Something which I have always struggled with was getting up and going first thing in the morning and for as long as I can remember it has taken me a while to ease into the day. This has its pros and cons but personally I have always preferred the idea of just getting up and taking ownership of the day from the word go. At the beginning of this year I watched an interview with the brilliant TV writer Roger Wolfson who was talking about this very thing and there were some tips on exactly how to get started with your day, I tried some out and these were the ones which worked for me.
Get Up Earlier
One of the best pieces of wisdom which I have heard is that an hour before 9 is worth 2 afterwards, and that is absolutely right. When you get up early you feel as though you have a jump on the day and on everyone else. Get up at 6 or 7 and attack the day, by the time 9 comes you’ll be in a great position.
Make Your Bed
I have to be honest I didn’t really think much about this one when I heard it but many people will tell you that the important thing to do when you get up is to make your bed. This is something which has come from the military. The idea is that you have completed your first task of the day, you have closed off the chance of going back to bed and that you are now ready for the day. Despite my suspicions, they were absolutely right and this is a great way to kick start your day.
Eat The Frog
There is a famous book that was written called Eat the Frog, the premise was based on the Mark Twain quote which talks about how nothing worse can happen to you after eating a frog for breakfast. The point here is to tackle the worst thing that you have to do this day, and tackle it before everything else. Once you have eaten the proverbial frog, your day is going to look a great deal better.
Stretch
Some people prefer to exercise at night, others like to do so in the morning and that is completely up to you. A great idea however is to pay attention to what dogs do when they first stir, and that is to have a good stretch. There are some great videos on YouTube which you can find that will take you through great stretching exercises and these will seriously help you to feel ready for the day. When you are supple and flexible you really do feel in a better position to attack the day and get started on everything that you have to do.
Get up early, make your bed, stretch and tackle the worst of your day first.