Did you read the article I linked in the last post? 

I’m calling it my #takingbackmymornings challenge. 

I often wake up late, throw my hair in a bun, don’t eat until noon and live on coffee. I have found myself to be grumpy and stressed constantly. Expanding my business means I have little extra time and a life filled with good / bad / unexpected distractions …. So this is my attempt to use my mornings as a way to be hyper focused in order to get ahead, save myself some stress and get the next project in gear! 

Here is the overall idea on how this works. 

1. No meetings until after noon. Why? Mornings are about output – not input. It’s when your brain and body are more focused. I use brain music found at brain.fm to keep my mind focused – it’s ridiculous and amazing. 

2. Get to the office early with a plant based protein shake in hand. Target goal: 6am. This gives me 3 hours to get work done and the protein helps keep hunger down and energy up! 

3. Write down all my goals for the day / week. The first hour goes to something I never have time for but want to make time for. Things I’ve been pushing off – business card design, a PowerPoint for an upcoming conference, etc. The remaining 2 hours go to top priority work items that have to get done. 

4. 10am break for exercise (still haven’t done this yet!). 

5. No coffee or caffeine until afternoon. 

6. Eliminate distractions: If you want to talk, it’s got to wait. Write it down in an email. No Facebook. No pop in meetings. 

7. Afternoons are for email, meetings, calls, etc. all the distractions, chaos, etc… Feels better when you know you got a lot done earlier.
So how am I doing? Day 2: 

I loved how much consistant energy I had yesterday (yay for protein!) so I went to wegmans at 6am to buy more. There are so many options! Many folks pointed out the high sugar count – noted but I am still going to try these.

My morning wasn’t as productive as yesterday’s but I did get a lot of stuff done today including reviewing two inspection reports and sending feedback before 8am, reviewing business cards, moving forward on a purchase of a building and more. 

I didn’t take any meetings but did go get paper at 10am. (Big mistake! What a time suck! Amazon prime next time.) 

My afternoon was fairly shot due to someone deciding to use my credit card to go on a buying spree – so that took up some time (fixed, don’t worry!) but all in all, lots on the list I outlined in the early am got accomplished! ✔️✔️✔️!

I even spent time listening to inspiration… I loved this podcast featuring the founder of Nasty Gal. Her hustle and story is a solid one that I can relate to! 

So what’s in for day 3? My goal tomorrow is to my office by 6am. Waking up at 5am is tough!!’ I’m breaking my new rules tomorrow – we’re doing an 8am inspection of a building… But that decision was out of my control. I need 2 hours today and tomorrow to nail my ppt for next weeks speaking gigs. In general – my hope is this becomes a pattern so I can get up easier, get things done and discipline myself to a point where I’m running at max efficiency so I can take on more while being healthy about it all. 

If you have suggestions on food choices, podcasts, etc … Bring it on. 

Much love! Xo.