When I first wake up in the morning, I have this urge to check my phone. I resist it. I say to myself, “Whatever is coming through (messages, LinkedIn connections, twitter mentions, Instagram posts, YouTube uploads) it can wait”. Looking at any of that stuff first thing in the morning will set the wrong tone for the day. What tone is that you ask? Well, looking at all those notifications tells your mind that, “I am more concerned with instant access to things that are not helping me build my business or making me successful. I want instant and constant entertaining stimulation to feed my electronic addiction.”

Checking those notifications right off the bat puts a person in loop of constantly checking their phone throughout the day, which is will get in the way of productive work. Think about it. When start checking your Facebook notifications, how much time will pass by before you go to another social media site or go back and forth between however many you have? Next you know will have wasted an hour on your phone! Its easy and addicting. So, I resist the temptation to check it first thing in the morning because it’s not helping me get off my ass.

It’s said the first 30 minutes to an hour upon waking is a golden period for learning or reprogramming the mind for success. I do my best writing I the morning after I’ve written down my goals, visualized and manifested feelings of being successful. I try not to change my morning routine for anything, although life circumstances can get in the way from time to time. Here is a breakdown of what I do in the morning to cultivate success habits for a productive day.

1. As soon as I wake up I simply say, “Father I thank You for another day”. Whether you are spiritual or not, having gratitude for your life is a powerful push towards accomplishing things you want to do. Just simply saying, “I am so grateful for another day of living”, is all one needs to put his or her mind and heart in a successful place of get things done.

2. Write the traits of what I want to see in myself in a journal. I’m old fashioned and I do not like being in front of a computer all the time. I keep a notebook on a desk in my room and I write out the traits I want to reflect. So, for example, a couple of years ago I realized the biggest thing holding me back from my goals was the fact I was a quitter. And I’m not just talking about a simple quitter, I mean I was a professional f****** quitter. To change this, I thought of the traits of someone who finishes things. And I came up with the following affirmations…

  • I am persistent in the pursuit of my goals and completing them.
  • I finish what I start, I never give and I always keep moving forward.

We learn through repetition. This can be writing in repetition or listening in repetition or viewing it in repetition or saying it in spaced repetition. This repetition also needs to be spaced out or spaced repetition. So, for example I might read something about creating a more mentally tough mindset. If I read this once, I will get something out of it. But…if I read it once a day or twice a day for a week or two weeks, I will develop more understanding of the material and apply it better to my life. It’s like adding one grain of sand to the hour glass…all the little activities add to be huge movements.

3. I write down my goals. I do not have many goals, as having to many goals will spread one’s attention too thin. There are main goals I have and I begin each one with either, “I am”, “I have”, or “I earn”. Whenever you write a goal, it must be personal, in the present tense (as if you have it now) and it must be positive. An example of a goal I write is, “I am a successful provider of high revenue generating consulting services to Fortune 500 companies.”

4. I visualize. I visualize for 10 minutes after I write my desired traits and goals. I concentrate my visualization on the most important goal I have that generates me money the quickest. As I visualize my success in the goal I also infuse the traits I’ve written. So, I see myself networking with powerful executives, shaking hands, signing contracts and money deposited being into my back account.

5. I get into production. Now that I have completed my 15-minute “power-up” routine, I will focus on something productive. This could be educating myself of how to use social media better, it could be writing a blog post, I can go workout now if I want, or I can watch an instructional YouTube video on something I need to learn.

The first 30 minutes to an hour of your morning sets the tone for the rest of the day. This is a time when the mind is clearest and receptive to input. Use this time to input the absolute best so it can translate to more successful productivity later.

Courageous Tip

Don’t sleep with your phone in the bedroom. Leave it in the living room or kitchen. You will sleep better and not be as likely to check it when you first wake up.