Follow along as I provide day-by-day updates during my ten-day case study. I’m changing one simple daily habit, and letting readers learn first hand the impact it’s having on my life.
Day 5
Halfway there! Five down and five to go. It feels good reaching the halfway point.
Today, it was a bit challenging to get out of bed, but I’ve figured out it’s all about will power. When that alarm goes off, the success of my day can be determined by my immediate reaction. Do I have the will power to get up out of bed and start my morning routine?
You might think that’s an odd statement. How can the first reaction I have when I wake up determine how good or bad my day is? It’s pretty simple:
If I exert my will power and hop out of bed to begin my morning routine, then I’ll start the day with meditation, positive thinking and exercise. I’ll head off to work feeling like I’ve already accomplished a lot, and will naturally be more relaxed throughout the day. When I come home from work, knowing I’ve already spent time on my personal development, I’ll be free to focus on my family and/or any other activities that I want to pursue.
If my will power fails me and I fall back to sleep, then I’ll spend the rest of my day trying to catch up. While I may get an extra hour of ZZZZ’s, I’m rushing to eat breakfast and get to work. Once at work, there’s a good chance I’m carrying over any frustration or anxiety from previous days. When I get home, I’m challenged to find enough time to spend with my girls and wife, and working on my personal development. Something has to give, and it’s probably going to be my personal development.
Today’s Routine
I started with my meditation. I’ve increased my meditation to between 15-20 minutes per morning, from the initial 10 minutes. I personally have gotten so much out of meditation that this seemed like a good tweak for me.
A twist on affirmations. Today, for my affirmations, I wrote down some short and long-term goals for myself (both personal and professional). I highlighted things I want to accomplish this month and this year. I plan to revisit them on future mornings.
Writing. With cup of coffee in hand, I spent the majority of the hour doing some writing. The content was mostly around Cool Healthy Life, but I really just wrote down what was on my mind
Exercise. Seven minutes. That’s all I spent on exercise today, but I made it count. I have a (free) app on my iPhone, 7 Minute Workout. It’s literally a seven minute, high-intensity, exercise routine with 12 different guided exercises. Check out this New York Times link for the details. All you need is a nearby wall and chair and you’re good to go. I promise you’ll get a nice sweat going!
We’ve also been doing the 7 minute workout for 3-4 days now. It is a nice, high intensity workout.
Also, I totally agree with the willpower insight. Unfortunately, it’s the hardest thing to overcome in the mornings. You’ve inspired me to not hit the snooze tomorrow.
TJ – I’m going to hold you to that snooze comment. The 7 min workout is a surprisingly, intense little exercise routine. The first time I did it my abs were jell-o for hours!
2 Comments
TJ
We’ve also been doing the 7 minute workout for 3-4 days now. It is a nice, high intensity workout.
Also, I totally agree with the willpower insight. Unfortunately, it’s the hardest thing to overcome in the mornings. You’ve inspired me to not hit the snooze tomorrow.
Brent C
TJ – I’m going to hold you to that snooze comment. The 7 min workout is a surprisingly, intense little exercise routine. The first time I did it my abs were jell-o for hours!