Entrepreneurs are a special breed of people. Many successful people over the years, writers, politicians, business leaders, sports men and women, often attribute their success to an obsessive attraction to habits.
Habits help us de-clutter our minds to focus on what is important. Steve Jobs had ONE outfit in his cupboard so he did not waste time deciding what to wear each morning.
I recently found and adopted an article on Entrepreneur.com on seven key habits every entrepreneur should do before 7am.
1. Wake UP. When your morning routine is operating in full swing (and you love what you do), waking up before 6 am should not be a problem. Take a couple of moments in bed first to realise you are awake, open your eyes and get ready to start your day. The last thing you want is to be rushing out the door. Getting an early night is key here, and should maybe be a pre-curser point on its own. You need 7-9 hours sleep daily to perform at your best.
2. Avoid your phone. Firstly, sleep with your phone on silent and/or with the screen display face down (or in another room even). Firstly, notifications can be a major disruption during the night, and secondly, feeding yourself a supplier’s midnight email or an old colleague’s Facebook rant before breakfast can cause unnecessary stress before your body and mind is ready for it. There’ll be time for this all later.
3. Exercise or meditate. Run. Stretch. Swim. Pray. Spin. Whatever it is you need to do that gets you out of our bed and into your body, do it. Focused activities not only get an entrepreneur’s blood flowing but the regulated breathing can help you focus on what needs to be done for the day, or even solve a problem or generate a new idea, not to mention the added health benefits…After, take a shower to wake yourself up for good.
4. Eat a healthy breakfast. Four cups of coffee then lunch? Stop it. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day but only if you do it right. Low carbohydrate meals like chia bowls, oatmeal or rye toast; boiled eggs, nuts and beans; fruit or veggies; these are the breakfasts of champions.
Now, it’s not to say avoid the tea and coffee, but use it as a chaser to your actual meal. If you want to sip something even more productive first thing in the morning, try some lemon or ginger water 15-30 minutes before you eat. It will not only give you a more natural boost of energy but also improve nutrient absorption throughout the rest of your day.
Want to take it to the next level? Try sharing breakfast with your family!
5. Lift your spirits. Not every morning is the same. Some days are cold and rainy and others come after a long night of the neighbour’s dog barking.
Successful entrepreneurs know this is merely a distraction though. Read a few pages from a motivational book, recite some powerful quotes in the mirror or write down your thoughts in a journal. Take a few minutes each morning to remind yourself you are working towards something BIG to get you into a positive mindset.
If that doesn’t work for you. Write down 3 things you’re grateful for above all.
6. Set your goals and priorities. As an Entrepreneur, you should be setting goals at the start of each week. Every morning thereafter, you should be checking in with that list and prioritising what you need to do in order to achieve them all. Use some of the above activities to help clear your mind and focus on what you need to do next.
Prioritise the hardest things first and work your way down. Try not to multi-task too much – energy follows focus (EFF). Procrastinating tasks only leaves them for tomorrow. Remember, Entrepreneurs do not necessarily work 9-5!
7. Get down to business. Right. Now grab your phone or laptop and check in with the rest of the world. Check in on social media. What’s the exchange rate looking like? Answer that important supplier email. Has your latest campaign brought in any new sales. There may be stuff here that changes (or adds to) your priority list but by this time you’re already ready for it.
You may not get it right first time but keep working on finding a morning routine that gets you going. When you find it, you’ll find a greater sense of purpose and be ready for (almost) anything that comes your way. Have something to add? Why not let us know in the comments section below.