How’s your morning going?

It’s a Monday, of course, so unless you’re happily retired, I’m not expecting you to be absolutely bursting with joy.

The ‘Monday blues’ are notorious…

And they’re not a myth either.

According to a study by the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations, many people experience sadness, anxiety, or a lack of motivation at the start of the workweek.

Which means you might have woken this morning with an “ugh” or a “sigh” and immediately felt the weight of all the things you need to do this week.

Perhaps you hit the ‘snooze’ button, rolled over and went back to sleep for a bit, hoping everything would just go away…

Or perhaps you staggered half asleep into the bathroom, already panicking because you were late, charging into the day like an ill-prepared soldier going into battle.

But what if there was another way?

You see, the first 5 minutes after you wake (on ANY day, not just Monday) are crucial to how motivated and productive you are.And it’s possible – with a little conscious effort – to

recalibrate that 5 minutes so that you become more positive and energetic during the day.

Here’s how…

Exploiting the Hypnopompic Window

There is a strange period of consciousness that occurs in the few minutes after your eyes open.

It is known as the ‘hypnopompic state’ a transitional phase between sleep and full wakefulness.

In this time, you are extremely suggestible because your brain is operating predominantly in theta and alpha waves – these are associated with creativity, relaxation and heightened imagination.

You are also more emotionally sensitive in this phase, attuned to both good and bad feelings, depending on which ones hit your mind first.

This is why what you think and feel in those first few moments often sets the tone for your entire day.

If you wake up with feelings of dread, shame, or stress, a horrible mood is likely to cling to you,

What’s more, if you feel like the tasks ahead are overwhelming or painful, you’ll condition your brain – via the powers of suggestion – to struggle when it comes to carrying them out.

So one trick you can try is to ‘recalibrate’ your brain in that crucial first 5 minutes of the day, so that you are more up for the tasks ahead, and more positive about your potential to achieve them.

Here are five practical ways to do it…

Avoid the Phone and TV!

A lot of people start the day by leaning over to the bedside table, picking up their smartphone and scrolling social media or email.

Others switch on the TV in their bedroom to watch the morning news.

Some masochists even do BOTH!

But this is a dangerous habit, because it’s highly likely that the first things you see will be bad news, or things that irritate you.

Bombings, murders, natural disasters… these shouldn’t be confronted in your first 5 minutes.

You could also do without passive-aggressive work emails, complaints from friends or social media posts that make you jealous or worried.

So don’t use any media – not until you’re up, washed and drinking tea or coffee.
Instead, try this…

Visualise Something Positive

When you wake up, ask yourself:

“What ONE THING did I do yesterday that I feel good about?”

And…

“What ONE THING can I do today that I will feel good about?”

Try and visualise these positive things and focus on them, rather than dwelling on the bad.

If all you did yesterday was watch Netflix or argue with a family member… and all you have planned for today is a dental appointment… that’s okay because you can try this next trick…

Reframe the Negatives

Take the bad thing that happened – or the painful thing that’s coming – and reframe it so that you find the positive aspects of it.

For instance, if you’ve argued with someone, think about what you can do to resolve it…

If you failed to work on a home business project as planned, then think about what you can do today to work on it.

If you have a dreaded dentist or GP appointment, reassure yourself that you are bravely confronting your problems head-on.

Reframing the negatives isn’t delusional. It’s simply a way to tell yourself a more helpful version of the same story so that you can move forward.

Even better, say it out loud! This helps embed the positive idea in your suggestible morning brain.

Do something physical

Rather than let your brain run away with things too much, try and get your body into the right gear – this, in turn, will influence your mind-set.

For example…

• Get out of bed and stretch gently…
• Open the window, let light in, and check out the view…
• Do some deep breathing…

All you need is a few minutes of light exercise or mindful concentration to push away the onslaught of worry and stress.

Make a Kaisen micro-plan

Before your brain gets pulled in a thousand different directions by all your thoughts, try and focus on a plan.

Think about the Kaisen method I’ve written about in previous issues of What Really Makes Money. This is where you ask yourself “What one SMALL thing can I do towards my goal today?”

It could be that you start on the first module of a course, begin an educational book, brainstorm a product idea or write an important email.

Whatever it is, give yourself that one tiny, achievable challenge in the morning – and the next morning, you can reflect on that achievement to make yourself feel more positive about your progress in life!

Don’t worry if you try these 5 techniques and they don’t work at first…

It will take you a while to ingrain these as habits – and even longer, perhaps, to retrain your brain if you are a pessimistic type or a TERRIBLE morning person.

But keep going and you should notice an effect!

If it does work for you, please let me know!

Or if you’re still struggling to stay motivated – particularly when it comes to working on a home business idea – then drop me an email and I’ll give you some more tips.