. Vision boards basically function like the law of attraction; the belief that the universe creates and provides for you what your thoughts are focused on. So basically, if you focus on positive thoughts, you will bring positive experiences into your life. That's the ultimate goal here. Hang your vision board up somewhere where you'll see it often. So most likely your bedroom, office, or any other room where you spend a lot of time.
THE VISION MUST BE FOLLOWED BY THE VENTURE. IT IS NOT ENOUGH TO STARE UP THE STEPS – WE MUST STEP UP THE STAIRS ~ VANCE HAVNER Ready to create your own!? Yass girl Yass you are, and I have something to help you out. Like I said earlier, I designed a free workbook to guide you through the process and help you utilize your vision board to its fullest potential. The workbook includes 6 worksheets that will ensure you design your vision board with intention and purpose. The worksheets include reflection questions, and exercises to help you identify areas of growth for the new year and recognize your accomplishments of the current year. Plus, there's 3 pages of cute printables at the end of the workbook! Happy creating, and I wish you the best for the new year 🙂
5 Ways to Motivate Yourself as an EntrepreneurI am starting to advise my clients that they will have to change the way they think. They are tired or find it difficult to set goals and achieve them as well. My personal experience is that you will find it difficult if you do not have the right environment. I have been working with the wrong people in the past, and it was making me depressed. So, I left the building! I did not want to become “poor them” because there is an entire army of poor and measurable people. Nowadays, this is a responsibility for motivation that has become a personal task rather a group effort in away. Motivate yourself is vital for business and personal progress. You will have to start becoming a better leader as an employee or a better business leader to increase productivity. Understand Your Why and Create a Healthy RoutineIs useful if you are starting to be creating a healthy morning routine with positive affirmations and meditations. I think you should start developing good habits to help your mind, body and spirit. Reading affirmations first thing in the morning is going to give an uplift spiritually and start a new day. Is essential that you are aligning with your goals and dreams. Furthermore, you will have to understand your why is essential to achieve your targets and goals. The number one motivating factor in neurosciences to find your whys is going to activate your motivation in your brain. There is a lot of negativity in this world, so we are not getting anywhere, leaving limiting beliefs and negative self-talk out of your life. Even if you are an entrepreneur or employee, you will need to set time for yourself and take a walk, meditate and do a small thing that gives you pleasure. You must find a way to keep your focus and create positive habits. Positive habits are going to help you in your professional life and enhance your entrepreneurial motivation factors. Create a Plan for SuccessCreate a plan is vital for your business, personal and financial goals, but you will have to plan your steps. You need to start working on upgrading your skills and knowledge to succeed. I think you need to schedule your whole day from the time you are going to start working like 9:00 am, for instance. Make your motivation for entrepreneurship schedules start from essential tasks, goals and have reminders to manage your time and increase productivity. I have been very productive while I maintain my whole day on a piece of paper, not because I am working from home. Everyone can follow a routine schedule to reinforce new positive habits to achieve your personal goals. I have made all the goals I set during the day with those tactics and enjoy my day. Also, you should reward yourself when you are completing your daily targets is scientifically proven that it is suitable for your progress. Think of the right questions, if you are an employee, ask yourself. What drives entrepreneurs? What are the motivational factors? By finding the correct answers, its s going to give you an extra boost into your motivations. Finding your whys is to determine the success-driven for you to carry on and create your schedule accordingly. Educate yourself and Stay PositiveFind ways to increase your educations towards motivations for entrepreneurship and engage in spiritual activities. The tactics to stay motivated is to read, listen to inspirational books, podcasts and try to learn. Experience speakers are always going to uplift you and give you an extra motivation to stay tuned in your path. Each action you are taking to help you increase motivation skills is equally important as mood uplifting. Finding happiness by doing things that make you happy and change your mood. Stay positive is crucial to implement all those tactics to maintain an optimistic attitude and stay focused. Put your affirmations somewhere so you can see them all day and create motivation by visualizing. It will be useful if you leave the blame out and not trying to get frustrated because