Level Up Your Life With This One Simple Habit Shift

All before breakfast

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I believe we all have the best of intentions when it comes to practicing healthy habits, but our good intentions can get easily thwarted. Whether we want to work out, start a writing practice, read more, or just spend quality time with the people we love, it’s far too easy to watch these things slip through the cracks because the other demands of our lives get in the way.

So here’s what I suggest:

• Identify ONE habit that will make your life better that you want to practice consistently.

• Do it first thing in the morning.

Here’s why:

• We have the most willpower and motivation in the morning - this energy and resolve will deplete throughout the day

• There are typically far fewer distractions (work emergencies, sick kids that need to be picked up from school, the onslaught of texts and emails) first thing in the morning

  

  “If it has to happen, it has to happen first.”

  -What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast by

  Laura

  Vanderkam

In order to put this into practice, all you have to do is identify the ONE thing you want to invest in doing, and commit to doing it as early in the day as possible. Here are some ideas to consider:

• A relaxing breakfast or coffee

• A brisk walk in nature

• Any type of workout

• A writing practice

• A mindfulness meditation

• A creative practice

• Progress towards a big goal

• A self care practice like a skincare routine

This could mean waking up a bit earlier, or just restructuring your morning routine so you can do the most important thing first.

I’ve personally never been able to bring myself to set an alarm for 5am, but I have had good success rising at 7:30am and immediately tackling my most important task - whether walking or working towards a manuscript deadline.

When my girls were very young, and solo time was more scarce, I would take them for a nice walk first thing in the morning so I at least knew I had moved my body and gotten some fresh air no matter what happened later in the day - bonus: they had too.

Even if you are only able to realistically carve out 15-minutes each morning for your new positive habit, the practice of doing one thing consistently each day will improve your relationship with yourself and will compound to dramatically improve your life over time.

Prompt: Let me know in the comments: What ONE thing do you want to commit to doing each morning?

**If you’re interested in optimizing your morning routine, I highly recommend reading or listening to What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast by Laura Vanderkam, which inspired this post.

My Minimalist Skincare Routine: I’m finally down to owning only a handful of products, and my skin has never felt better. Here’s my quickie daily routine:

• Wash with Complete Moisture Cleanse (Josh Rosebrook)

• Spritz of Hydrating Accelerator (Josh Rosebrook)

• Moisturize with Brightening Eye Cream (Kinship)

• Protect with Unseen Sunscreen SPF 40 (Supergoop) (or this Trader Joe’s dupe)

• Hydrate (before bed) with Vital Balm Cream (Josh Rosebrook)

On my Nightstand: Re-reading Please Unsubscribe, Thanks! by Julio Vincent Gambuto - a deeply thought provoking book on how to reclaim our time, attention, and purpose.

A Good Listen: The Internet Doesn’t Need Your Opinion on Everything - Rebecca Solnit in conversation with Adam Grant.

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