Most of us wake up in the mornings with a mental list of all the things that we need to get done throughout the day.
This can be related to appointments, school, work, chores, errands etc.
But somehow, some really important things that should be executed daily, don’t make the cut.
Some would argue that although you may think that these things are already a staple in your daily routine, they should still be written on your daily to-do list.
Here Are 9 Different Things That Should Be At The Top Of Your To Do List:
Rise Early
This one is not a fun one, I get it. However, there is great value here if we can spend some time peeling back the layers.
Let’s face it, more often than not, when you get up early, there are not too many people that are willing to join in on that fun.
This makes it a great time to experience some quiet time alone and start your day off in a positive and peaceful direction.
If you plan properly, early mornings can be the time where you can get some of your best work done.
It may not sound appealing, especially once that alarm clock goes off, but if you have the mental strength to push passed that, you just might appreciate that new pocket of time that you have created for yourself.
Journal
Journaling is a discipline, a practice, that if carried out consistently, it can generate some serious value.
If you enjoy journaling, or want to learn more about it, I go more in depth on the subject in a previous blog post The Power Of Journaling & Journaling First Thing In The Morning.
When getting into journaling for the first time, it can be cumbersome and overwhelming. Most people don’t know where to even start.
Taking a few minutes out of your morning to sit down with a cup of coffee and plan out your day can be a total game changer for your daily routine.
We all have plenty on our minds as is, creating some time to get ideas and thoughts onto paper is a great way to really get the needle moving in the right direction—forward.
Complete 1 Hour Of Exercise
Learn to win the war early in the morning.
Purposely select which tasks you need to accomplish first thing in the morning.
Getting a workout in early in the morning, is a great place to start.
When you battle the difficulties that are associated with fitness goals and exercise routines, you quickly learn that this is one of those things you want to get done first. Get it out the way.
Getting to the gym after work is already hard. I find that there are too many variables that swing around each day that can cause you to decide to skip a workout.
First thing in the morning, you are rested, coming right out of great sleep, and your body is ready to take on the challenges of the day.
Regardless of what time you decide works best for you to complete your hour of exercise, write it down.
1 hour of daily exercise is one of those things that should be on everyone’s daily to-do-list.
Drink 1 Gallon Of Water
Drinking enough water is something that flys right under everyone’s radar.
If you stop to think about all of the back and forth that is associated with everyday living, and then you factor in work, and other responsibilities, you can easily go a day without drinking water if you are not careful.
Aiming for one gallon of water daily is not easy. It requires practice, discipline, and patience to get accustomed to.
The results however are well worth the effort and the annoyance of having to run to the restroom every 30 minutes.
Increased water levels in our body creates a growth environment. As animals, when we are properly hydrated, we think better, we move better, we process better, and we can handle more.
When dehydration begins to set in, we lose our focus easily, become more irritable, and our metabolism slows down.
Read 10 Pages Of A Good Book
Reading is a habit that not too many people today are on top of.
With newer technology, we don’t have to read books anymore. We can just listen to audiobooks.
I still encourage to grab a book from time-to-time.
With audio books, you are still gaining access to new and valuable material but the problem is, you are usually doing something else while listening.
When you are reading a book, you are focused on the task at hand—reading.
Reading a few pages of a good valuable book each day pays dividends.
Does it require discipline and routine to achieve consistently?
Yes.
Is it worth it?
Absolutely!
Create a 30 minute reading window each day where you can sneak in a few pages to feed your mind some wholesome nutrition.
Eat 2,000 Calories
We each carry our own unique genetic makeup, and because of this, we should each eat a diet that is tailored around our goals and needs.
Often times, there is so much delicious tasting food around us that we consume too much or we restrict ourselves and eat too little—neither of which are healthy.
A great practice is to stick to the FDA rule of thumb, which is a daily recommended intake of 2,000 calories. This is not to say that this is exact across the board, but it is a good place to start and then monitor your bio-feedback.
Figuring out how many calories our body uniquely needs is a huge part of the health and fitness battle.
Monitoring your caloric intake with a calorie tracking tool like MyFitnessPal can be a great way to find your daily caloric intake.
Starting at 2,000 as a base starting point and monitoring your weight from there, can not only help you lose or gain those desired pounds (if that is your goal), but it can more importantly regulate how you feel over all.
Food is our fuel. If we are not gauging how we eat, when we eat, or what we eat, then we are living blindly.
Finding a good base of calories in which you function your best at, it is vital to your success.
Write 1,000 Words
You don’t have to be a writer to take some time out of your day and simply write down your thoughts and ideas.
Journaling, like we discussed previously, is a great way to get into writing and getting your ideas and thoughts down on paper each day.
If you can just pause right now, and think about how many times you have had things on your mind that you wanted to say or do, but simply just forgot.
This is where writing comes into play. Spending time with your own thoughts and ideas is a great way to jog your memory and get key tasks completed each day.
Dedicate 1 hour To Learning Something New
Times are evolving and new skills are being required in order to keep this new age.
In order for us to continue growing and building ourselves into better versions, we must continue to feed the mind and stay open to learning new things.
There are many different platforms that one can utilize on a daily basis that they can learn from each day.
We let too much time slip through our lives without investing enough of that time spent.
An investment of 1 hour each day that is dedicated towards you mastering an area of your life that you feel provides value is important.
If you are currently going through each day without dedicating time for such things, slow down enough and realize that you have the time, you just need to control it better.
Start now.
5 Minute Planning Time For Tomorrow
5 minutes of planning can help you avoid a possible hectic or stressful day.
Taking 5 minutes to plan for tomorrow can really be life changing. You may begin to see yourself moving into a completely different positive direction, all because you took time to plan out your key details for the following day.
Working for Amazon, part of their management program was all about mastering the following day.
As mangers we were taught that our shift does not come to an end until we have uploaded tomorrow’s key action plan.
As a leader, I needed to look at what mistakes I made today, and exactly how I can avoid them tomorrow.
I was taught that to actually succeed at accomplishing your goals and tasks you must plan.
The same goes for your life—you need a master plan!
