The Experiment That Changed My Life
Question:
Does the way we start our morning have a lasting effect on the rest of our day, and consequently the quality of our lives?
Hypothesis:
If we consciously choose how we’d like to enter the world each day, rather than letting the world choose for us, we can significantly improve the quality of our lives.
Experiment:
Start the next 30 days with a morning routine, that I prioritize over everything else… including work. That means if I don’t wake up with enough time for my routine, I’ll be late to wherever I need to be. Here is my routine:
- Wake up 2 hours before I need to leave my apartment
- Brush my teeth and make tea — 15 minutes
- Meditate — 20 minutes
Until now, I have not looked at any screens — including phone
- Journal how I’m feeling, and how I’d like my day to go — 5 minutes
- Journal at least one thing I’m grateful for in my life — 5 minutes
- Read The Skimm to get a quick update on world events — 5 minutes
- Eat breakfast, usually cereal and/or avocado toast — 15 minutes
- Take a shower and get ready… leisurely — 30 minutes
- Free time to do anything I want — 25 minutes
- Leave my apartment
Analysis:
As I write this, I’m on day 14 of the experiment. I’ve noticed such drastic improvements in my quality of life that there isn’t any need for me personally to continue “experimenting” with this concept… it’s simply something I’m going to do for the rest of my life. The first few days were tough, as I really love sleeping and waking up 2 hours ahead of time seemed “wasteful”. However, after a few days I realized that a big part of our daily energy levels are actually tied to how we feel when we leave the house in the morning. Even if I woke up somewhat tired, by the end of the 2 hour routine I was energized and excited about starting my day. This feeling carried through to my work and relationships.
The biggest benefit I’ve received is an unwavering sense of calm. Before starting this experiment, I used to wake up and immediately check Instagram. After being flooded with mostly useless information (don’t get me wrong… I love IG), my brain was in overdrive. I’d then immediately check Slack, our internal messaging tool at TINT, and then promptly check my email. I did all of this before even getting out of bed most of the time. This information overload didn’t allow me any time to take stock of how I was feeling that day, how I wanted my day to go, or to just be grateful that I’m alive and healthy. Looking back reflectively, this is probably the worst way to wake up I can imagine. However, at the time I was on autopilot and never really questioned it.
Conclusion:
Setting a morning routine, and consciously deciding how we’d like to enter the world each morning, drastically improves our quality of life. You can use my routine as a starting template, however I suggest that you find what works for you personally. Try committing to it for 30 days, it’s a good time to try something new as we’re ringing in the New Year.
P.S. Thanks for reading and Merry Christmas! If you liked this post, I’d really appreciate if you recommend it (by clicking the❤ button below) so that others can have a look.
