3 Tips for Excellence
“Movement is the foundation of stillness”
- Lao Tzu
Have you woken up thinking: "I hope today is a good day"? I am sure we all have at some point. Instead of HOPING for a GOOD day, we should be CRAFTING an EXCELLENT day.
The reality is time slips away as fast as engineers increase the addictiveness of phones and apps. We wake up checking social media, losing hours of our day to the endless scroll. This only domino’s into anxiety and a franticness to accomplish eight hours of work in two hours of usable energy because you are on the brink of overstimulation and exhaustion. No wonder there is a constant struggle to get things done.
Taking control of your life starts with taking control of your morning. If you are interested in up-leveling creativity, optimizing time efficiency, and reducing mental burnout, these tips might be the medicine you need.
I preface these tips with a quote:
“You can either play on your phone or change the world, but you cannot do both.”
- Robin Sharma
Tip 1: No Phone for AT LEAST the first hour of your day.
Today, people are becoming increasingly addicted and dependent on their digital devices. What has happened to our culture where the first thing we want to do is check in on someone else’s life? The digital age is fostering a comparison culture where we care more about what other people are doing, sharing, or posting than the lives neglected within the four walls around us.
Start your day off in self-care by carving the first part of the morning for yourself. Start your day off in your own life by not checking social media or email. Use the time to tend to your body, and your needs - emotional and physical, and be present with your family. Go into your day with the surety of a calm mind and the confidence this radiates. We need to stop neglecting ourselves by prioritizing superficial digital connections and satisfying a baseless addiction to instant gratification.
Tip 2: Move your body
When was the last time you went for a walk? When was the last time you intentionally exerted enough energy to sweat? Technological advances keep us lazy and comfortable as they grow to satisfy our conveniences. What if your crappy attitude is because you haven’t moved your body or gotten sun exposure in the last few months? It is no secret that nature is healing - with the Vitamin D from the sun to the calming effects of a walk in the forest. Yet, we are blocking our creative excellence by remaining trapped in gratification and convenience.
Movement is a great way to release feelings of stagnancy and indifference and force yourself to feel both energized and renewed. Walk, ride a bike, go to the gym, try a fitness class - whatever excites you enough into action. Old-school alarm clocks used to shake, vibrate, and ring to wake you up. Movement, especially in the morning, is a great way to wake the body up - having a similar physical effect as an antique alarm clock.
Tip 3: Embrace Difficulty
Are you familiar with the saying: “Get the easiest thing done first and then move on to the hardest.” This is not bad advice, seeing as it provides a framework for combatting procrastination. However, if you are always doing the easiest task, you begin to procrastinate on all the difficult ones. It would be counterintuitive to strive for excellence while developing bad residual habits.
By doing the hard thing first, you have already beat procrastination before it has had a chance to discourage you. Tackling it first allows you to give the best of your cognitive abilities and physical stamina to the task at hand. Thus, a great way to build momentum on the days when completing a project is a mountain to climb.
Final Thoughts
By eliminating the use of our phones for at least the first hour of the day, we create space between our minds and the external world. You can become aware of your own goals and ambitions and any neglected feelings and suppressed emotions.
Give yourself space to be aware of your own life, to realign your perspective to what YOU BELIEVE is essential.
Movement awakens the body to the goals of the mind. So if you want to go places, you have to go places. Lastly, secure a win at the beginning of your day by tackling something difficult. Why wait until the end of the day to feel accomplished? Validate the strength within by tackling a difficult task every day.
