MAKE
IT A GOOD MORNING
Can
maxing your mornings make you happy and successful?
Actor
Akshay’s Kumar’s success has been credited to sundry factors, including his
recently discovered comic timing and long known affinity for action. But if
Philadelphia-based career expert and author of What The Most Successful People
Do Before Breakfast, Laura Vanderkam were asked the reason, she’d add ‘he makes
the most of the a.m. hours’ to the list. Time management experts believe that
mornings hold the key to stable schedules, and using them wisely can lead to
happier, more productive days. Vanderkam, who researched people on how they
spend their precious morning minutes, found that the most successful people
were those who devoted time in the morning to “things or people that they
loved”. In her book, she exhorts the importance of doing things that you “want
to do, not things that you have to do”. Studies have shown that early risers
are more likely to be optimistic, perform better and draw higher wages.
Research has also correlated larks with character traits like optimism,
stability and conscientiousness. And while owls are linked with greater levels
of creativity and intelligence, they are more likely to exhibit pessimism,
depression and neurotic behaviour. Clearly, the old proverb holds: Early to
bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.
WHY THE FIRST HALF?
So, why are mornings such a great time to do things? Human willpower and motivation are at their strongest then. You are mentally at your sharpest and less likely to be interrupted than later in the day, say experts. Starting on a winning note can ensure you build on that momentum all day long.
One of the world’s leading time management experts, Dallas-based Peter Turla agrees that mornings work best for busy people, because “the day is a blank slate then”. “You can plan, control and focus on things that are important to you. Later in the day, you may be forced to work on things as they come up,” he says in an email interview to Mirror.
But how does one successfully balance a chaotic morning schedule with seemingly impossible personal goals?
WHY THE FIRST HALF?
So, why are mornings such a great time to do things? Human willpower and motivation are at their strongest then. You are mentally at your sharpest and less likely to be interrupted than later in the day, say experts. Starting on a winning note can ensure you build on that momentum all day long.
One of the world’s leading time management experts, Dallas-based Peter Turla agrees that mornings work best for busy people, because “the day is a blank slate then”. “You can plan, control and focus on things that are important to you. Later in the day, you may be forced to work on things as they come up,” he says in an email interview to Mirror.
But how does one successfully balance a chaotic morning schedule with seemingly impossible personal goals?
FIRST THINGS FIRST: Mornings are a great time to devote to things that are of
utmost importance to you — whether it’s exercise, hobbies or family time.
Vanderkam, in her book, writes that she found that busy and productive people
had figured out that if they wanted something, they had to make it first
priority. Figure out what will make your morning perfect and focus on that
before the phones start ring- ing, emails start pouring in and the help knocks
at your door. Take control of the time that is solely yours to ensure a
successful morning.
Peggy Duncan, international personal productivity expert and author of the Time Management Memory Jogger, says, “People are different and so are their needs. What works for one won’t work for another. You have to first decide what you want to get done, when it needs to be done, and how all that fits into your schedule.”
PLAN YOUR TIME: It’s important to make time tangible because it moves so fast and seems so amorphous. Most time management experts exhort planning for the next day before you turn in. “This allows you to get off to an easier, swifter start the next morning since you’ve already figured out part of what needs to get done,” Turla says. He advocates the 5P planning programme — Proper Planning Provides Peak Performance — and suggests that you plan ahead to take advantage of the time when you are “mentally sharpest”. Jot down what you would like to do to make it a happy morning — it could be meditation three days a week, exercise twice a week, and a creative class twice a week. “Plan things to take advantage of your brain power and creativity. You may also want to use that time for exercising so that you’ll have a bankable energy reserve for the rest of the day,” Turla says.
AN EARLY START: What you do between 6 am and 8.30 am — the time most people have at home in the mornings — is crucial to your success. The earlier you start, the better. Go to bed 15 minutes earlier, and wake up 15 minutes earlier for a few days. “If your mornings give you a sense of accomplishment, you’ve started your day on a happy note. It may seem tough, but after a couple of months, busy mornings will become part of a happy routine,” says Mumbai-based Suhail Gupta, consultant at Idea Management. Remember that slow-start mornings may mean that you are not getting enough sleep. “All happy and successful mornings have their foundation in a good night’s sleep,” Turla adds.
A GOOD BEGINNING: A positive start sets a positive tone for the day. A good morning routine can set you up for increased productivity. Do something that you’ve always wanted to do but haven’t found time for. And while it is true that there are ‘morning larks’ and ‘night owls’, a majority of us sit in the middle. “We can easily reset the body clock; it’s extremely adaptable,” says Soumya Tripathi, a Delhi-based advertising executive. Tripathi, who thought of herself as a ‘night person’, finds herself able to manage her day better by “crossing over to the other side”. “I realise that the hour before I leave for work is precious. I now choose to use it, and with my exercise routine regular, I am fitter than I have ever been,” she says.
