We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. Aristotle
I recently perused a spectacle book, #MaxOut your life: strategies for becoming an elite performer, by an elite performer, Ed Mylett, and I learnt a whole lot of strategies which I already started implementing in my life some of which I’m reinforcing as well. In the second chapter, Maxout your day: Habits and Rituals of Elite Performers, Ed laid out his daily elite routines which I’ll be sharing in this article. But before that, here’s an excerpt teasers from that chapter which stuck a cord in me…
“Habits and rituals are what carry us through on the days when we aren’t motivated… Extraordinary habits are what allow people to perform at an elite level, even on the days they are not motivated.”
Now that’s profound! I have learnt that successful people form successful habits that keep them on course. Like they say, you make your habits and your habits make you.
That said, here are daily routines which elite, top performers do to start and end their day.
1. Get up early
“Success demands that you rise before the sun”, says Ed. When you wake up late you will be tempted to play the “catching up” game which isn’t a great way to begin your day. Get enough sleep so you feel active and
well rested in the morning to leave that cozy bed. Get up and go attack the day that’s in front of you! There’re great doors of opportunity ahead.
2. Hydrate
Drink a liter of water (you can have it set the night before) to keep you from dehydration which could limit your performance in the morning and possibly cause other adverse effects. Most times the feeling of grogginess in the morning comes not from insufficient sleep but rather a need for water in the body.
3. Cold morning
Expose your body to something cold to trigger the flight and fight response system in your body; this will help smack any residual sleepiness in your system and get you fully awakened. This cold exposure could be taking a cold shower, diving into a cool pool (just briefly so you don’t catch cold), or just splashing cold water on your sleepy face. The idea is to get your alert and active to face the day.
4. Do quick breathing and stretching exercises
These exercises, especially the breathing one, will generate an influx of hyper-oxygenated blood to bathe your brain which will get your more energized, active and alert to take on the day. The stretching exercise will help loosen any tightness or rigidity in your muscles/joints especially if you lift weights.
5. A few minutes of quiet
Spend some time in purposeful silence praying, meditating, or whatever mindfulness practice you do. Someone once said that you can learn more in an hour of silence than you can in a year from books. (This isn’t to say you should spend an hour though.) It is a period you devote to reflection, gratitude, and mental clarity and focus to set you up for a great day.
6. Get your thoughts set for the day
The first thought in your mind at the beginning of the day determines the course of your day. So, it’s imperative that you spend some time to dwell on positive thoughts and NOT negative ones. You can do so by asking yourself :
- What am I happy, excited , proud, grateful about and how does it make me feel?
- What am I enjoying most and how does that make me feel?
- What am I committed to and how does that make me feel?
- Who do I love an how does that make me feel?
Asking yourself questions like these will help raise your attitude and keep your positive to face the day.
7. Work out
Engage in any form of aerobic exercise e.g. walking, jogging, swimming, biking, etc . Taking part in activities like these triggers the rush of endorphins in your system that give you this feeling of physical high and elation which is the best way to feel starting your day.
The idea here is to make this a habit and so to commit to a lifetime of fitness.
8. Eat
Having a nourishing breakfast will give you energy to get going on your day. As you eat you can check your email, or listen to an inspirational/instructive material.
(You repeat these same actions again and again until they become ingrained in you. Now, here are actions before bed time.)
9. Warm night
Have a warm shower, bath to relax your body and signal to it that it’s time for rest. And get the temperature in the room to an optimal state for repose.
10. Wind down
In order to get quality sleep, it’s helpful to refrain from caffeine and heavy food couple hours before bed (to get your digestive system to wind down and to keep out additional calories right before your sleep off). Staying away from your phone, computer, T.V. will also help boost sleep quality as it’s been proven that blue-light from the screens can affect sleep patterns.
Spend some time preparing for the next day – writing down/reviewing your goals , setting out your clothes, etc. (some people’d rather do this in the morning which also would work).
It also helps to assess your day and reflect on your accomplishments, considering what you learned, how much value you provided to people (John Maxwell is a big fan of this one) and what you’re grateful for .
These are handy routines which you can begin implementing ASAP to see massive results in your life.
So, what routines have helped you to #Maxout your day so far?
To your elite performance !!