Do These 3 Things Every Morning

Written by: Joe Jardine

How you spend your morning can set the tone for the rest of your day. If you start off by checking email and social media, you're likely to be sucked into a vortex of distractions. If, instead, you take some time to focus on your mental health and mindset, you'll be not only happier, but also more productive and fulfilled. In this blog post, we'll discuss three things that you can do in the first 30 minutes of each morning to jumpstart your day!

1. Avoid your phone

This may seem like an impossible task, but it's important to try. For the first 30 minutes of each morning, resist the urge to check your email, social media, or news. Instead, focus on yourself and your own thoughts. If you need help with this, there are plenty of apps (such as Offtime) that can block access to your phone for a set amount of time.

There are a few reasons why experts recommend avoiding our phones in the morning. For one, checking emails and social media first thing can set a negative tone for the day. It can be tough to break out of that mindset and get into a productive groove. Additionally, watching or reading news stories in the morning can be mentally draining and leave you feeling stressed out before you've even started your day.

It's best to use that time to focus on yourself, set some goals for the day, and relax before jumping into the craziness of the world online. Experts also recommend spending some time outside in nature, which has been shown to help improve moods and provide other benefits like improved cognitive function.

2. Journal

One of the best ways to start your day is by writing in a journal. This can be anything from brainstorming ideas to listing things you're grateful for. Journalling gives you a chance to reflect on your thoughts and feelings, and it can help reduce stress and anxiety.

If we were to put all our chips in on one thing to help people with their mental health it's journalling. But a lot of people are overwhelmed at the thought of staring at a blank piece of paper, having no clue what to start writing. So we teach what we call "3-2-1 Performance Mindset Journalling."

We actually have a free PDF available about it called “The Secret Habit of Fulfilled People.” You can grab it on the free resources page.

Here’s how it works:

Write 3 things your thankful for.

It's impossible for your mind to feel anxious and thankful at the same time. Read that again. Impossible. Anxiety is always rooted in what you don't have, but thankfulness is rooted in what you've been blessed with. Try and force yourself to think of different things each day if possible, and keep them in your mind as you go through your day. It can be one or two words each, doesn't need to be a novel.

Write 2 things you're excited about.

We don't need help remembering what's going badly in the world or In our lives. To counteract that negativity, write down two things you're excited about. They could be big things like, "I'm going on vacation next week!" or small things like, "I get to try a new recipe for dinner tonight." Again, it doesn't have to be a novel, just two things that bring a smile to your face.

And finally...

Write 1 thing you'll accomplish today

Part of the reason we get so stressed is because we try to accomplish too many things at once. And then when we don't meet our impossibly high standards, we beat ourselves up about it. So instead of trying to accomplish a million things today, focus on just one.

That doesn't mean you can't accomplish more than one thing, but consider what might complete the sentence, "today will be a success if I accomplish _____."

In the event that it doesn't work out for that day, you have a great goal already for tomorrow.

Why journaling this way works

Thankfulness helps you focus on what you have instead of what you don't. Excitement helps you focus on what's going right instead of what's going wrong. And your goal helps you focus on what you can do instead of what you can't.

Don't believe me? Journal every day for a week and see what it does for your mental health.

3. Decide your one meaningful connection

It can be so easy to fly through the day focused on ourselves. The tasks we need to accomplish, the way we're feeling, and so on. But before the day begins, make a decision to have a meaningful connection with someone.

Your meaningful connection could be with your spouse, a friend, even someone you've been meaning to catch up with for a while. It could be as simple as a thoughtful text, or something more in-depth like sharing a meal.

The word "connect" has a certain amount of elasticity to it. It can mean different things to different people, but I think it means slowing down long enough to really listen. It's having a conversation that isn't transactional about what time you should pick up the kids, or if you could help me with my homework. It's letting someone be seen and heard, just because they're important to you.

Sound difficult? That's okay. It may take a little bit of practice and a few awkward conversations, but you'll get there, and you'll be glad you did.

Before you get going with your day, make a decision who you are going to connect with, when, and how. If you need to, set a reminder in your phone so you don't forget!

Final Thoughts

Just to recap, the first 30 minutes of every morning you should attempt to:

• Avoid your phone
• Journal
• Decide your one meaningful connection

We want to challenge you to try it for a week–a whole week–and see what changes. What do you have to lose? We know you'll see the benefits before the week is through, but the ball is in your court.

So, what do you think? Will giving these a try help make your mornings more productive and less stressful? Let us know in the comments below how you plan to use them! And if you have any other tips or tricks for beginning the day off on the right foot, we would love to hear about them.