This is one of my favorite releases (me every week)- no seriously, it is very practical and brings up a fundamental behavioral pattern that could influence all the other behaviors, feelings and physiological sensations that we go through. My favorite part if the AM/PM bookends' metaphor- visualizing how the start and end of my day could be essential to hold the in-between, had made a dramatic change in my perception. Especially by noting that whatever happens throughout the day is automatic and out of control which is very true. However, I am still not fully convinced that having less than 6 hours of sleep makes it impossible to reach the highest morning willpower, or maybe this is my defensive self talking :) . It would be interesting though to try this approach of maintaining an 8 hours sleep and explore the changes- just to experiment and see how things might flow differently. Thank you!
On the point on sleep, it is impossible for us to know what we are capable of without trying to pursue it - you may have been able to achieve what you want to achieve with 6 hours of sleep, yet you’re capable of achieving beyond that if you allow yourself to. One way to do so is to recover fully so you can show up at your best. Try it out 😊
This has to be my favorite article as of now. Very simple and most effective from first hand experience. I am guilty of falling of the wagon and it seems to be the one thing I don’t take seriously is my rest time which ends up challenging my morning routines. It all flows like domino pieces.
On the phon addiction, one act that I did that shocked me is when I think that I need something from my phone, say drop a note to someone or check the date of a certain event, I pick up my phone, see other notifications, engage with them (for a while), drop my phone and go back to what I was doing only to remember that I picked up my phone for one reason that had to do with what I was physically doing and I didn’t even do it because of the underestimated powerful distractions the phone has, that was a self awareness moment that made me laugh.
Haha! I am laughing too because I can’t tell you how many times I went through the same experience.
We are dopamine-dependant beings, all these neural networks fire with the bells and whistles of the phone notifications. It is lost battle if we try to challenge that, instead we can wisely (and kindly) support ourselves by limiting the input hours knowing that these neural networks will fire.
I completely agree with the power mornings have. For months, I picked up the habit of waking up early to get things done and do what I like to call “me time” or time for me to enjoy my own company and recharge my social battery in order to be ready to conquer the day ahead of me and put in the best effort. However, due to numerous circumstances I have unfortunately fallen out of that habit and have stopped prioritizing my sleep which has had its impact on me both mentally and physically. This article has motivated me to get back on track with my habits and set my priorities right once more! I loved the point mentioned about being creative before reaction since I am guilty of going on my phone first thing in the morning. Something that I have previously tried and has helped reduce the amount of time I spend on my phone is to put on different focus settings in order to minimize the notifications I get and the possibility of getting distracted.
We are all guilty of that, the aim is not to avoid being guilty - it is about knowing what doesn’t serve us and making a decision to choose a more empowering act. Only if you want to bring out your best and life fully that is! 😊
I loved this article so much. Mentioning how our mornings are when we're at our peak state is something very true in my opinion because I find myself most productive in the mornings. I find myself finishing my work faster and being more motivated to go out and do a hobby; however, despite this, I still love to work at night because I also find it as something that can be quite beneficial at times. This is because I noticed that when I study at night and then sleep, I actually wake up remembering almost everything I learned. In regards to your question about sleeping for 8 hours, I've realized that for the past month I actually haven't been sleeping for 8 hours consistently which is something that's taken a toll on me. With constant studying and work to do, I don't always find the time to sleep early and wake up excited to do things; however, after reading this article, I'm definitely going to prioritize my sleep and begin to manage my time correctly to create more productive mornings.
It is very tough to prioritize our sleep simply because everyone around us is operating at a different schedule. I will leave you with this wisdom I hold very close to my heart:
“It is no measure of wellbeing to be well-adjusted to a profoundly-sick society” - Krishnamurti
… How beautiful! If we are to create OUR best lives, we need to take lead of our own lives.
I loveee the part about the morning being our peak time, and i’m veryy aware of it. But even though i am, i still end up checking my phone first thing in the morning, and i cant stop doing it. Are there any strategies that helped u overcome that?
There are few “habit hacks” you can do to break/install habits.
1. Make it hard/easy (in this case, phone not near the bed, it is on the table on the other side of the bed - if you still use it as an alarm. Or better yet outside the room)
2. Work on the reward (think of something you consider a reward for every time you wake up and not check your phone - maybe just a “well done Karma, that’s like you!” Is enough 😊)
3. Plan what you will do first thing in the morning, the night before!
4. Replace the phone with a journal on the bedside table, wake up and plan what you want to do that day for yourself, your family, and your studies/work.
