How Do You Set Yourself Up For a Good Day?
It involves silence, diet, connecting with family, brain puzzles, giving a pet love, and more.
1. Setting myself up for a good day starts the night before, with good sleep.
That's a whole thread of its own, but it includes abstaining from alcohol nearly all the time, not intaking food within 2 hours of sleep, and unwinding by reading before bed.
2. Before even getting out of bed, I wake my brain with word puzzles.
My current go-to puzzles are Wordle and Quordle. I do these in bed, before anything else. The puzzles help to prime my brain for the day ahead.
3. I connect with family via SMS messages.
I use Wordle and Quordle to connect with family after awakening.
I have one SMS thread with my wife and in-laws; another with my wife and daughters.
It's our way to contact & support each other first thing in the morning.
4. I feed my cat & spend a few minutes with her. If she lets me :)
No one needs a pet, and having one is a decision to provide care in a largely one sided relationship.
A pet won't ever cook for you, doesn't talk with you, and is a net financial negative.
We do it for love.
5. I meditate for 20 minutes.
Also a habit worthy of many threads of its own. I currently use the @WakingUp app for a daily meditation upon awakening, and also @tenpercent at times.
This conditions my mind to not get overwhelmed with mental noise and distractions so common.
6. Avoid heavy carbs at breakfast
Long ago, I tried intermittent fasting for my dietary regimen, It worked well for me, but I prefer more regular eating patterns.
I feel more energy and less brain fog if I minimize carbs in the morning. Protein, veggies, and some nuts for me.
7. As I think of tasks, I write them down.
As I wake up, my mind naturally starts racing with things I need to do.
Similar to the Capture method described by David Allen in Getting Things Done, I simply write down tasks to get them out of my mind.
8. I plan a time for my workout / exercise.
I'm not much of a morning person when it comes to physical activity and almost always work out in the afternoon.
Even though I don't work out in the morning, early in the day I make a plan for it, so I know it will happen.
9. Driving into work, I maintain silence.
I'm lucky to have a commute of ~15 minutes when I go into work. I used to listen to music or podcasts driving in, but now I maintain silence in my car.
I do better with silence instead of auditory stimuli on the drive in.
10. Be grateful
I really need to start journalling my gratitude but while I don't do that, throughout the early morning I'm mindful of the things for which I should be grateful. Every positive experience is a gift!
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