In the first ten minutes of your day, you can change the course of how the rest of the day will play out. Although it’s tempting to stay in bed a little longer, or grab your phone and start scrolling, we encourage you to avoid this passive behavior. Instead, consider more purposeful ways to spend the opening moments of your morning. These activities will change your attitude, productivity, and momentum for the day ahead.
Reflection or Devotional Time
When you wake up, consider reflecting or meditating for ten minutes. Reflect on what you accomplished yesterday or earlier in the week (or month, if you’re a big picture person). Imagine what you’ll achieve today and how you’ll prepare for those achievements. Doing this will help you design your day and set it on a positive trajectory.
You can also start the day with ten minutes of devotional time. You may already have a specific passage that you’ve been reading, but if not, there are plenty of daily devotional books that contain a passage for every day of the year. Use this time to step away from distractions and strengthen your connection with God, reflecting on His message and how you can apply it to your life. This is a wonderful way to connect with God and begin your day on the right track.
Prioritize and Organize
Prioritizing your daily tasks will help set your internal expectations for what needs to be done by nightfall. It’s also one of the things that the most successful people do during their first ten minutes after waking up. Prioritizing helps you to identify the tasks that are critical and the tasks that are pressing. This website can show you how to prioritize your tasks, when it feels like each one is of utmost importance. Once you know the true importance of each task, you can decide which ones should take priority.
Since prioritization might feel a little daunting right after waking up, try activating your brain with organization. Organize your workspace and lay out all of the materials that you need to get your job done during the day. If you leave the office a mess, clean it up and remove the chaos. Although a chaotic workspace can give the appearance of hard work, it doesn’t lend itself to effective work. When your workspace is tidy, you won’t spend time trying to organize it as you work. All those extra minutes spent moving pens and folders around can instead be spent checking items off your to-do list, which significantly cuts down on distractions.
If you’re still a little foggy in the morning and can’t get priorities straight or your workspace organized, try pausing to appreciate the things you’re grateful for.
Acknowledge Your Gratefulness
Spend the first ten minutes of your morning reminding yourself of everything that keeps you motivated. Make a list in your head, say it aloud, or write it down somewhere. If you’re not afraid of being vulnerable, express your gratitude to a friend, family member, or even one of your team members. Doing this will get you in the right mood before your day even starts. Keeping gratitude on the brain helps you stay positive even if the day doesn’t happen in your favor. Being more grateful and appreciative of various aspects of your life enhances your attitude and outlook.
Check-In With Your Team
Does sharing your gratitude with your team feel a little too vulnerable? Consider checking in with them instead. You don’t have to bare your soul to them, just see how they’re feeling and what may be on their minds. You can use these ten minutes to check in with team members individually (a different member each day) or on a group call. Ask them questions about work, their lives, or something light-hearted like the most recent book they’ve read.
Or, if you want to keep things strictly business related, you can ask them about what they plan to accomplish today. Find out if they’re feeling amped up or if they need a little push in the right direction.
Switch things up by opening the floor for them to ask you questions. You may be surprised by the stream of thoughts and ideas their questions inspire. Whatever the case, creating a sense of community with your team is important, and creating an environment where you can learn from another will do that.
Give Your Minutes Meaning
It’s important to make these first ten minutes meaningful and even productive if you can. One great way to do this is to consider where you’re currently going and where you want to go. Use this time to set a course for how you’ll change your direction. Check out our blog for more “Pointers to Ponder When You Want to Reinvent Yourself”.
However you choose to spend your first ten minutes of the day is ultimately up to you. But, if you infuse significance into the start of your day and allow those first ten minutes to set the course for your day, nothing will stand in your way.
