You! The Priority
“I have so much to accomplish today that I must meditate for two hours instead of one.”
- Mahatma Gandhi
Reclaim your life by reclaiming the first hour of your day. This is a call to action for myself as much as anyone. That unrelenting beast of a to-do list will have to wait because you and I are going to decide to make ourselves the first priority of the day.
But I have so much to do!
Me too. Trying to make time for yourself and the things that make YOU happy at other points in the day simply aren’t as effective. Sometimes necessary for sure, but rarely as focused and productive. We are after clarity here and there is far more of it at the beginning of the day.
While I’m no neuroscientist, my n=1 experiment does suggest that the amount of bullshit that enters my brain the second I fire up that email or check social media is counterproductive to the goal of making myself a priority. I’m so thick with nonsense by early afternoon that any effort to recalibrate is met with stiff resistance from outside interest.
The Plan
We will meet this resistance with a plan involving three distinct parts...
Step #1: Specifically detail what you will do with an unencumbered hour. This can be astonishingly difficult for my “givers” out there who have not allowed sufficient time for self exploration of their own interests. Kids, jobs and demanding relationships of all kinds can be wonderful distractions. They are good reasons, just not good excuses.
Step #2: You must then budget this hour into your already busy day. This step is equally as challenging as the first and will likely involve significant preparation the day before. The time exists. How are you going to carve it out?
Step #3: You must enact the plan. Fortunately, steps #1 and #2 have removed most of the barriers. We know the time, the place and exactly what we will do with this “magic time” as Craig Ballantyne calls it. There is good science to support the idea that specifically naming the time and place in which you will perform a certain activity, can dramatically increase the likelihood that you will actually do the activity. Makes sense right?
So what exactly does this look like in practice?
Great question! For me, about 30 minutes practicing my instrument and another 30 spent moving my body remarkably elevates my mood, motivation and outlook on life. I am unquestionably more efficient and committed to the rest of the day when I’ve checked those boxes.
I find the time by going to bed early and waking up early. Most evenings I'll hit the sack around 9-10 pm and wake up around 5 am. A few more precious minutes are freed up by automating a few tasks ahead of time. Sometimes I’ll prepare coffee and food the night before. Sometimes I'll prepare social media posts and any urgent emails the day before to minimize the chance of getting derailed.
On average I’m able to enact the plan 4 out of 7 days. The best laid plans are often derailed however, and in those times I rely on contingencies. If I’m unable to scrap together an hour, then I scrap together 20 minutes. If I can’t do it in the morning when my mind is most clear, then I do it whenever the opportunity presents. The trick is not to ignore the opportunity simply because it isn’t ideal.
Most importantly I don’t let a missed day spiral into a missed week. Never miss twice! Show up for yourself more often than not and you are guaranteed to become an even better version of the already awesome you.
Rules for the journey
Rule #1: Whatever your chosen activity, make it all about you and something that fills your cup.
Rule #2: Specifically detail when and how you will do the thing.
Rule #3: Feel free to stop spending time on anything that doesn't serve you.
Rule #4: If you miss a day, don’t beat yourself up about it. Just show up the next day.
Rule #5: Persist! And pursue the goal with ruthless intention.
