What You Do in the Morning Does Have an Effect on Your Career—But Not in the Way You Think
The Internet is inundated with think pieces entitled “Here’s What Successful
People Do in the Morning” or “What You Should Do Before You Start Your
Day in Order to Be Successful.” These well-meaning articles often include
waking up at 3:00 a.m. to get work done or doing a full hour of yoga at
dawn, and imply that you need to be doing these same things order to
generate success for yourself.
In all honesty, waking up in the middle of the night to work sounds
miserable to me, and frankly, I’d be ready for a nap around 8:00 a.m.,
which would then put me behind for the rest of the day. And if you have
small children, you have even less time to get yourself awake and out of the
house in the morning than the average person, and taking time for yoga
probably doesn’t fit into that picture.
What these think pieces forget to mention, is that the schedules of the
successful people that they chronicle were crafted to fit that person at this
particular time in their life. The point isn’t meant to be about the specifics of
what they do to get a head start on the day; it’s that they’ve found what
works for them. And so should you. By doing what works for you in the
morning, you are setting yourself up for a productive day, even if that is
nothing more than drinking a good cup of coffee, taking a hot shower, and
getting dressed. If you try to adjust your routine in a way that doesn’t suit
you, you are actually throwing your attitude and energy off for the rest of
the day because you haven’t gotten an ideal start.
Personally, I keep it simple. I like to take the time to do my hair and
makeup (I find that I am much more ready to take on the day when I feel
good about how I present myself). Sometimes I listen to music or a podcast
while I am getting ready, but most often, I enjoy the sound of silence before
the day gets busy. After that, I spend a few minutes reading my favorite
morning e-newsletters over a cup of coffee. And that’s it—it’s simple and
effective for me.
If you like to get a workout in first thing—more power to you! If that sounds
crazy and exhausting to you, don’t do it. Find what makes your morning
most pleasant; by hanging on to the idea that you have to have a set
routine because that’s what people who are successful and powerful do, you
are setting yourself up to fail because it won’t be enjoyable or useful to you.
Your success isn’t tied to a specific activity or routine, but rather your work
ethic, your attitude, and willingness to learn. So don’t read too much into
the hype of articles that imply that you need to get a whole day’s worth of achievements in before 7:00 a.m.
By all means, if you are looking for inspiration for a new way to structure your morning and find something that you’d like to try, go for it! But don’t feel compelled to stick with it if it doesn’t work out. Mornings should be all about you; you have the rest of the day to take on the world.
How do you like to start your day? Tell us in the comments below or on our
social media!
