I love mornings. Each new day brings new business opportunities and it’s a chance to start fresh and do better. How you start your day, or more specifically how you spend those first few morning hours has a big impact on the rest of it. Think of it as setting the tone for your entire day. That’s why making over your morning is so important. It’s about much more than those first few hours.

And as aspiring entrepreneurs its even more important. You’ll want to start shaping your biz mindset as you prepare for your shift.  And there is no better place to start then first thing in the morning. And because my business involves traveling frequently i actually have two routines! I’ll talk about that later.

I’m sure you’ve experienced this yourself. Let’s use the snooze button as an example. You set an early alarm to make sure you have time for exercise, meditation, or simply some much needed “me time”. You have every intention of getting up and doing whatever you’re setting out to do when you set the alarm in the first place. Some mornings – hopefully most mornings – you get up when the alarm chimes and go for that walk, do your meditation exercise, or read the latest business news headlines for twenty minutes. Then there are those days when you just can’t make yourself get up. You hit the snooze button multiple times, or turn the alarm off altogether and go back to sleep. Yes I confessed in my bio – I am an snooze button hitter! Guilty as charged.

Think about how the rest of those days went. Did you notice a difference in how you felt? How much did you got done on the mornings when you got up with your first alarm? Were you able to do all the things you set out to do? How did those days compare to the ones when you hit the snooze button over and over again?

If I had to take a guess, I’d say that the mornings when you got up as soon as the alarm went off went a lot smoother.  I bet you accomplished what you have planned to do, too. Chances are that sleeping through the snooze button didn’t just affect your morning, but the entire rest of your day. You set the tone for how your day is going to go first thing in the morning. That’s what the old saying about getting up on the wrong side of the bed is about. Let’s make sure we get up on the right side and start our day off in a positive and productive way.

Over the course of the next seven days, I want to guide you through the process of making over your morning. As we’ve already established, this is an important task and a good thing to work on and pay attention to as you prepare your shift from 9-5 to small biz owner. Not only will you enjoy your mornings more even if the alarm goes off much earlier than you’d like, it will make the entire rest of your day go much smoother.

 

So today – I want you to focus on getting to sleep tonight. What will your preparation? Here is a 12 tip checklist from Arianna Huffington author of The Sleep Revolution created that is worth considering.

1. Create a bedroom environment that’s dark, quiet, and cool (between 60 and 67 degrees).

2. Turn off electronic devices at least 30 minutes before bedtime.

3. Don’t charge your phone next to your bed. Even better: Gently escort all devices completely out of your room. Or maybe the bedroom closet.

4. Stop drinking caffeine after 2 p.m.

5. Use your bed for sleep and sex only—no work!

6. Keep pets off the bed (sorry, Mr. Snuffles).

7. Take a hot bath with Epsom salts in the evening to help calm your mind and body. Or try a shower gel that has lavender essential oils.

8. Wear pajamas, nightdresses, or even a special T-shirt—it’ll send a sleep-friendly message to your body. If you wore it to the gym, don’t wear it to bed.

9. Do some light stretching, deep breathing, yoga, or meditation to help your body and your mind transition to sleep.

10. Choose a real book or an e-reader that does not emit blue light, if you like to read in bed. And make sure it’s not work-related: novels, poetry, philosophy—anything but work.

11. Sip camomile or lavender tea to ease yourself into sleep mode.

12. Write down a list of what you’re grateful for before bed. It’s a great way to make sure your blessings get the closing scene of the night.