Move and Groove 61 - Morning

There is a lot of debate on morning routines.

Some claim you should meditate, do a cold plunge, work out, and then get to work two hours later.

Others claim you should drop into work right away.

Some advocate for slow mornings.

These are unrealistic for most people who have work and family obligations.

I propose a middle ground to surf your biology, while still meeting your obligations.

My morning routine is simple and short - drink water, sun salutations, meditation, coffee, work.

It takes 15 minutes and reliably produces flow after.

Workouts happen (mostly) when I have low cognitive energy, not high.

I prime my brain for flow with hydration, movement, focused attention training, and then the coffee is a conditioned stimulus for flow.

This gives me ninety minutes of work before cooking breakfast and getting the kids ready for school. I am a lark (which is a rare chronotype), so I wake earlier than most.

However, the same process applies for third birds and night owls, it just starts a little later in the day.

What should we do to maximize our impact in the first part of our day?

Neuroscience Nugget

Your first few hours after waking are a unique window of opportunity for productivity. After waking, cortisol (your alertness hormone) naturally rises while your prefrontal cortex gradually comes fully online. Research from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine shows that this cortisol awakening response (CAR) is crucial for cognitive performance and energy regulation throughout the day (Stalder et al., 2016).

Important note - when I refer to "morning" I mean your natural waking time when you have no early obligations or late-night shenanigans. Use your chronotype to determine what hours your "morning" starts. If you need an alarm clock to wake to get to work on time, then likely you are fighting your natural biology and your cortisol is likely rising later in the day.

Pep Talk

Here's the game-changer with morning routines... You can prepare your brain for high performance by surfing your daily hormonal changes.

Try these power moves this week:

1. Move before meetings to take care of your body first with movement, hydration. (5-10 min)
2. Get some light to boost alertness (1 min)
3. Prime your brain with focused attention training, neurofeedback, or writing (10 min)
4. Decide early on the important decisions in your backlog to reduce effects of decision fatigue (Depends)
5. Trigger flow with caffeine or another conditioned stimulus (2 min)
6. Groom your backlog the day before so you don't waste decision-making power first thing (15 min)

Everyone's peak performance window is different and dependent on chronotype, job, family, health issues, etc. The key isn't copying someone else's routine. The key is discovering your unique brain activation practices.

Keep moving, keep grooving, and make those first hours count!

Be well,

Eric

P.S. Enjoy these resources on your journey:

• Be Well Mind - resources, offerings, and how to connect.
• Be Well Mind Substack - long form writing on motivation, joy, and work.
• Schedule a free call - enjoy a powerful one hour coaching session for free.
• Group Flow Checklist - improve your team's ability to enter group flow for more productivity, innovation, and joy.
• Friday Afternoon Strategy Hack - when your competition is choosing where to go for happy hour, outmaneuver them with this strategic tool.
• Calendar Coding Exercise - use this to see where you are actually spending your time and adjust to where you should be spending your time, with visual indication of success.
• Winning at Work - our signature course on doing your best work, while feeling great at the same time. Access the promotion and get $300 off, 1 hour coaching, and surprise bonuses.