You know Benjamin Spall, of course.
Spall is the co-author of "My Morning Routine: How Successful People Start Every Day Inspired." He is also the author of a recent and super-useful contribution to the Smarter Living section of The New York Times — "5 Common Morning Routines of High Achievers."
It took a lot of sleepless nights for Spall to become a master of mornings. As he explains, "Over the past five years I've interviewed more than 300 successful people about their morning routines."
It's an intriguing claim, but I'm not buying it. Though the author insists he has interviewed "business leaders and university presidents to Olympians, fashion models and artists," he never contacted you or me. And as anyone who saw you strut your stuff on the runway at the latest Dolce & Gabbana show knows, your morning routine is paying off, big time.
For the record, here are the five morning routines that successful people are using to become even more successful.
1. Experiment with your wake-up time.
Though the average successful wake-up time is 6:27 a.m., high achievers like thee and me experiment on when they greet the day. If you wake up at, say, 6:28 a.m., and get to work four minutes early, you will experiment endlessly to learn the exact time you have to wake up to get to work right when the morning whistle blows. (Including time to remove your jam-jams is optional.)
2. Make time for whatever energizes you.
"Most successful people," Benjamin Spall writes, "carve out time in their morning to commit to things that make them feel relaxed, energized and motivated."
For successaholics, this means "working out, reading, meditating, or just spending time with loved ones." In your case, we can certainly ignore working out, though your ability to power lift a knife and fork is impressive. Reading is already a morning must-do. I know you read and re-read my columns every morning. It takes constant study to get the depth of meaning that you will find in every fart joke.
Meditating, of course, is for suckers, and as for spending time with loved ones, that would involve a lot of staring into a mirror, though your pet marmoset is always receptive for attention.
Author Marie Kondo, whose book, "The Life-Changing Magic if Tidying Up" has inspired so many of us to take out the empty pizza boxes before they reach the ceiling, opens the windows the moment she gets up. This strikes me as a risky move. There's air on the other side of those windows, and it could get into your lungs.
If you have to open something, open the door to the refrigerator.
3. Get enough sleep.
This is advice that is easy to give and impossible to follow. We're living in the golden age of TV, and with reruns of "Cheaters" on at 3 a.m., who's going to sleep?
If you do want to monitor your sleep, ignore the advice of so-called experts who say that "most people require seven to nine hours a sleep at night." The minimum a high-functioning slacker like you requires is 12 to 14 hours. This explains why it is essential for you to sleep at work. It's the only way to ensure that your sensitive metabolism comes to life at noon, when you can deliver as much as fifteen-minutes of peak performance.
4. Adjust your routine to different situations.
Whether you are visiting clients in far-off lands, or visiting the folks back home, our author suggests you need to have "a travel-ready routine that is always there when you need it."
"If you're stuck in your hotel room with few options for breakfast," Spall writes, "consider finding the closest grocery store to piece together something loosely resembling your favorite at-home breakfast."
Or simply carry your breakfast with you. Sure, it can cause problems going through the TSA lines after you've packed your waffle iron, your juicer and your microwave, but it will all be worth it when you open wake up in your hotel room and make yourself a full lumberjack's feast, before heading downstairs for breakfast.
5. Don't beat yourself up.
Successful people don't abandon their morning routine over "one, two or even three missed days." I think you should have the same attitude. After all, you've missed your morning routine for so long you've forgotten what it is, but I can help.
The minute you wake up, sit up, rub your little eyes with your little fists, and go back to sleep.
Bob Goldman was an advertising executive at a Fortune 500 company, but he finally wised up and opened Bob Goldman Financial Planning in Sausalito, California. He now works out of Bellingham, Washington. He offers a virtual shoulder to cry on at bob@bgplanning.com. To find out more about Bob Goldman, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.
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