the thing is not going the way you want it. That is an essential factor for your personal growth, and you need to learn to form it. Every opportunity is vital for your spiritual and motivation progress. Surround yourself with Positive PeopleI wrote that I have this unlucky experience to work with “poor” people and uneducated people. Apparently, I should not say that, but there is an entire order of poor and measurable people who feed on your happiness. I believe if you are not happy at your job you should quit your job. There is no way to attack people verbally or try to be diminishing others if you are not satisfied and have problems. I notice that a lot of people having a problem and they try to transfer those to others. You heard the phrase “you should be around people who are above you” that means it is vital to have people who motivate you. Also, people are giving you inspirational ideas and motivate you to increase productivity. Educate people they know to engage and help others achieve their goals. A lot of the times you see people inspire others by telling them their part of the story, and those who succeed are having the right mindset. The way successful people see things is every failure is blessings and opportunities are everywhere. Especially for me that I network a lot, I create opportunities for myself and grow my business. There is a book on how to demonstrate a positive attitude and motivation at work as well. Eliminate Negative ThoughtsThe way your brain works is that most negative thoughts are memories from the past. So, you will have to find a way to focus on the future and to eliminate negative beliefs and habits. Overcome negative blocks that are holding you back and move forward by creating new positive habits. Do not overthink your past failures create affirmations to help you accomplish each step you take towards your goals and dreams. I think it is not good to be a perfectionist because it is fantastic the way you are as a unique human. Thinking about a problem and not how to overcome it is not the way it's should be. You should think about the way to succeed and overcome the issues in your life. Research is showing that anxiety and chronic stress is not helping your mind to achieve your dreams. Having a relaxed mind is always more proactive to solve problems. Is going to help you focus on your career or business goals. Is scientifically proven it is easier to achieve your dreams rather overthink an issue. Also, read positive attitude quotes and motivation books is helpful. Increase your positive feelings is vital but educate yourself about spirituality and change your mindset to achieve your dreams. That is the purpose of your life to become better and not wasting your life with people judging you of who you are. Now, leave your comments below or and tell me the following. Do you find it easy to achieve your goals?
5 Tips to Wake Up Early
BOOK RECOMMENDATIONWhatever Morning Routine you decide to choose, make sure it will best fit your schedule and that you can follow it. I just happen to choose to wake up at 4am now instead of 5am.
My Morning Routine and The Morning 5Having a morning routine can help your day be more productive. Check out the 8 things I get done before 8 am. Almost 2 years ago now, I had a more productive morning when I woke up early and did all of the things BEFORE I did anything else. I lived alone so it was easier for me to accomplish what I wanted to back then. Not that that is an excuse. I moved more; I actually drank more coffee back then, now I drink Rockstar Energy Drinks more than I do Coffee. People think I’m crazy, but listen I own and operate this blog, I work full time at 7 Eleven and run my own small business. My to-do list is never-ending and long. I need every minute of my 24 hours in a day that I can get. That’s why I started this great morning routine. My day is hectic. From the time I get out of bed, I have to feed my fur babies and make sure they have water, clean their litter box etc. But all work and no play were starting to wear on me, and I knew I needed dedicated time to just devote to me. Without anyone pulling on me, demanding answers to questions. Where I didn’t have to answer emails or stop and find a pair of socks or just TALK to anyone else. I was finding that I was trying to squeeze healthy habits and behaviors into my daily routines and failing miserably. I didn’t have time for me, and I was just off and overwhelmed. Until I started my morning routine that changed my life. It has saved my sanity, made me more productive and just made me an all-around better person. Here is how my morning routine goes! Scroll down for tips on how I created my morning routine and a FREE Morning 5 Routine Checklist to help you make yours! 