Less Thinking More Focused Mornings

What you do the moment you open your eyes has more impact than you may think on setting the tone for the day. My approach to getting things done early is to harness the power of routines to eliminate obstacles and stabilize my mental state in order to stay disciplined. Self-discipline has been shown to be a key principle in overcoming feelings of anxiety and in feeling happy in life. I have shared with you that in my morning routine, I purposely schedule ten minutes to spend with my family who are the biggest source of my happiness.

Positive Thoughts, No Phone

In a world that tends to highlight the negative, starting your day off on a positive note can have positive effects on your mood. So if  you use your phone as your alarm, resist the urge to read any messages once you’re awake.

How to Plan Your Day to get the Best out of Your Brain

In this article, I’ll share some of my go-to’s to get into the mental state you need to be in to do that meaningful work. What if you knew when you were at your peak performance, would you plan your day differently? After reading research, conversing with mental health experts and life coaches I’ve broken this 30-minute routine into two, five- and 10-minute intervals.

I) The Morning Mental Schedule

If productivity is what you’re seeking, a thorough morning routine that includes healthy habits and effective planning will take you far.
  • Spend five minutes journaling (ideally you should keep a journal on your nightstand) writing something positive. This practice is helpful for brain integration because it helps to integrate parts of the brain that involve linguistic and creative capabilities, setting a tone of creativity. Journaling may be a practice you’re not into, consider making a recording of yourself reading daily affirmations aloud and listen to them instead.
  • Spend another five minutes writing down essential tasks for the day and use the time to itemize, prioritize and be super specific with what you want to achieve in list form. Make sure your essential tasks are focused on your current priorities.
  • Now that you have prioritized what needs to get done, drink a cup of water and then spend the next ten minutes stretching for flexibility and relaxation or getting in a HIIT fat burning session (aka the 10×10).
  • These next ten minutes are my favorite, it’s where I get to spend time with my family and get in a healthy meal that will give me the energy I need to power through the day. 

II) The Stress and Worries Checklist

Some days, you just wake up anxious, and no amount of meditation, exercise, or breathing exercises can calm you down. Perhaps it’s time to get out the journal and write down all your stress and worries, unfiltered. According A 2011 University Of Chicago study, by writing about the event you’re forced to create a coherent story to describe what happened. The narrative you write down  is less likely to trigger additional rumination than the fragments of events that often lead you to keep thinking about a problem obsessively.

III) The Night-time Routine

One of the most productive things you can do to start your day on the right foot should actually happen before you go to sleep the previous day, map out the major tasks or things you want to accomplish the next day — and how you want to spend the first few hours of the day. Lay out the clothes you’ll (and kids) wear and make sure you have ingredients ready to make a healthy breakfast. The idea is to avoid decision fatigue, building habits that get you out the door in the morning without having to stress.

Last thoughts, focus often fades because of lack of feedback. Your brain has a natural desire to know whether or not you are making progress toward your goals, this means that we need to measure our results. It is only through numbers and clear tracking that we have any idea if we are getting better or worse. Are you getting stronger from the daily HIIT session, do you feel more energetic from your morning meals, are you completing the task you wrote down. Be honest and stay focused in your first 30!

I hope you found this short guide on focused thinking useful. If you’re looking for more ideas on how to improve your focus and concentration, connect with me on Facebook.


Thank you for reading, 

Joe