We Must Attack The Morning — Here’s Why
What is the best time of day to get stuff done?
People wonder.
They drag tasks until the end of the day until they commit to getting that assignment done, that chore, a workout.
The truth is that the longer you postpone something, the less likely it is to get done.
That said, there is no better time to get stuff out of the way than in the morning. Not only is your mind sharp after sleep, but you’re also fasted (therefore more focused).
If you wake up early enough, no one will be awake to disrupt you, too.
In Ryan Holiday’s Discipline is Destiny, attacking the morning is called ‘eating the frog’.
We need to have more accountability and get the difficult things out of the way first.
Eat the frog first thing, or else it might get away.
Waiting for tomorrow to do something means you’d rather wait until tomorrow to be good.
Why that when you could be good now?
What I want to go over is what ‘attacking the morning’ entails, my morning ritual, and more of the benefits of prioritizing the morning.
What Exactly Does it Mean?
I’m sure you have an idea of what it means, but I think it’s important we go into a bit more detail.
To attack the morning means to do your most demanding duties upon waking up.
The beauty of this is that your day can’t get much more challenging once you put yourself through an activity that calls for discipline.
Choosing to get hurdles over with in the morning is called self-care. The opposite of procrastination.
It’s important to realize that procrastination is a big lower trait in general.
It’s the act of saying “I’m too lazy to deal with this now, so it’s a future me problem”.
Now, don’t mistake your morning routine as a quest for perfectionism. If you miss a day or a task here and there, it’s okay.
Trying to be perfect is a dangerous game.
Your goal should always be just to become better — every day.
Now then, let’s go over how I construct my morning routine.
My Routine
One aspect of a healthy and productive morning routine is that it can’t be too difficult but also not too easy.
Finding this balanced routine can be challenging, so I recommend you start small and work your way up.
Going into this, I had one focus for my routine — the mind. I felt that conquering the mind upon waking would make the rest of the day a breeze.
With this said, I do 4 tasks:
- Meditation
- Journaling
- Writing
- Reading
At first, I only journaled and read, which means I’ve expanded my list.
That’s the beauty of a morning routine — leveling yourself up until you can handle more.
Looking back at how I used to journal 3 sentences and read 3 pages compared to what I do now:
- Meditate 10 minutes
- Journal a page
- Write a page
- Read 10 minutes
Makes me proud of myself. What we must realize is that anyone can do this. I wasn’t born with the discipline and time management to do this every day. I developed these skills.
All it takes is determination over time.
The Results
With hard work that nobody wants to do comes great rewards.
You’re bound to surpass your competition by utilizing the morning to your advantage.
You set a productive and positive tone to your day, whilst your peers set their tone by immediately grabbing the nearest technological device.
It’s like running a 100-meter dash: the better the start, the quicker and better the finish.
Attacking the morning isn’t just about the work, but about what doing this hard work does for the mind.
With many of the hard things we do:
- Workout
- Study
- Work
We obsess over the physical benefits:
- The physique
- The grades
- The money
People must realize that the best benefit of doing hard work is the mental gains.
The mind is the most powerful tool you have, and it’s with you at all times.
It will either manipulate you, or you will manipulate it.
Attacking the morning will grant you the mental strength (discipline, focus, commitment) that this distractive world needs.
I’d much rather have a strong mind than a strong body. Your mind makes the body.
It also makes the grades you want.
It finds the partner you desire.
And anything really, as long as you’re willing to treat it well.
Conclusion
People wonder:
What’s the easiest and quickest way to become better than everyone?
People who search for shortcuts are one of two things: smart or weak.
Most of the time, these people are weak. They’re the ones who go on YouTube to search “how to get a six-pack in 5 minutes, easy”.
Truly strong people seek the more demanding path in life, even when they don’t have to, and nobody knows what the hell they’re doing.
While it will take some time, attacking the morning whilst everyone else is asleep is the best path to surpass your peers.
If forges you into the person you want to be.
Start doing it.
Thanks for reading.
I’ll see you in the next article.