4am - My Morning Routine StartsMy alarm goes off and I GET UP. I don't hit the snooze button. And I don't check my phone after first waking up. 4:10am - Gratitude & GoalsAfter going to the bathroom & grabbing something to drink, I head to my Office and sit down at my desk. I grab my Journal and write down my Gratitude List & my Goals for the day. 4:20am - I Journal (Brain dump)I end this time Journaling in my Sketchbook Journal, if I don't have much to say or it just doesn't fit in my regular journal. However, I keep a Gratitude Journal, a Brain dump Journal, a Goals Journal, and an Affirmations Journal. Whatever Journal it is, I write down my Affirmations of the day and whatever I am thankful for. Positive Affirmations really get my day started off on the right foot. 4:30am - I Hydrate & ReadI grab at least a bottle of water, then give myself about 30 minutes to wake up, read in whatever book I'm currently reading that week. Every morning, I do this. This is my time. 5-6:30am - I Get in my morning ExerciseFrom about 5-6:30 for my physical health AND my mental health, I work out. Exercise varies from Yoga to Strength Training & again, since I'm an early bird, this is part of my Self-Care which is done before the day even begins. 6:30-7:45am - It's Fur Baby Time!It's time to feed my fur babies! I fill the cat bowls with food & my dog's food bowl. And fill up their water bowls. I take my dog Bean for her Morning walk. Then she comes in & I give her a treat and give my cats treats. I play fetch with Bean and give her belly rubs and give her lots of attention, and the cats rubs so I am not distracted later. 8-10am - I Eat The FrogOne secret that keeps me motivated every Morning is that it actually starts the night before. Which is during my evening or nightly routine, depending on which shift I'm working at 7 Eleven that day. I look over my To-Do list and have written down THREE things I want to get done that day. 10am - I eat my Breakfast or drink my Protein ShakeAt this point, I need food or a Protein Shake and a cup of Coffee! I actually stand in front of my kitchen counter & take 15 minutes to do this. It's my time to refuel with a healthy breakfast or a delicious Peanut Butter Protein Shake and be ready for whatever the day is going to throw at me! 10:15am - I send a Message of EncouragementI send an encouraging message to my friends and family to lift them up, inspire them, motivate them and encourage them. I do this as part of the Morning 5 routine which I will share with you at the end. 10:30am - Good Morning VideoI like to make a daily Good Morning video to post on all the Social Media Platforms that I use. So, I'll create my Good Morning video, which is normally about 2-3 minutes in length tops. After making the video I'll upload it and also post it into my Blogs. 10:45am - Check E-mailsI don't know if you're like me, but I have like 5-6 or more e-mail addresses. I have an e-mail address for every different thing I do, example:
You get the drift. I go through all my e-mails and sort through them and put needed e0mails in the Spam Folder and sort them into other folders and respond as needed. 11:15am - Respond to Comments & Messages on social mediaI take this time to respond to Facebook Comments & Messages on my personal page and Business pages. I also head to LinkedIn, Instagram, Tik Tok and YouTube and do the same, respond to comments and messages. So how do you Make Your Own Morning Routine?A morning routine doesn’t mean that you have to wake up at 4 am like me. It simply means that you need to set aside a little bit of extra time every morning to wake up and focus on you! Your routine can be as long or as short as you want it. So why do you need a morning routine?I get it,” routines” can seem boring, stifling or just unobtainable! BUT Morning routines make your life easier. They reduce stress because you really don’t have to think about what to do before you’ve even had your first cup of coffee. Routines put our brains on autopilot. They become like muscle memory. You don’t have to think about it because it just is. But if you are just starting out, you need help to get a better start on your day, and I’m here to help! 5 Things to Consider when Planning your Morning Routine1. Plan Your Morning at NightI plan out what I need to get done (including my top 3 things to get done) at the end of the day I find I have less stress in the morning and have a much more productive day when I plan out important tasks the night before. 2. Pick a wake-up timeMine is 4 am. Your routine might by 5 or 630am. Whatever it is, keep it consistent and after a while, it will start to feel natural. And when you get up, DON’T PICK UP YOUR PHONE! I switched my alarm to my Apple watch because when I used my phone, it was the first thing I reached for! And then I spent the next 20-30 minutes in bed mindlessly scrolling the internet instead of getting up. 3. Devote Some Time to YOU and HydrateMeditate and affirm: Meditation or morning affirmations are a great way to establish the tone of your day. But also taking time for you: reading, journaling, listening to a podcast or watch Netflix. Whatever it is, take at least 20 minutes for you. Do it first thing so that even on a busy day, you feel like you did something for yourself. Drinking water (BEFORE coffee) helps to gear up your metabolism and your brain. It helps you to WAKE up! 4. Eat a FrogPick ONE thing to cross off of your to-do list right away. As part of my evening routine, I usually write out my to-do list. In the morning, I look over what I need to accomplish and pick one of those to be my frog. Your frog (idea taken from the