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Written By: Jessica Woodruff
Get up early
Notable public figures who wake up in the early hours of the morning includes President Barack Obama, Xerox CEO Ursula Burns, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Disney CEO Bob Iger who all wake up on average around 4:30AM.
Jennifer Cohen of Forbes recommends waking up an hour earlier than usual, “there is a 25th hour in the day – you’ve just been sleeping through it”.
Studies show your brain only starts functioning effectively on average two and a half hours after waking. Most early risers will use this opportunity to work out, catch up on other small errands and have a decent breakfast.
Research shows people who wake up early are more optimistic, able to tackle problems, plan and make decisions first thing in the morning. Waking up early may be a challenge at first but once you adapt you are left with more time to accomplish everything you wanted to in the day.
Practice the art of stillness
Forbes most powerful celebrity of 2013, Oprah Winfrey manages 20 minutes of stillness twice a day. Whilst this may not be feasible in your lifestyle, scheduling a time in your daily calendar helps create structure and ensures your needs are taken into account.
Psychologist and clinical director of Embrace, Karin Lawson, says taking time out from the world is important in calming the chaos of everyday life.
Companies such as Apple, Google, Procter & Gamble and HBO have realised the benefits of meditation to reduce stress, improve productivity, enable creativity and boost general wellness of their employees.
“Meditation, more than anything in my life was the biggest ingredient of whatever success I’ve had,” said Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates.
Stillness soothes the nervous systems and enables us to reflect and think clearly of the end goal.
Find a place where you feel comfortable and relaxed such as a park bench or in your bedroom. If you find it difficult to be alone with your thoughts, soft music can create a little structure to help you reach a state of calmness.
Keep active
An active body is an active mind. As mentioned earlier, the early hours of the morning can be a time for you to exercise, get some fresh air and reflect on the day ahead.
Notable public figures such as Anna Wintour find time to fit in exercise. The face of Vogue magazine fits in a game of tennis every morning before work.
Give back
“It is amazing how focusing your mind on issues like health, poverty, conservation and climate change can help to re-energize your thinking in other areas,” says Richard Branson.
Dedicating a weekend or even an hour to the underprivileged and those who need it the most is a great readjustment and a way to gain foresight. By removing yourself from your ‘work brain’ reflection on your long-term goals can be achieved.
Nothing will help to reduce stress and put things into perspective like helping someone who truly appreciates the tiniest gestures.
Embrace “JOMO”
Coined by Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg’s sister Randi, the phrase essentially hopes to rid the feeling of FOMO when working late or on the weekend and ignite JOMO or ‘joy of missing out’.
She believes we all need to, from time to time, disconnect and unplug from our work lives to embrace the present. The idea is for people to make time to escape from the clutches of becoming a workaholic.
Randi’s belief is that you should not feel disgruntled that you have to work late or on the weekend, you should be invigorated to gain traction in your career.
Visualise and maintain a motivational mantra
Take a deep breath and repeat after me, “You can do this”. Many find it far easier to complain about their current work situations…but have you asked yourself, “Where am I going with this?” and “Where do I want to be?”
It is important to take time out to visualise your goals and how you plan on implementing them – even if it is simply your goals for the next day – motivation comes from within.
Practicing the art of feeling grateful by focusing on the positive is also a sure way the success-driven get ahead and gain a better understanding of their true goals.
Joel Brown, founder of Addicted2Success.com and contributor to Forbes.com says 95 percent of the people he has interviewed say their ‘to- do lists’ for the following day are written the night before.
This sets a clear visualisation in your mind of your day and all that you need to achieve to ensure you are getting ahead.
Place your most important task at the top and work your way down. Keep in mind, tackling the most difficult task first on your list can free your day up to tackle the more mundane and trivial tasks – saving you time.
