Research shows that your willpower, energy, and mental focus are at their highest levels first thing in the morning. If we want to be more productive, we need to maximize our mornings. We can do this by 1. setting a morning routine or 2. following the 90/90/1 rule.
At the beginning of the day, we all have a natural tendency to run on autopilot. We get up, brush our teeth, shower, eat breakfast, and go to class or work. Everyone has a morning ritual, whether they’re conscious of it or not. The key is to be intentional about that ritual.
A healthy morning routine looks different for each individual. For some, it may mean getting up at 8 o’clock, taking a walk, journaling, or reading an inspirational book. For others, a healthy routine may consist of hitting the gym, setting their schedule for the day, and knocking the important tasks off their to-do lists. The goal is to find habits that align with your goals and incorporate them into your routine.
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A healthy morning routine sets the tone for how your day will go. When you are able to start your day with purpose and direction, you feel more confident and in control throughout the day.
Another way to maximize your mornings is to follow the 90/90/1 rule. Robin Sharma, one of the world’s top leadership experts, recommends that you “look at what the 95% is doing and do the opposite.” 95% of the population are distracted. Instead of using our platinum hours to do our most valuable activities, we are using that time to mindlessly scroll through Instagram or binge-watch Netflix. These things were made to distract us and reel us in. We have to be intentional about unplugging from technology and plugging into our purpose.
Sharma created “The 90/90/1 Rule”: for the next 90 days, for the first 90 minutes of each day, focus entirely on your most valuable project, then you will become exponentially productive.
Sharma suggests turning off your devices and making post-it reminders to help you transition into a state of complete focus. Many of us struggle because we are focused on quantity over quality. We would rather work distractedly on multiple things and produce at a mediocre level, than focus on one thing and get it done very well. We are a generation of multi-taskers and we have the false illusion that busyness equates to productivity However, oftentimes, less is more; when we do less at a time, we can get more done.
Creating a morning routine and/or following The 90/90/1 Rule is not going to come naturally. At first, you may get distracted or fall back on your current habits, but I definitely encourage you to challenge yourself and give it a try. If you genuinely want to produce at your highest potential, the discipline is so worth it.