book Eat the Frog) could be a difficult task, cleaning a bathroom, sending that important email, exercising or making a Dr’s appointment. Whatever it is, doing that ONE thing that you want to put off helps you feel accomplished. Because it’s before noon and you already got something done! 5. Have BreakfastDidn’t your mama tell you that breakfast is the most important meal of the day? Now I know with the advent of intermittent fasting and our busy lives that it can be hard to fit in breakfast or even want to. But a person can’t be fueled by coffee alone (believe me I’ve tried) Getting something in a piece of peanut butter toast, a full meal from iHop, an apple, or avocado toast is important to make sure we can do what we need to do for ourselves. Morning routines take time and practice to perfect.If it seems daunting, add a new element every week. Wake up 15 minutes earlier every week until you reach your ideal time. Take all of these tips and create your own morning routine and adapt as necessary. Just keep at it. And watch your days become more and more productive. The Morning 5 Routine ChallengeAfter doing this consecutively it becomes easier to follow this routine, it has for me any way. The Morning 5 comes from Glenn Lundy of the #RiseAndGrind Morning Show and the Breakfast with Champions Podcast. Check out Glenn Lundy's website by clicking here.
How do you learn to manage time? [19 Time Management Tips No One Teaches You]Time management tips that really work! By the end of this post, you’ll be throwing procrastination out the window, getting more done in less time and no longer feeling stressed and busy without anything to show for it. This is the introduction to time management and productivity that you never knew you needed (even if you're a productivity pro!) #timemanagement #timemanagementtips #timemanagement Time management is not really something we learn at school. Maybe if you went to college, you might have been introduced to it. But more likely you were left to just get on with lectures and coursework with the result of red bull and takeout fueled all-nighters as you struggled desperately to get your paper finished. Oh yeah, we’ve all been there. What about at work? Surely, they will answer the question of how I can better use my time at my 9 to 5. I mean it would benefit them if you were better at managing your time… But the problem is, by that point, they expect you to know. And so, you can become an adult without anyone answering the question of how you learn to manage time! You can become an adult and have no idea how to actually get anything done other than in crazed working sprints that leave you burned out and empty. Not ideal. And also, not fair. After all, you don’t know what you don’t know. But that stops today. Because this blog post is the introduction to time management and productivity that you never knew you needed. Full of bite-sized tips you can action right away or that act as a lead-in on a much larger subject, the bottom line is that you’re going to be throwing procrastination out the window, getting more done in less time and no longer feeling stressed and busy without anything to show for it. Translation: Your boss is going to love you despite you leaving an hour before everyone else (I mean your work’s done, why would you stay…) Your home will be a delight at all times because you can bust out a clean and tidy in less time than it takes for you to cook dinner, and there will be zero guilt for spending the whole weekend binge-reading fanfiction because everything else you needed to get done in life is err done… Winner, winner, right? Let’s get to it! THE IMPORTANCE OF TIME MANAGEMENTAka, should time be managed? Because right now I know some of you are muttering under your breath that you like being spontaneous. That you like to go with the flow and honestly, your best work is done on all-nighters when the deadline is only five hours away, it’s 3 am already and in reality, you have nine hours of work still to go. But I’m calling bullshit. Why? Because to start with no one (and I mean no one) is productive or working at their best when they are down on sleep. No one. And secondly, planning and managing your time leads to more spontaneity in your life. Picture the scene. It’s Friday afternoon and your friend texts you asking you if you fancy a weekend trip away to the neighboring state once you’ve finished work. The one you were meant to be working on all week but instead procrastinated and floofed about. You text back saying sorry, but you’ve got to work. All weekend. Had you planned your time better and actually got your work done in it’s designated time you would be on your way to your out of the blue road trip. Instead, you sit in your apartment all weekend finishing the presentation and suffering from FOMO as you see the pictures your friends took on the spontaneous road trip you should have been able to go on but couldn’t because you didn’t manage your time… HOW DO I GET THE MOST OUT OF MY TIME?Okay, now you’re convinced that managing your time really is pretty darn important let’s talk about how to get the most out of your time and there are two concepts that are absolutely crucial to this.
