This one life hack you can implement today to increase your ability to reach your goals, make more time and money, create better relationships and decrease your stress level.
Stop checking your phone before you get out of bed. Stay with me, I know… I can hear your gasps.
I was guilty of it too. I used my phone as my alarm clock for years, until I realize it was costing me in so many ways. It was a mind-blowing realization.
My morning routine is sacred time.
Successful people have morning routines and I suggest you adopt one that suits you too. You’ll love it. I wake up now to my $5 alarm clock. My phone gets left in the bathroom. If that freaks you out you can put it in your nightstand drawer, but don’t leave it out because when it lights up it actually disrupts your brain waves and disrupts the quality of your sleep.
I now enjoy not having anything interrupt the peace of mind and calm I have naturally (or create with my thoughts) upon waking. I meditate and visualize my day and my bigger goal, journal, enjoy my favorite cup of brain octane bullet decaf coffee (yum), take time to plan the day and review what RESULTS I want to create and accomplish in any given day.
FOCUS and RESULTS are two of my theme word for 2019. What are yours? Then I walk or do yoga all before I check my phone. It’s liberating you all. Give it a try.
We’re living in an incredible time with infinite amounts of information available at our fingertips 24/7. And to use this to your advantage you gotta create some boundaries for yourself.
We don’t realize that cuddling up to our smartphones and bringing our laptops to bed can squelch our dreams. So let’s wake up to this issues and take your power back tomorrow morning.
I DARE YOU TO TRY THIS TONIGHT AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS FOR YOU WHEN YOU WAKE UP TOMORROW.
We only get 24 hours a day and when we understand that our attention spans aren't limitless we can choose deliberately how we’ll spend it. Be empowered woman.
Time and attention are your two most valuable resources. You must use them sparingly if you want to truly advance in this fast-paced information era.
That means that you gotta get in the driver’s seat. You have to be in control of your time and your attention and where it goes. If you aren’t unfortunately, the value of your time and your attention will go to marketers, social media platforms, text messages, phone calls, and other people’s agendas and problems that really (if you examine them) don’t need your attention.
Have you ever felt you were addicted to your phone? Well, you probably are. We check our phones at least 150 x a day!
My favorite way to make my time and attention valuable is to protect the first hour of my day. It’s non-negotiable for me. I know whatever is waiting for me on my phone and other devices can wait one more hour so I can set the tone of my day.
When I wake up my boundary is never to look at my phone, log on to my computer or turn on the TV.
I’m not a big TV person, but I know some of you are. So be aware. I devote the first hour (or more) that could be used on my smartphone and other devices to my morning routine. My morning routine takes care of my body mind and spirit and sets me up for a awesome deliberate day. I refuse to give any devices my attention. This one habit has created so much more time in my life to spend as I wish, to make more money, create systems that support a streamlined easy lifestyle, create more love, enjoy vitality, and connect to my dreams and desires.
Stop throwing away time and get precious hours back in your day. Use those hours to develop the best version of you— who's capable of accomplishing your most outlandish dreams! Yahoo!
Refuse to wake up with your beloved smartphone. Instead consider setting yourself up for success with the following ideas:
Meditate
Visualize your goals and how they will feel and what it will look like when they come true. See yourself in the scene. Your brain doesn’t know the difference between when you visualize and when you’ve actually achieved your goals, so this is one of the most powerful ways that you can program your subconscious brain to attune to your steps in achieving goals.
Keep a self-appreciation journal
Write a self-appreciation list of 25 different things each morning that you appreciate about yourself.
Start focusing on all the amazing things about you and stop underestimating yourself and your capabilities. Most of us have an overactive inner critic and not because the critic is correct, but because it’s a byproduct of not directing your mind to focus on what’s most important to you. Deliberately choose what to focus on. The mind will go to the negative automatically— it’s the minds job to keep us safe.
Get some exercise.
Good for the body and the mind. Sets you up to better manage the stresses of your day. You’ll enjoy some awesome health benefits too, which always makes life easier and better lived.
Do your self-coaching.
Do a brain dump. Write out everything in your mind. Take out the trash of your mind every morning. Then decide on one thought and at least one feeling that you want to drive all of your actions for the day. Be deliberate in your thinking and feeling. An example would be— “Today I’m going to write one blog, and record one podcast. That is what I will accomplish. I will have the result of having completed one blog and recorded one podcast by the end of the day. I will limit the time I have to get these items done and stick to it. The feelings I will use to drive these actions are focused, guided, motivated & confident!
Connect with nature.
Watch the sunrise. Or sit in the morning sun while you drink your coffee or tea and connect with you cat stretched out in front of you.
Connect with your loved ones.
Make breakfast and connect with your peeps while everyone gets ready for their day.
Review and plan out the day.
This is always suggested and will make you happier and more productive even if it’s the only thing you do.
What would you like to do with the time you create? That time that is currently being used to check your phone in the morning?
How many hours would you say you currently spend a week even before you get out of bed mindlessly scrolling through whatever you’ve got on your smartphone?
You'd be surprised. You can CREATE an extra 5 hours in your week at the minimum by having a smartphone boundary.
SMART times TO use your smartphone when it won’t cost you precious time and attention:
In line at the bank, store, or wherever…
When you are walking or driving you can listen to your favorite podcast.
When you get your nails or hair done, go at it!
When you are waiting to meet someone for lunch take time to check out those emails and delete them while you're at it!
When you are waiting in the dentist office.
What other ways and times can you think of to use your smartphone the SMART way?
When you start treating your time and attention as your two of your most valuable resources, you’ll protect them at all costs.
Learning how to budget your attention is an essential skill. Learning how to eliminate what you don’t want is a skill you must develop to create the best of everything in your life.
Start by asking yourself:
Do I use my phone as a tool to CREATE what it is I truly want in my life, or does my phone use me?
You always want to focus the use of your phone OR other devices as a tool to advance your goals, make connections, make money or whatever else your heart desires.
Otherwise you end up being the product and your attention is being sold. Yikes
Your phone, all of the apps you use and every single website you visit is designed to excite and hold captive your attention. The news is written with frightening headlines on purpose to get you to pay attention.
But you get to choose to mindfully how you’ll use your time and attention and who you’ll allow your attention to have or even be sold to.
Why not use your attention to advance YOUR agenda and not other people’s agenda for you.
You won’t regret giving up that hour to focus on what’s important to you. I promise you.
If you need help breaking the habit of phone addiction let’s talk. We can make a realistic plan that’ll work specifically for your particular circumstances.
Take your power back today. Use your phone as a tool to move you towards your goal instead of unconsciously letting it run you.
You’ll be unstoppable woman! Get to your dreams! :) This is YOUR time, YOUR life and YOUR attention and YOU decide deliberately how to use it and watch how your dreams come flying into your reality.
Carpe Diem. XO
