Mornings Can Be Magic

I’ve noticed that with changing times and a vastly different marketplace, it’s become increasingly important for real estate professionals to plan not only how to get the most out of their day, but out of themselves. It’s also more evident when there’s been an absence of preparation, because time in the industry has taught me that without that momentum, you can struggle to achieve anything – let alone a sense of accomplishment. 

For many individuals, momentum relates back to their body clock and there are two ‘types’ commonly referred to.

You’ll know the categories and, almost instinctively, most of us also know which one we belong to. Deep in the powerhouse of your DNA there’s a collection of genes which exerts influence over whether you are one or the other.

Simply put there’s the ‘morning’ or the ‘evening’ person, and some of the research I’ve seen states that the morning person has definitely got some advantages. You will soon see I do have a bias where this is concerned!

Psychologist Roy Baumeister in Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength suggests one of the reasons someone who is better suited to mornings can achieve more is that willpower itself is greater in the morning, diminishing as the day progresses.

I sit firmly in the ‘morning person’ camp and have existed there almost all my life.

I start my day before 5 am and I’ve incorporated several positive morning rituals which allow me to optimize the day, every day. 

Here’s how others do it (if a 4:45 am wake-up is out the question, which it understandably is for most).

Enjoy peacefully the perfect cup of coffee, or tea if that’s your preference. It can set you up beautifully for the day ahead and provide the catalyst needed to move forward.

Spend time focusing on your priorities, remembering it’s easier if you’ve already decided these. I use Sundays to plan these and I find this allows me to feel more confident and connected to what I want to achieve in the week ahead. It can take me anything from two to five hours, depending on what I’m working on, and it’s probably one of the business disciplines that’s supported considerable success.

Exercise. We all know the benefits of regular exercise. Being physically active improves brain health, reduces the risk of disease and – best of all – provides for the production of ‘feel good’ hormones. I’m noticing more individuals are utilizing monitoring devices like Garmins and Fitbits, which offer movement reminders whilst also measuring the daily steps taken and having recently purchased one I can attest to their usefulness. 

Set and review goals. Sounds simple but I’m still surprised at the number of people who don’t have any tangible goals, let alone written ones to guide them on their path. I like to think at their simplest they help your thinking and activity, and at their most significant they galvanize your desire for momentum and success. 

All in all, it’s a busy list of items to try and form into a plan of how to enter the day, week or month feeling more prepared, but the best thing is, it works.

Jeff Sanders, in The 5 am Miracle, said: 

“Being productive is an endless journey that requires you to wake up each morning and decide to make the day count.” And he was right.

After nearly three decades in business, I’ve got a strong set of encoded principles which assist me. This includes reading on waking and not checking my phone, then reading my goals, walking and listening to music that’s so bad no one at home would put up with it but I can’t help singing along, followed by resistance exercise and weights, then a cold shower.

Not lukewarm, fully freezing (I’ve got no idea how that will go in winter, but for the last five months it’s got surprisingly easier).

Then I make my lunch. That’s my start and it gives me the energy and stamina to keep trying to work with the people I value and respect.

Maybe it’s time to set your day up to deliver not only results, but a quiet sense of purpose.

Good luck.