These concepts intertwine with each other and while they don’t exactly mean the same thing, they kind of have the same end result. In our society we tend to be paid for the amount of work done or hours worked versus the results we produce. For example, let’s say you work in an office doing general admin for a legal company. You’ll most likely be on a salary where you’re contracted to be in the office from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm. So regardless of whether you can get your work done in one hour or whether you’re absolutely useless and do nothing all day, you’re still going to get paid for the hours you’ve been there and looked busy. Because so many of us experience this at work we take this mindset into all areas of our lives. Focusing on being busy, not the results that we’re getting. But this is not a good use of our time. Because you can be running round like a headless chicken day in day out feeling completely exhausted and burned out, but never getting anywhere in life. SO, to get the most out of your time you need to give up on being busy and start working smarter, counting your results not the number of hours you’ve been doing stuff. Of course, I do understand that in some situations (say at work when you have to be in the office from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm) you can’t just get done what you need to get done and leave. But try taking these concepts to as many different parts of your life as possible and see how much more free time you have on your hands! HOW CAN I DO MORE IN LESS TIME?If you’ve ever asked that question, how can I do more in less time, then undoubtedly, you’ve felt like you didn’t have enough time. Kinda goes without saying, right? So, the first thing we need to talk about is that there are 168 hours in a week. Let’s assume you sleep eight hours every night which is 56 in total, so you now have 112 hours left. The average person (and that’s probably you if you actually tracked your time honestly) spends around 45 hours working and commuting to work, so now you’re down to 67 hours left. Plus, let’s add another two hours per day for things like getting ready, eating, etc., so that’s 14 hours per week. And on top of that, another one and a half hours each day for cleaning, laundry, etc. etc., which is 10.5 hours per week. You still have 42.5 hours per week left over. That’s enough time to work another full-time job. The point I’m trying to make here is that you really do have enough time when it’s managed properly. Laura Vanderkam wrote an amazing book on this concept called “168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think” and if you’re just getting started with time management then I would so recommend it! OVERALL TIME MANAGEMENT STRATEGIESOkay, it’s time to take a closer look at some of the overarching time strategies that everyone should be aware of and doing in their lives, whether they’re a CEO of a billion-dollar company or a stay-at-home Mom with three littles under her feet. 1 – SET GOALS WITH ACTION PLANSIf you don’t know what you’re trying to achieve (your goal) how the heck are you meant to plan your time strategically to help you reach your goal? AND if you don’t know what actions are going to help you reach your goal, then again, how are you meant to plan your time to help you reach your goal…. It’s just not going to work. Luckily, I wrote a post that explains exactly how to set goals and create action plans that mean hitting those goals is a walk in the park. 2 – PRIORITIZEYou’ve got to learn to prioritize. While, as demonstrated earlier, you actually have a lot more time than you initially thought, it’s still not enough time to do everything. A favorite personal finance blogger of mine Paula Pant has an amazing quote about money: “You can afford anything, but not everything.” Well, I think the same thing applies to time… You have the time to do anything, but not everything. And so, prioritizing becomes key. Of course, prioritizing isn’t easy, often having to choose between something you want to do that’s super fun and something that will get you closer to your goals. But it’s a skill worth learning. This is a great post about using the Eisenhower Decision Matrix to help you prioritize exactly what you should be doing and it’s well worth a read if you need a super simple system to help you prioritize. 3 – HAVE A TO-DO LISTYou need a way to keep track of everything that has to be done in your life and honestly, I’ve always found a to-do list to be the easiest and most effective way. No need to reinvent the wheel, aye! 4 – SCHEDULE TASKSWith my personal favorite method: time blocking! Remember when you were at school and you knew exactly what you were meant to be doing and when, and, low and behold, the things that you needed to do (aka learn) actually got done. That’s because you had a schedule that you had to stick to — your timetable. Of course, when you become an adult no one bothers to make you a schedule anymore. I mean maybe someone will expect you at work between 9 am and 6 pm but apart from that your time is your own. And that’s where things might start to go a little wrong. Because