A 5 Minute Habit That Changed My Life

I used to wake up, pick up my phone and scroll.

I would have the intention of being productive, being disciplined and working toward my goals - but my day never panned out the way I intended it to.

After 30 minutes or maybe even an hour of scrolling, I would get out of bed, procrastinate and find something to do that wasn’t productive.

There was always an excuse to do the work that I had to do, later.

Excuse after excuse and eventually it would be 10PM.

I would spend my entire day doing stuff but getting nothing done and never moving forward toward my goals.

And I recognised this.

I knew I had a problem and so I set out to fix it.

That led me to a 5-minute habit that would change my entire life.

I realised that I was getting nothing done, that I was just winging my day and making things up as I went along.

I was giving myself too many options and because I had the choice of not doing the work, that’s what I always chose.

I wasn’t clear on what needed done or when.

So I needed to create some clarity on what I needed to do and when I needed to do it.

I needed structure for my day.

So I decided to start planning my day as soon as I woke up.

And I did it.

I would wake up and instead of grabbing my phone, I would get out of bed, head to my desk, sit down and plan what I needed to do that day.

From studying for university to working on my online business, to creating content and working out.

I planned everything.

But it didn’t work.

I would stick to my schedule for the majority of the day but yet, by 10PM I would look back and still think “I spent my day doing stuff but getting nothing done”

That was the issue with planning my day when I woke up.

You see, not all tasks are created equal.

If you want to move toward your goals, certain tasks are going to be more effective and create more progress than others - and these important tasks are actually few and far between.

The vast majority of the things you’ll spend your day doing aren’t these important tasks.

Listening to podcasts doesn’t create results.

Checking your emails doesn’t create results.

No amount of research and planning will ever create progress.

And I’m not saying to never listen to podcasts, never check your emails or make a plan but understand that there’s only ever a select few tasks that will create the progress you want to make and those select few tasks need to be prioritised.

When I would wake up and plan my day straight away, I would fill my day with mindless tasks that made me feel productive, and as if I was doing something worth doing - avoiding the work that was actually worth doing.

Because when you plan your day on the day, you’re emotionally connected to the things you plan.

You realise that you’re planning to do something right now, which in an ideal world shouldn’t prevent you from doing the things you need to do, but unfortunately, a lot of the time it does.

And so you plan the easiest day you can, the day that makes you feel just productive enough so that you can still avoid the work that matters, the work that you know you need to do, without beating yourself up.

Because of this, I wanted to detach myself from the plan I made for my day and the work that I was scheduling.

So I built this 5 minute habit that changed my life.

Every night, before I went to bed, I would sit down at my desk, take out my pocket notebook and spend 5 minutes planning tomorrow.

My day went from podcasts, research, emails and productive procrastination to meaningful work, productivity and tasks that created results.

Come 9 or 10pm, I would look at my day and feel like I actually got something done - because I did.

Not only did I get something done, I got the right things done, I got more done, I made progress and I felt better in every way.

Because when you’re not doing the things that you know you need to do, it eats at you from the inside. You know you’re not doing the right things, you know you’re sabotaging yourself and you know you could and should be doing better.

It’s not a good feeling.

But yet, because I was able to schedule my day the night before, without my mind and judgement being clouded by me wanting to take the easy option, I had a schedule that I consciously chose to ensure I did the things I needed to do.

My day was filled with meaningful work, productivity, discipline and the tasks that mattered - and so I felt good.

I felt proud and as if I was living up to the standards that I had for myself - because I was.

And yes, this is simple.

Super simple.

All you’re doing is planning your day the night before but simple wins and simple is sustainable. Complexity loses to simplicity every day of the week.

So if you struggle with being disciplined, with getting things done or being productive, create unbiased clarity and structure that prioritises the things that matter for your goals by planning your day the night before.

If you want to get my entire productivity system (to help you stick to your schedule and get more done in less time), click here

— Ross

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