Good morning Sunshine!!!  I know you’re feeling nice and refreshed after all that sleep from last night and after reviewing “Sleep: Are you Getting Enough? – Parts 1 & 2”.  I want to help you keep that feeling throughout the day as long as possible so your efforts are not in vain, but we have no time to waste and have to be super intentional with our processes so let’s get to it!!!

How We Start Sets the Tone

The very 1^st thing we want to do is get out of the bed as quickly as possible.  The reasoning lies in the fact that we are literally getting the day started.  You don’t have to jump out of bed like a basic trainee being awaken by the sound of a yelling training instructor, but you need to get up onto your feet as soon as you realize you’re awake:  We want to send signals to the body, brain and central nervous system that we’re ready to be productive and get the juices flowing. We want to eliminate the infamous “Give me (5) more minutes”.  Mind you, we’re talking about a normal day where we have tasks to complete, such as work, working out, tending to others, etc.  If it’s your day off then the only thing is you get your delicate 7-9 hours with the preference being right in the middle at 8.

Don’t Run Away From the Light

I’ve heard and seen it countless times where folks are up and moving about their home in darkness like their auditioning to be a Seals 6 Team member (minus the night vision goggles).  They boast about knowing where everything is and can successfully leave the house with matching socks.  However, the detriment is they’re sending competing signals:  On (1) hand, the lights are off and as it would be when the sun goes down; our circadian rhythm takes over and prepares us for impending sleep.  On the other hand, we’re being productive by way of washing our face, brushing our teeth, perhaps showering and getting dressed to head out the door.  Ultimately productivity will come out as the winner because we have places to be, thus, we want to use light as a tool to help us ramp up our output.  Light inside the home is like a mini version of the sun outside and when the light hits our eyes, our central nervous system starts to prime to get us ready to move.  Now I understand many of us share a room with someone else, thus I employ you to find a space that quickly allows you to turn a light on within a minute of awakening, such as the bathroom, closet or maybe a guest bathroom/bedroom if your significant other is sensitive to light and noise pollution.  The obvious is that it’s bright at first but your central nervous system will thank you for your efforts.

Don’t Reach for the Caffeine

As a disclaimer, this is not to say you shouldn’t have caffeine at all but the timing of when you consume it is very important to ensure its effectiveness:  When you 1^st awake, your cortisol (also known as your alertness hormone) is at its highest peak, so drinking caffeine within that 1^st hour can render it non-effective and very well can lead to jitteriness.  Additionally, that’s 5-10 minutes that you now have back and we all know how sensitive those minutes are 1^st thing in the morning.  Instead, get ready and out the door and have that 1^st hit 60-90 minutes after you awake.  At this time, your cortisol levels have started to decrease and now you can hit that balloon back in the air to (hopefully) give yourself a few hours of productivity.  One thing to note:  Make sure you seize all caffeine within 6-8 hours of bedtime to keep both your timing and quality of sleep from being interfered with.  Caffeine stays in the body for hours and we don’t want it getting in the way of our set bedtime.