unlike when you were a kid you now have responsibilities that need taking care of in your unscheduled time… All that to say, if you want to actually get stuff done you’re going to need to create a schedule to make that happen. Rather than Math between 10 am and 11 am, it might be clean the house from 6.30 pm to 7 pm… The video below explains everything you need to know to start implementing time blocking in your life. 5 – DELEGATE TASKSThe last, main time management strategy on our list is delegation, because at some point you will have too much on your plate than you can physically get done. And then you will need to delegate. Of course, I don’t recommend you want until you literally cannot get everything done, it’s better to start delegating *before* you begin drowning in your to-do lists. Now I know a lot of people have a major problem with delegation, and if that’s you then I bet you’ve had a thought like this before:
I’m going to be honest with you, if that’s the problem you’re having then you’re not training up whoever needs to take on the task well enough. I don’t care if that’s your employee at work or when you’re trying to get your son to do his own laundry, if the task hasn’t been done well enough you haven’t trained them well enough. That or your standards are just too high. So first really think about your standards. I know we all have certain ways of doing things and we like things being done our way, but does it really matter if your son leaves his laundry in the washer overnight before he moves it to the tumble dryer? I mean he’s the one that will have to deal with slightly damp smelling clothes, not you, and maybe that just isn’t something that concerns him…If you think your standards are acceptable, then you are probably delegating too late which means you don’t have enough time to really teach that person how to do the task. Start delegating earlier *before* you have too much to do so you can spend time making sure your son understands why he needs to wash his football kit separate from his school clothes… Delegation is a vital time management skill that often gets overlooked, but if you really do need to get more done in less time, delegation is your best option. TIME MANAGEMENT TRICKS, TECHNIQUES AND HACKSAbove, we spoke about the main time management strategies that govern all your productivity. But now I want to go over some productivity hacks to help you beat procrastination and make your work time even more valuable. None of these things are mandatory, more like a menu you can pick and choose from to see what helps you in particular! 6 – THE POMODORO TECHNIQUEThis is a great little procrastination destroyer, perfect for implementing when you have a mammoth task ahead (like a chunky paper that’s due) but can’t seem to get started (probably because you’re overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of the task…) All you have to do is commit to working for 25 minutes (set a timer), then you get a 5-minute break and then you work for another 25 minutes. It sounds stupidly simple but convincing yourself to work for just 25 minutes is actually quite easy, especially with the lure of a break! 7 – NEVER MULTITASKI know, I know, we’re brought up to believe that multitasking is a good thing, but research shows that there is no such thing as multitasking, it’s a myth. Instead, what we’re actually doing is switching between the tasks, and every time we switch, we have to refocus again. This charges us a switching cost, which basically means that whenever you switch tasks you lose some time in refocusing back into the task. You will have definitely noticed this in your day-to-day life, like have you ever tried to write a paper or a report while also watching TV. It takes at least double the time it would if you were to just write the paper. So, stop multitasking. Focus in on one task at a time and just get it done. 8 – MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONSSounds freaking obvious, I know. But my goodness how many of us don’t do this. In fact, literally as I write this, I’m being distracted by how messy my desk is. Fail. So, take some time and get rid of your distractions, whether it’s mess, the TV blaring or your dog barking at that squirrel outside for the hundredth time. Deal with the issue and watch your productivity increase. 9 – JUST FOCUS ON STARTINGIf you have difficulty with procrastination like me… As in you regularly spend three hours watching rubbish YouTube videos only to realize, shock, that you’re three hours behind with work and getting it all done is now going to be impossible unless you don’t bother sleeping tonight. Then you have a major meltdown and cry, and finally, get on with the work through nothing but an intense fear of missing out on too much sleep. Yeah, something like that… Anyway, this little trick is bound to help as it’s helped me avoid the above situation countless times. Just focus on starting, then do the next inch, and the next inch. Don’t look ahead and see the whole big project, just focus on the next tiny, weeny step you have to take. It works. 