It was interesting going through all the comments and seeing everyone talking about sleep, indeed it is arguably the most important thing of all. The gas to your engine ⛽️ ⚙️
Some of the things I’ve been working on:
- Only go to bed when you’re ready to sleep, when you’re eyes are heavier than usual
- Aim to go to bed everyday at the same time
- Target to wake up without an alarm
- Buy an alarm clock if you need an alarm ⏰
- Keep the phone in the living room. The bedroom is your shrine for sleep, and sleep only. Food is not allowed and the phone is the devil 😈
- Turn your notifications off, even WhatsApp, only check your app notifications on YOUR own time, don’t be a slave to the little red devil (the notification icon)
- Get a boogie board to write your to do list for the day. It’s very easy to use and can sometimes be used for doodling. Write the silliest things on it even if they’re very easy (one of mine today was to read this super Sunday because I haven’t done it yet). Now it’s my second crossed item on my list and I’m on the second gear already.
By following these I’ve noticed that I occasionally start my day, and THEN I go like oh, where is my phone. So that’s another win battle. 🙏🏽
This is beautiful Ahmed - missed the comment in the midst of the others my apologies.
Great practical strategy for being creative before reactive!
I also see points 1 and 2 intertwined, because point 1 alone without the right “sleep hygiene” can mess up point 2. For example, getting into an argument in the evening. Or watching TV with lots of blue light signaling to your brain it’s not time for sleep.
I really enjoyed this article as I am guilty of having a horrible sleep schedule :) The battery metaphor is something that really stuck with me as I have noticed that though still exhausted, my energy is at its highest during the morning and that is why I prefer to do my most energy and willpower consuming tasks during that peak. And like the rest of the population, my phone rarely leaves my hand. I may have partially solved the problem of checking my socials as soon as my eyes open by instead listening to some songs. I find that it sets my mood for the day and adds a little spark to my morning tea :)
This is a great article! Recently I have been thinking about how Its such a habit to use my phone in the morning and how much of a negative impact it holds. I've been trying to limit my use of it on school days and get those extra 10 mins of sleep instead but sometimes I just give in. The weekends though are my reward, where I usually feed my bad habits even though it probably not great but I enjoy it nonetheless.
I really enjoyed reading this article since it really opened my eyes on my negative habits concerning my sleep schedule. I feel like after a morning shower I could be very productive, but I'm always in a rush to get to school. This article made me realize that I need to start sleeping at an earlier time so that I can wake up earlier and have more time to be creative in the mornings. This is definitely something I will try to implement into my mornings!
This is one of my favorite releases (me every week)- no seriously, it is very practical and brings up a fundamental behavioral pattern that could influence all the other behaviors, feelings and physiological sensations that we go through. My favorite part if the AM/PM bookends' metaphor- visualizing how the start and end of my day could be essential to hold the in-between, had made a dramatic change in my perception. Especially by noting that whatever happens throughout the day is automatic and out of control which is very true. However, I am still not fully convinced that having less than 6 hours of sleep makes it impossible to reach the highest morning willpower, or maybe this is my defensive self talking :) . It would be interesting though to try this approach of maintaining an 8 hours sleep and explore the changes- just to experiment and see how things might flow differently. Thank you!
Haha! I’m glad you liked it and relate to it.
On the point on sleep, it is impossible for us to know what we are capable of without trying to pursue it - you may have been able to achieve what you want to achieve with 6 hours of sleep, yet you’re capable of achieving beyond that if you allow yourself to. One way to do so is to recover fully so you can show up at your best. Try it out 😊
I liked the message at (me every week) 😂🤣
This has to be my favorite article as of now. Very simple and most effective from first hand experience. I am guilty of falling of the wagon and it seems to be the one thing I don’t take seriously is my rest time which ends up challenging my morning routines. It all flows like domino pieces.
On the phon addiction, one act that I did that shocked me is when I think that I need something from my phone, say drop a note to someone or check the date of a certain event, I pick up my phone, see other notifications, engage with them (for a while), drop my phone and go back to what I was doing only to remember that I picked up my phone for one reason that had to do with what I was physically doing and I didn’t even do it because of the underestimated powerful distractions the phone has, that was a self awareness moment that made me laugh.
Haha! I am laughing too because I can’t tell you how many times I went through the same experience.
We are dopamine-dependant beings, all these neural networks fire with the bells and whistles of the phone notifications. It is lost battle if we try to challenge that, instead we can wisely (and kindly) support ourselves by limiting the input hours knowing that these neural networks will fire.
I completely agree with the power mornings have. For months, I picked up the habit of waking up early to get things done and do what I like to call “me time” or time for me to enjoy my own company and recharge my social battery in order to be ready to conquer the day ahead of me and put in the best effort. However, due to numerous circumstances I have unfortunately fallen out of that habit and have stopped prioritizing my sleep which has had its impact on me both mentally and physically. This article has motivated me to get back on track with my habits and set my priorities right once more! I loved the point mentioned about being creative before reaction since I am guilty of going on my phone first thing in the morning. Something that I have previously tried and has helped reduce the amount of time I spend on my phone is to put on different focus settings in order to minimize the notifications I get and the possibility of getting distracted.
