A Formula for Your Best Day Ever PT. I

A lousy day begins:

1. Tired. “Fatigue makes cowards of us all.” Vince Lombardi/George Patton
2. Hurried.
3. Anxious.
4. Unfocused – scattered.
5. Filled with recurring frustrations and disappointments.

Wouldn’t you love to wake up eager for the challenges and opportunities of a new day?

Your best day begins in the evening.

Rest is the foundation for success. I woke up this morning at 4 a.m. rested and ready to go. But that’s not always true.

Lack of sleep results in forgetfulness, accidents, lack of concentration, bad mood, weakened immune systems, weight gain, dementia, and worse.

“Death is nature’s way of telling you to slow down.” Anonymous

Those who sleep less than 5 hours a night have a 12% higher risk of mortality than those who sleep 7-8 hours a night. (That research is enough to keep me up at night.)

Commit to sleep.

Sleep tips:

1. Go to bed early if you want to get up early.
2. If you wake up in the night, do something relaxing, but don’t worry about not sleeping. That keeps you up. A boring audio book works for me sometimes.
3. Use a flashlight when you get up in the night. Don’t turn on lights.
4. Try white, pink, or brown noise.
5. Tap into relaxation during the day. Close your office door and breathe deep. Go for short walks. Practice gratitude. Phone a friend to catch up. Divide work into manageable chunks.
6. Let your brain relax by recording your worries and frustrations in a notebook.
7. Use blue light blocking glasses. I have a friend who increased his sleep time by 10% with blue light blocking glasses.

What is your best sleep tip?

What suggestions do you have for creating the best day ever?

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This post was previously published on Leadership Freak with a Creative Commons License.

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