10 – TAKE BREAKSY’all this isn’t rocket science. If you’re tired, burning out or have been working for more than two hours you need to take a break. Science says so. Although the data on how long your breaks should be and how often is a little bit hazy, they all agree that focused work is where your productivity it at and frequent breaks promote focused work. 11 – SAY NOYou want to get more done in less time. But have you ever considered just having less to do…It’s time to flex your “No” muscle. Our society conditions us not to say no, which means we often take on wayyyyy more than we should. The result being that we end up drowning in to-dos and tasks that we really cannot do a good job on. How do we deal with this? By being honest and realistic with our time — saying no when we already have a full plate. (Yes, I know it’s hard, but like with all things, when you start saying no it gets easier and easier.) Still not sure you believe in the whole saying nothing, then read this book, or even just the summary on Amazon might do the trick! 12 – EAT THE FROGObviously, I’m not suggesting you actually eat a frog, although I know in some countries they’re classed as a delicacy. In the realm of time management “eat the frog” means get the worse or biggest job of the day done first. So, if there is a task you're dreading or it’s just big and chunky, do that first thing and get it off your plate. You will feel so proud of yourself you won’t be able to help powering through the rest of your to-dos. 13 – SLEEPNot getting enough sleep will destroy your productivity. No ifs or buts. If you’re not convinced and think your four hours of shut eye per night is fine, then I dare you to read this post and tell me if you still believe that to be true. Like actually read it, not just the title and then decide it’s not relevant. Read every word, maybe even give it a try and then if your productivity doesn’t go through the roof, I will eat my hat. Or maybe even give you a voucher to get one of my products for free, that’s how much I believe it to be true. 14 – START EARLYNow I know some people say they’re night owls and that they do their best work late into the evening. But I don’t buy it. Why? Because I used to think I was a night owl. Turns out I wasn’t. I just wasn’t getting enough decent sleep and then I would be super wired in the night because I wasn’t looking after myself well enough. So, I was working in some weird, sleep-deprived state that kind of felt like when you’ve drunk too many Red Bulls… When I actually got decent sleep (and that required implementing a sleep routine) mornings instantly became my most productive time. In fact, I even woke up at 5 am for a while and my goodness you can get a lot done then! So, get up early and get to work, you’ll be surprised how much you can get done… 15 – DONE IS BETTER THAN PERFECTIt’s time to throw your perfectionism out the window and start working at a B- level not A+ as Brooke Castillo says. As a control freak and also recovering perfectionist this is hard. But wow does it cut down on procrastination and how long stuff takes. 16 – GIVE YOUR TASK A TIME LIMITEver heard of Parkinson’s law? “That work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.” Basically, what it means is that if you give yourself three weeks to finish that report, it will take three weeks. But if you only give yourself a day, the report will only take a day. Start giving your tasks time limits and see what happens… 17 – PLAN MARGINS INTO YOUR DAYWhile I’m all about effective planning and using all your time wisely, I also think you need to plan white space into your day because life happens. Your dog gets sick and has to be rushed to the vets. You get a headache and need to lie down for 10. A friend calls who you haven’t spoken to in ages. Those things could easily throw your entire day off, so plan for life to crop up and give yourself some breathing room in your day. 18 – BATCH LIKE FOR LIKE TASKSEver considered how some people can meal prep seven days' worth of breakfast, lunch and dinner in three hours on a Sunday afternoon, yet it takes you an hour just to cook Monday night's dinner… That is the power of batching tasks! If you have any similar tasks or the same task that you do on the regular, consider if you can batch these tasks. By this point, I’m hoping you have learned how to manage your time effectively. Or you at least know where to start and what you need to further research and work on. But, before I go, I’ll leave you with one more very use time management tip. 19 – TRACK YOUR TIME.If, after implementing countless time management strategies and productivity boosters you still can seem to get everything done then tracking your time is the next logical step. For one week write down exactly what you are doing with every minute of your day. Yes, it’s tedious. But it’s only for one week, so buck up buttercup and get it done. I can almost guarantee that you’re spending way more time than you realized either watching TV or scrolling through social media and that’s why you’re not getting anything done. That was certainly the case for me… Oops.
|
AuthorKirchner Admin Services opened in 2011 & is owned by Aiden D. Kirchner. Archives
October 2023
Categories |