WHAT YOU WANT: You could choose to spend your precious a.m. minutes on self-enrichment (prayer, meditation, exercise), family time (breakfast, an art project with the kids), me time (painting, photography, scrapbooking, writing, reading) or professional growth (strategising, organising, update your knowledge or taking an online class). Focus on one new habit/ritual at a time — an ideal morning may involve exercise, prayer and spending time with your partner, but make any one of these a habit before you start on the other. “I feel mornings are the best time to exercise. This helps you be fully awake and alert, and gets the adrenaline flowing,” Gupta says. Applaud and reward consistent good behaviour. Feel free to indulge yourself at times if you have been sticking to your schedule with a few extra snooze minutes.
The best thing about mornings? They offer us the chance to make a new start, and do things differently every day.
RISE EARLY, BE HAPPY
Morning people aren’t only happier in the morning; often, they are the ones who report more content with life. A study published in the May 2012 issue of Emotion found that ‘morningness’ was associated with greater happiness emotions in both age groups. Study author Renee Biss, a psychology researcher at the University of Toronto, said being a morning person was associated with “feelings of happiness, liveliness, cheerfulness, and alertness.” The research also showed that evening people often find themselves suffering social jet lag as their “biological clock is out of sync with the social one”.
Peggy Duncan, international personal productivity expert and author of the Time Management Memory Jogger, says, “People are different and so are their needs. What works for one won’t work for another. You have to first decide what you want to get done, when it needs to be done, and how all that fits into your schedule.”
PLAN YOUR TIME: It’s important to make time tangible because it moves so fast and seems so amorphous. Most time management experts exhort planning for the next day before you turn in. “This allows you to get off to an easier, swifter start the next morning since you’ve already figured out part of what needs to get done,” Turla says. He advocates the 5P planning programme — Proper Planning Provides Peak Performance — and suggests that you plan ahead to take advantage of the time when you are “mentally sharpest”. Jot down what you would like to do to make it a happy morning — it could be meditation three days a week, exercise twice a week, and a creative class twice a week. “Plan things to take advantage of your brain power and creativity. You may also want to use that time for exercising so that you’ll have a bankable energy reserve for the rest of the day,” Turla says.
AN EARLY START: What you do between 6 am and 8.30 am — the time most people have at home in the mornings — is crucial to your success. The earlier you start, the better. Go to bed 15 minutes earlier, and wake up 15 minutes earlier for a few days. “If your mornings give you a sense of accomplishment, you’ve started your day on a happy note. It may seem tough, but after a couple of months, busy mornings will become part of a happy routine,” says Mumbai-based Suhail Gupta, consultant at Idea Management. Remember that slow-start mornings may mean that you are not getting enough sleep. “All happy and successful mornings have their foundation in a good night’s sleep,” Turla adds.
A GOOD BEGINNING: A positive start sets a positive tone for the day. A good morning routine can set you up for increased productivity. Do something that you’ve always wanted to do but haven’t found time for. And while it is true that there are ‘morning larks’ and ‘night owls’, a majority of us sit in the middle. “We can easily reset the body clock; it’s extremely adaptable,” says Soumya Tripathi, a Delhi-based advertising executive. Tripathi, who thought of herself as a ‘night person’, finds herself able to manage her day better by “crossing over to the other side”. “I realise that the hour before I leave for work is precious. I now choose to use it, and with my exercise routine regular, I am fitter than I have ever been,” she says.
WHAT YOU WANT: You could choose to spend your precious a.m. minutes on self-enrichment (prayer, meditation, exercise), family time (breakfast, an art project with the kids), me time (painting, photography, scrapbooking, writing, reading) or professional growth (strategising, organising, update your knowledge or taking an online class). Focus on one new habit/ritual at a time — an ideal morning may involve exercise, prayer and spending time with your partner, but make any one of these a habit before you start on the other. “I feel mornings are the best time to exercise. This helps you be fully awake and alert, and gets the adrenaline flowing,” Gupta says. Applaud and reward consistent good behaviour. Feel free to indulge yourself at times if you have been sticking to your schedule with a few extra snooze minutes.
The best thing about mornings? They offer us the chance to make a new start, and do things differently every day.
RISE EARLY, BE HAPPY
Morning people aren’t only happier in the morning; often, they are the ones who report more content with life. A study published in the May 2012 issue of Emotion found that ‘morningness’ was associated with greater happiness emotions in both age groups. Study author Renee Biss, a psychology researcher at the University of Toronto, said being a morning person was associated with “feelings of happiness, liveliness, cheerfulness, and alertness.” The research also showed that evening people often find themselves suffering social jet lag as their “biological clock is out of sync with the social one”.
Teja
Lele Desai MM130319
No comments:
Post a Comment