1. Remove the Mental Distractions
Don’t reach for the phone. Don’t turn on the TV. Don’t jump straight into the world’s whirlwind before you’ve even had your coffee. You can sit those on the shelf for later.
Mental ruts are very real, especially now. It’s easy to spiral — with fear, with anger, with uncertainty.
Don’t start your day diving into the deep end. You’ll expend your mental energy worrying about things you can’t control.
What can you control? How you approach your day.
No matter what’s going on in the world, it’s your choice: Sulk or swim. Flounder or create. If scrolling through the latest tethers you down, don’t scratch the itch. You nourish your mind with what you read and engage with; guard what goes in it.
2. Cue Your Mentality
Athletes have pre-game songs — anthems they play before the game to get them in the right headspace. The songs are a trigger, enhancing performance and focus.
While blasting rap first thing in the morning might not be your (or your neighbor’s) cup of tea, know what lights up your creativity, engagement, and self-belief.
My routine?
I get up each day and make fresh coffee. I put on something soft — jazz or piano — light a candle, and read for about 30 minutes. I choose articles or books that inspire and embolden me. Pieces that position my mind to create and perform.
It’s not sexy or magical, but it works.
3. Set Your Intentions
Know what you want to accomplish. It’s all fine and well to remove your distractions and cue up your headspace, but if you don’t come to the table with a clear set of priorities you’ll find yourself floundering and a fraction as productive as you could be.
We’re not here to be busy; we’re here to make a dent in the right direction.
It’s not uncommon for one person to be more productive in 30 minutes than another person can be in a whole day.
Meetings have agendas. Workouts have plans. Road trips have routes. These things don’t exist because we’re afraid to color outside the lines. They exist because knowing the destination ensures we get there.
4. Create Your Own Space
I am lucky. I have a quiet house. I have a room where I can close the door and think. I have a husband who lets me have my mornings.
These are luxuries; I get it. You might have a different reality with different complications.
Do what you can to carve out a space that’s yours — a corner of your house you can return to that’s reserved for setting up shop. Returning to the same space for the same reasons signals to yourself what you’re showing up for.
This is where I sleep. This is where I eat. And this is where I do great work.
5. Stay in Your Seat
There are always excuses to get up. You need a glass of water. You forgot to take your vitamins. The room is too cold. These are your self-created nuisances that poke their heads out when the work gets hard. Or boring. Or both.
Come to your desk prepared. Getting into a flow state isn’t easy. It’s even harder when you find a reason to get up every ten minutes. Bring a pitcher of water. Have a blanket in the room. Keep snacks in the drawer. Eliminate excuses before they’re born. What was your ambition today? To fetch 8 glasses of water and sharpen ten pencils? I didn’t think so.
Stay in your seat.
