8 Things the Most Successful
People Do Every Night
Your happy and productive tomorrow starts tonight.
The importance of good morning habits is a no-brainer. It's common sense that if you wake up early and do good things to ramp your body and mind up for the day, those things will pay off. How we spend our evenings gets a lot less attention--but they're just as important, the time
that bridges one day into the next.
Train yourself
to make that transition a great one with these eight evening habits borrowed from highly successful people.
1. Read to learn.
Growth requires learning, and the more topics you're engaged and
interested in, the more effective you can be. But there's rarely time during
the workday to feed your mind or learn something new. If you set aside some
time to read in the evening, you'll find it's a relaxing way to expand your
horizons. As a bonus, it can help you make the transition to a great night's
sleep, as long as you read from a book or an ebook with digital ink rather than
the screen of a computer or smart device.
2. Spend time with people you care about.
One of the very best ways to nurture yourself is to spend time
in the company of people you deeply connect with and care about. These are the
people who bring out the best in you, the ones whose support and caring can
fuel you through hard times. It doesn't matter if it's friends or family, and
it doesn't matter what you do--watching a movie together, taking a walk, or
sharing a meal. The point is spending time together.
3. Make time to do nothing.
We spend so much of our time in busy-ness. The best antidote is
to spend some time not doing anything. Turn off the screens and the sounds,
find a quiet corner, and quiet your mind. You can choose to engage in
structured meditation or prayer or just concentrate on your breath. A few
moments set aside will center you and keep you focused, and it also promotes
good sleep.
4. Take stock.
The end of the day is a great time to take stock of what's been
happening. Some people journal, others do a mental walk-through. Either way,
ask yourself what's working and what's not, what needs your attention, what
developments are significant. It's a natural time to check in, and it keeps key
concepts at the top of your mind as you prepare for the next morning.
5. Work out.
Especially if you've spent the entire day at your desk, don't go
to bed until you've found a way to move your body. Many people find a hard
workout at the gym too stimulating for the evening hours, but a long walk, a
yoga class, or even some simple stretches will help your body and leave you
relaxed rather than revved up.
6. Reset to refresh.
If an active day of work and decision making leave you drained,
find a ritual to help you reset your body and your thoughts so you can
symbolically leave it behind instead of carrying today's problems into
tomorrow. It may be that one of the habits we've already discussed--especially
exercise and meditation--covers this base as well. If not, try to create a
habit that will signal your brain to reset, like taking a bath or having a cup
of herbal tea.
7. Get organized.
Do as much as you can in the evening to organize and prepare for
the morning. It creates a ritual you can walk through--prepare the coffee, pack
anything you need to take with you, set out your clothes. You'll sleep better
knowing that the next day is likely to have a calm, effective start.
8. Express gratitude.
Making gratitude a nightly touchstone helps keep you content and
happy. You may build it into another practice, like journaling or meditation,
or just take a moment to jot down the top five things you're grateful for each
evening. Gratitude makes you more positive and optimistic, which in turn helps
more good things happen.
Good evening habits are all about unwinding and balance and
letting go of the pressures of the day. It's something that pays you back
twice--giving you a relaxed, pleasant evening and a more energetic, productive
day.
BY LOLLY DASKAL
http://www.inc.com/lolly-daskal/what-the-most-successful-people-do-in-the-evening.html?cid=em01016week32a
No comments:
Post a Comment