This is a concept I learned from Darren Hardy, Publisher of SUCCESS magazine and author of the New York Times Bestselling book, “The Compound Effect” It is simple to understand, but more difficult to implement.
If you think about your day like a bookend, your morning is on one side and your evening is on the other. You sometimes can’t control all the things that happen during the day (what goes between your bookends). Meetings, traffic, customer concerns, delays, etc., however what can you do to improve the bookend of your day?
Let’s look at the morning. Some people sleep in and then rush in the shower and get dressed. They don’t take the time to stop for breakfast to get themselves ready to take on the day. They may be in catch-up mode all day. Some people may get up, sip a coffee and reflect on the day and what their priorities are for the day. Some people may get up and head out for a run, or go to the gym to strengthen their mind and body. Some people may get on Facebook and kill time because they didn’t plan anything different.
Now let’s look at the evening, just before bedtime. For some people this may be 10:00pm, for others it may be 11:30pm. Did they get caught up in hours of TV, or eat chips and fill their face just before bedtime? Some people may wind down sooner and read or listen to mellow music to relax before heading off to bed. Some may be out partying the night away.
The reality is that some people are “morning” people and some are “night owls”. Both can be effective, but we have an opportunity to re-visit our routines and behaviors to enhance our day and our night.
It is my personal goal to improve the morning bookend of my day. I am definitely a morning person, but my routine needs tweaking. It is easy for me to get focused on work and the day ahead, so I have the consistent habit to get in the work mode within minutes of getting up. This leaves little time for wellness activities, reflection or even meditation. I love the challenge and I am committed to making my morning routine serve my best interest. When I really look closely at what I want to change and tweak it seems so obvious. Small adjustments to your bookends can make all the difference.
The slightest tweaks in our bookends can make all the difference. What do your daily bookends look like?
photo credit: ~Brenda-Starr~ via photopin cc
