Having difficulty in creating masterpiece days everyday? Read this.
My framework for creating consistency
Hello friend! đ
Welcome to this weekâs Super Sunday newsletter.
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For this weekâs post I wanted to tap into a problem Iâve struggled with for a long time until I followed a system that helped me move from being reactive to proactive.
We all know what we want to do (or at least have some idea about it), but many of us rarely get to do it consistently; the secret ingredient to creating meaningful impact.
To live the life we desire, and take lead in creating the life we want, we can massively increase the odds of succeeding by taking it one day at a time.
Creating a masterpiece life, one masterpiece day at a time.
Easier said than done, and todayâs post is focused on that.
Letâs dive straight in!
The day starts the night before
Having this insight has been one of the most impactful interventions that helped me create masterpiece days.
How you end your evening has a direct implication on how you start your next day.
Why?
Because quality sleep is the ultimate act of recovery you have. Period.
You already know that - when you have a good nightâs sleep, your mood in the morning is at its best.
But not only is your mood better; your willpower is higher, your optimism peaks, and youâre more likely to make good than bad decisions.
Compare that with a bad nightâs sleep where the energy in the morning is low, motivation for doing anything that requires effort dips, and the overall outlook for âquality of lifeâ is compromised.
This is why if you wish for a masterpiece day, it is crucial that you start prepping for it the night before.
This means a supportive and healthy bedtime hygiene:
Electronics (TV, social media, etcâŠ) switched off 1 hour ahead of bedtime
Not engaging in demanding acts or conversations (emotionally or mentally)
Engaging with something that you consider as self-care (shower, bath, reading your favorite book, etcâŠ)
Preventing any blue-light exposure in order to maintain melatonin production (blue-light sources are usually screens, but can be from other sources like a bright light)
Factoring in the time needed in bed for a full recovery and aiming for that
PS. If having kids is getting in the way, see if you can follow their cycle, it is usually healthier than yours. đ
Plan the day based on the anticipated circumstances of that day
When youâre up in the morning, you have an empty canvas on which you can draw how the day can go.
Either you plan for whatâs important for you, or someone elseâs important agenda will take over your day.
The hard truth is if youâre not putting effort in planning YOUR best day, then youâll put effort in helping someone else live THEIR best day.
We all have priorities that fill up our schedule.
However, that doesnât mean we have to give up everything in the process.
The first thing I do every morning is open up my journal and check in with myself:
Reminder about the habits I am trying to build (these change as I learn about new ways of being more effective)
Activate my best identity in my Self, Purpose, and Relationship
Pre-commit to the acts I will do today that bring that best identity to life, within the constraints of the day
Working with the above gives me the flexibility to design my day as needed, without having to give up what is important for me.
This gives me back control of my day.
If my day is jam packed with priorities then the acts will have to be adjusted accordingly;
5 min workout instead of 45 mins.
5 min meditation instead of 30 mins.
15 min deep work session instead of 90 mins.
Flexibility is the hallmark of effective living.
Guard your sacred first two hours like a hawk
Everyone has their idiosyncratic ways of tapping into their best hours.
However, biologically speaking, your body is most nourished and recovered after you sleep.
Why?
Because as we said earlier, sleeping is the most effective act of recovery available.
As your day goes on, you use up energy in thinking, talking, eating, and every other interaction where there is an input.
Therefore, a lot of research shows that the first two hours of the day are biologically the best candidates for high quality work.
If you get 2 hours of high quality and deep work done every morning, then youâre not only better than who you were yesterday, youâre also better than the majority of the people around you.
This is why I guard my morning hours like a hawk.
These are sacred for my deepest, most creative work.
Stack those day after day and you have created a momentum that produces massive impact exponentially.
And for the days where a 2-hour slot is impossible (we all have these) then at least 15 mins can keep the momentum and multiply impact.
Youâll see most productivity and effective living literature stating the same exact thing; guard your morning hours.
Have fun exploring with this, and adjust as you see fit for your own personal journey.
Iâm curious to know, which hours of the day you find yourself most productive and why?
For now, I want to wish you a great week ahead.
Have a Super Sunday! đȘ
With much joy,
Hashim
*Photo credit: Bogomil Mihaylov on Unsplash
i absolutely loved this article, its so interesting to me how adding a few healthy habits and being mindful throughout the day can help ensure such a productive day. im going to definitely start using a paper or canvas to plan out my day since its such a good way of planning out and using my time wisely. Another point that i found extremely relatable is how the nights sleep can affect the days mood, which i completely agree with seeing as if i didnt get enough sleep i wouldnt be as productive. Thank you for this article and i will definetly ensure adding these habits to my daily routine!!
I am most productive the first few hours after I wake up and in the evening. Usually the afternoon period, especially post lunch, are the least productive!