Thank you for yet another insightful article!
We are all guilty of that, the aim is not to avoid being guilty - it is about knowing what doesn’t serve us and making a decision to choose a more empowering act. Only if you want to bring out your best and life fully that is! 😊
Thanks for your comment!
I loved this article so much. Mentioning how our mornings are when we're at our peak state is something very true in my opinion because I find myself most productive in the mornings. I find myself finishing my work faster and being more motivated to go out and do a hobby; however, despite this, I still love to work at night because I also find it as something that can be quite beneficial at times. This is because I noticed that when I study at night and then sleep, I actually wake up remembering almost everything I learned. In regards to your question about sleeping for 8 hours, I've realized that for the past month I actually haven't been sleeping for 8 hours consistently which is something that's taken a toll on me. With constant studying and work to do, I don't always find the time to sleep early and wake up excited to do things; however, after reading this article, I'm definitely going to prioritize my sleep and begin to manage my time correctly to create more productive mornings.
It is very tough to prioritize our sleep simply because everyone around us is operating at a different schedule. I will leave you with this wisdom I hold very close to my heart:
“It is no measure of wellbeing to be well-adjusted to a profoundly-sick society” - Krishnamurti
… How beautiful! If we are to create OUR best lives, we need to take lead of our own lives.
I loveee the part about the morning being our peak time, and i’m veryy aware of it. But even though i am, i still end up checking my phone first thing in the morning, and i cant stop doing it. Are there any strategies that helped u overcome that?
There are few “habit hacks” you can do to break/install habits.
1. Make it hard/easy (in this case, phone not near the bed, it is on the table on the other side of the bed - if you still use it as an alarm. Or better yet outside the room)
2. Work on the reward (think of something you consider a reward for every time you wake up and not check your phone - maybe just a “well done Karma, that’s like you!” Is enough 😊)
3. Plan what you will do first thing in the morning, the night before!
4. Replace the phone with a journal on the bedside table, wake up and plan what you want to do that day for yourself, your family, and your studies/work.
yeah me too i will actually try to take advantage of this and try to get a good nights sleep and work in the morning!
🔑 Takeaways:
Creative - Reactive 🧠
AM - PM 🎬
It was interesting going through all the comments and seeing everyone talking about sleep, indeed it is arguably the most important thing of all. The gas to your engine ⛽️ ⚙️
Some of the things I’ve been working on:
- Only go to bed when you’re ready to sleep, when you’re eyes are heavier than usual
- Aim to go to bed everyday at the same time
- Target to wake up without an alarm
- Buy an alarm clock if you need an alarm ⏰
- Keep the phone in the living room. The bedroom is your shrine for sleep, and sleep only. Food is not allowed and the phone is the devil 😈
- Turn your notifications off, even WhatsApp, only check your app notifications on YOUR own time, don’t be a slave to the little red devil (the notification icon)
- Get a boogie board to write your to do list for the day. It’s very easy to use and can sometimes be used for doodling. Write the silliest things on it even if they’re very easy (one of mine today was to read this super Sunday because I haven’t done it yet). Now it’s my second crossed item on my list and I’m on the second gear already.
By following these I’ve noticed that I occasionally start my day, and THEN I go like oh, where is my phone. So that’s another win battle. 🙏🏽
Godspeed 🚀
This is beautiful Ahmed - missed the comment in the midst of the others my apologies.
Great practical strategy for being creative before reactive!
I also see points 1 and 2 intertwined, because point 1 alone without the right “sleep hygiene” can mess up point 2. For example, getting into an argument in the evening. Or watching TV with lots of blue light signaling to your brain it’s not time for sleep.
Happy discovering and happy upgrading! 🙌
I really enjoyed this article as I am guilty of having a horrible sleep schedule :) The battery metaphor is something that really stuck with me as I have noticed that though still exhausted, my energy is at its highest during the morning and that is why I prefer to do my most energy and willpower consuming tasks during that peak. And like the rest of the population, my phone rarely leaves my hand. I may have partially solved the problem of checking my socials as soon as my eyes open by instead listening to some songs. I find that it sets my mood for the day and adds a little spark to my morning tea :)
This is a great article! Recently I have been thinking about how Its such a habit to use my phone in the morning and how much of a negative impact it holds. I've been trying to limit my use of it on school days and get those extra 10 mins of sleep instead but sometimes I just give in. The weekends though are my reward, where I usually feed my bad habits even though it probably not great but I enjoy it nonetheless.
I really enjoyed reading this article since it really opened my eyes on my negative habits concerning my sleep schedule. I feel like after a morning shower I could be very productive, but I'm always in a rush to get to school. This article made me realize that I need to start sleeping at an earlier time so that I can wake up earlier and have more time to be creative in the mornings. This is definitely something I will try to implement into my mornings!