If you struggle with getting up in the morning and attacking the day in pursuit of your goals, ask yourself whether you have demonstrated sufficient discipline in your preparation. Being well-rested and prepared is one of the central ingredients to a high level of productivity.
Your success with the day ahead is often determined by the progress and the discipline of preparation on the night prior. This is because if you wait until the morning of, you are much more likely to be affected by time pressure and distractions that inevitably arise over the course of the day. By knowing what you have to do ahead of time, and by preparing all of the necessary tools and components that are to be used in executing those tasks, you overcome the hurdle of preparation early, leaving your energy and mind free to tackle the steps that count.
For instance, every builder knows that selecting the right materials and getting them to the job site is the most difficult part of any construction project. Once everything is in place, the actual execution of building the structure is fun and rewarding. By contrast, if the materials are scattered, misplaced, or missing, a simple job can become a nightmare for even the most experienced professional.
Most people believe that being successful means getting up before sunrise and pushing through adversity and unpleasantness to accomplish a goal. Successful people, on the other hand, know that while perseverance is important, clarity of purpose and simplicity are the key components of discipline that make it possible to get it done.
Try the following simple steps to create the optimum conditions that will allow you to be the best you can be every morning.
- Set the evening alarm for whatever time is appropriate (in the evening), leaving yourself sufficient time to go through your preparation routine (gauge by experience).
- At that time, organize your workspace. A clean and organized workspace is the single most critical ingredient to guard against disruptive thoughts, tasks, and interruptions.
- Create or update your to-do list for the next day.
- Prepare all the components that are to be used the next day:
- Layout the clothes you will wear;
- Prepare your lunch,
- Ready whatever tools you use the next day (Computers, phones, tools, equipment, literature, research materials, etc).
- Reflect on the progress of the day and draw the appropriate conclusions about what was done right or what could have been done differently. This is best done on paper in a designated place. By keeping track of your day’s progress, you learn to keep yourself accountable for the progress you make during the day. Furthermore, it forces you to keep yourself focused on objective results, rather than on the amount of time you spend doing any particular thing. Lastly, it creates a written record that can be referenced for motivation if need be. An added bonus is that it creates a nice way to track the development of your goals and progress.
- Create a compelling vision for tomorrow. Polarize the day’s progress with the bigger perspective of what you’re trying to accomplish. Spend 10 to 20 minutes getting clear on exactly how the things you are doing are moving you in the right direction. Try to generate excitement within yourself about the prospect of doing the things you’ve outlined for tomorrow.
