Stop These 7 Toxic Morning Habits to Unleash Your Full Potential
Start your day right: break free from these 7 negative patterns and transform your life
We are the sum of our habits.
Real change comes from the combination of many almost imperceptible improvements.
Even if a single drop of water seems insignificant, over time it can hollow out a rock.
But improvements come from action, not knowledge.
So, I will provide you:
- an actionable step at the end of each paragraph.
- a complete checklist of all the actionable steps, at the end of the article.
- an advice on how to sustain these practices over the long term, at the end of the article too.
By integrating these 7 actionables into my life I was able to experience the true power of habits.
Achieving deep and lasting transformation.
But I made a big mistake.
I focused only on the “positive” habits and completely neglected the “negative” ones.
I was trying to start a car with the emergency brake on.
So, in addition to discussing positive habits, I’m going to focus on some negative actions, that we all unconsciously do in the morning and are ruining us.
POSTPONE
To wake us up from deep sleep, our bodies use the stress hormone: cortisol.
The same one that “uses” caffeine to give us a boost after we ingest it.
In the early morning, the levels of this hormone in our bodies are high because we have just woken up.
So you can see why drinking coffee is counterproductive.
In fact, caffeine significantly increases cortisol levels, keeping them elevated throughout the day and contributing to an increased state of constant stress.
Several studies show that cortisol levels return to “normal” naturally (without the action of external agents such as caffeine) about 90–120 minutes after waking up.
It is easy to deduce the optimal time to start taking caffeine during the day!
As→ delay coffee for 90–120 minutes after waking up
PREVENT
When we wake up, our brains are extremely vulnerable.
In fact, it has not evolved with the times; it is still “prehistoric”.
It needs a period of time that I call activation time.
It has been scientifically proven that during the first 30–45 minutes of the day, our mind, based on the news it receives, significantly conditions the mood for the entire day.
News + = Mood +. News — = mood -.
But these long-term equations are unsustainable.
In fact, we cannot rely so much on external inputs, especially if we tend to remember more negative things (negativity bias).
We must therefore try to minimize the information we receive as soon as we wake up.
One of the main carriers of news today is our smartphone. We are constantly bombarded with notifications, likes, messages, news, etc.
Who among us unconsciously looks at it as soon as you wake up?
Who is aware of the damage you are doing to your day?
Now EVERYONE.
The solution is to absolutely not look at our phones until the activation time has passed.
This will have a number of benefits:
- Preventing negative moods
- resulting in more daily energy.
- protection of the retina from blue light
- crossing activation threshold unharmed
AS → Do not look at your phone for the first 30–45 minutes of the day.
DISCONNECT
Having illustrated the pitfalls of our phones, I would like to offer a bonus advice for those who are more determined on the path of personal growth.
The real challenge is to avoid looking at your phone all morning.
The goal here, more than mood protection (obviously essential), is mental energy.
As precious as it is depletable.
In fact, our brains have an extremely limited daily supply of decision-making, concentration, self-discipline, motivational energy…
Looking at your phone is like committing suicide.
In fact, because our brains are prehistoric and the telephone is relatively “new,” the mental energies we use to type on the keyboard are far greater than those we think and perceive.
The choice is ours: to waste ¾ of our lives behind a screen, or to invest all our energy in creating the future we want.
As→ Airplane mode until after lunch
KEEP IT SIMPLE
How many actions do you take in the morning before you start work?
Have you ever stopped to think about it?
One of the most underestimated things, by everyone, is the time it takes to get from the sound of the alarm clock to work.
As we all know, the peak of mental energy is in the morning.
To waste it is to defeat yourself.
Some of you will say:
“I don’t waste it!”
“But how can I… I work far away, it’s been a long time since I arrived…”
The actionable step in this case is simple and adaptable to any context and situation.
If you work far away, it will be valid for when you get there, if you already think you are not wasting them, good for you.
As→ maximum 3–4 steps before deep work
MILITARY AWAKENING
Who has ever heard of this?
One of the best militar invention.
The solution to one of the biggest problems in the morning: getting out of bed.
EVERYONE has heard the alarm clock, turned it off, gone back to sleep and felt guilty, right?
The military alarm clock is by far the most effective method of waking up that I have ever experienced.
It consists of getting up as soon as you hear the alarm go off (and this is the key point).
If you have serious difficulties in leaving the warmth of the blankets, the solution is already thought of: take a maximum of 5 long deep breaths and then get up.
Just as the military avoids punishment for being late, we can avoid wasting a lot of time and feeling guilty by getting up immediately.
As 1→ Get out of bed immediately.
As 1.1→ take 5 deep breaths and get out of bed immediately.
DRINK
We are 70–80% water.
Yet too little is said about the importance of staying hydrated throughout the day.
Even less is said about the importance of drinking water early in the morning.
During the night, our body loses a lot of fluid through perspiration.
Who replenishes them in the morning?
NOBODY, perhaps very few.
Proper hydration has extraordinary benefits:
- Optimal brain function (concentration, memory, alertness…)
- Mood regulation (dehydration = irritability)
- Improved sleep
- Reduction of fatigue symptoms (dehydration = fatigue)
- Metabolism control (weight loss and muscle efficiency)
And much more…
This actionable step is affordable for everyone, given its importance, but very effective.
As → drink 1 litre of water at breakfast
THINK POSITIVE
Not long ago, a study was done on the top 25 tennis players in the world.
Do you know what the main difference was between the top 5 in the world and the other 20?
Technique? No. Physique? No. Training? No. Coach? No. Diet? No.
The study found that the main difference between the top 5 and the others was:
their thoughts
In the games analysed, the best players communicated positive thoughts after each point, while the others tended to focus on negative thoughts.
“I will win the next point…”
“I am strong and fit….”
“Now I can dominate my opponent….”
This habit ensured that they arrived at the end of the match with more energy and mental freshness.
In fact, it is well known that negative thoughts “eat up” physical and mental energy, while positive thoughts protect it.
Sure, we may not be among the top 5 tennis players in the world, but this lesson is important:
What we think unconsciously has a huge impact on our energies.
Now that we know this, it would be foolish not to take advantage of it…
As→ Read 3 to 5 positive thoughts in the morning
As 2 → Give thanks for 3 things before you go to bed.
Thank you for reading my story to the end!
Remember, these are all habits that take very little time, but it is important to be consistent.
The trick is to associate each habit with a specific place, time and action where it is easiest to do it in the morning.
For example: I drink water in the kitchen in the morning before I eat biscuits.
By doing this, you will be able to maintain all these small actions in the long run and improve your life!
Now here is the checklist with all the different actionable steps you can take.
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I would like to leave you with a small but meaningful action.
Comment with:
#betherevolutionyouseek💪🏼.
Prove to yourself that you can take action, even if as simple as this.
Then, start doing this 7 habits.
Remember: Act now, revolutionize tomorrow.
