“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” – not aristote but someone wise.
by #Béka
So why, if the way forward is so straight, do we insist on taking detours? It’s because doing the real thing is hard. Real things have risks. Real things are filled with frustration and challenges. And real things force you to confront the possibility that maybe you just aren’t good enough. But doing the real thing is also how we find meaning in our work. It’s how we do work that matters.
With that in mind, I’m not sure when the dogma of morning routines began to spread, but suddenly, these mile-long checklists are everywhere — especially if you type “productivity on youtube”. Routines can be great, but I think there’s a misplaced emphasis on morning. If you want to enhance your productivity, it doesn’t matter whether you’re a morning person or a night owl, or if you go for a run at 6 am or 6 pm. Everyone has different peak hours. Instead, it’s up to you to make the most of your day, and to learn when you work and feel your best. Though, learning to listen to your body and to your needs is one of the greatest ways to achieve the perfect routine that will suit your life efficiently. Finding that sort of balance and knowing exactly what your body tells you is going to help you reach that goal you desperately want to achieve. That win you want so much. That life-changing income you want to make.
Although, how you spend the first few hours of your morning -whenever that is for you- can make or break the rest of your day. Because let’s be honest, a solid foundation will never fail you. From the way I see it, and don’t get me wrong because I am not a professional in neuroscience or anything, but you can’t accelerate your success if the foundation is not right. Instead of looking for shortcuts to success that will probably not last, focus on laying a strong and firm foundation for growth. For example, most people don’t have the patience to seek better knowledge that puts them in positions of control. They become slaves to money — and grow weaker, less capable and trapped in careers that become obsolete with time, or they set up for mediocrity. What has your attention is how you are spending your life. John Green said, “What you do with your attention is in the end what you do with your life.”
The most productive people spend their time in ways that upgrade their skills, build better habits, create memorable experiences and build deeper relationships. Spending time and energy -your attention- onto something is a choice. That choice is getting you closer to what you want in life or leading you on a path of self-sabotage. Chances are you have multiple responsibilities and things on your plate every day. The thing is, being “productive” is not the same as being “busy”. In that matter, it’s no surprise that successful people in almost any field possess an incredible willingness to master their routine, habits, behaviours and always maximise their time for the greatest gain. They also set clear rules and boundaries so you don’t end up taking on too much from others. The cumulative purpose of doing these things the same way every day seems to be a way of saying to your mind, you’re going to be productive soon. It’s not any different than a bedtime routine for children. Finding your ideal working routines and efficient habits will allow you to do more almost every day. “Focused, productive, successful mornings generate focused, productive, successful days — which inevitably create a successful life — in the same way that unfocused, unproductive, and mediocre mornings generate unfocused, unproductive, and mediocre days, and ultimately a mediocre quality of life,” writes Hal Elrod in his book, The Miracle Morning. There are so many better habits you can incorporate into your morning routine but what makes a productive morning depends on what you personally feel you need to do in the morning. The way you will spend the first few hours of your morning is as important as how you will spend the last few hours of the day.
Also, you will miss almost all the opportunities in life if you are not ready to disrupt yourself. When you disrupt yourself, you are looking for personal growth. I recommend you read The key to growth. Creating greatness in your life is about the small stuff. It’s the use of your hours and days that determine whether you’ll reach your goals or not. Quite often, we distract ourselves with the big picture and forget that our results are determined by what we do right now. If you fail to make effective use of your hours, you’ll be stuck in a reality that doesn’t match your expectations.
- with all my love, B
