A cool thing happened to me a couple of months ago, I welcomed my fourth daughter into the world. (My wife did most of the work but you probably already knew that.) Another cool thing is that my wife and I made a bet that if it was another daughter then I could buy a gaming system like Xbox, PS3, Wii etc.
So I went ahead and picked up a PS3. As a gamer I really only like playing sports games. Madden, College Football, NHL Live etc. If EA sports puts it out, I probably like it.
All this sounds great right?
Except that I usually don’t play it when I am hanging with the family so my best time to play games is in the morning. The problem with that is that it cuts into my power hour time. Morning is a time that I typically carve out for building a relationship with God, for working on my not getting any younger body and working on my business or educating myself in a specific discipline. Cutting into to that time has serious consequences for me.
So what does God have to do with productivity? If I feel like I am losing touch with that relationship then it starts to create a void in my consciousness that keeps me from being present in the moment with other people. I always use this time as an opportunity to express gratitude and keep myself thinking abundantly rather than worry about what I don’t have. As a business owner, there’s plenty to worry about.
So now I have worry that I am trying to carry myself and a great outlet for stress is working out. Except I am not doing that either unless you count workout that my thumbs are getting from gaming. No stress release and I don’t have as much energy. This lack of energy is productivity killer #2.
As a business owner, you have to schedule time to work on the business. Business that do this are much more successful than businesses that don’t. When I am not working on my business then my business suffers as well. I am not working on objectives or strategies and not looking for opportunities to build relationships.
So who’s to blame for all this?…….EA Sports. Just kidding, it’s me.
So I took my power hour back recently and I feel much better and more connected to God and to myself. The by-product is that I am also better for my clients and for my family which is also cool. I still game but now I just have to pick my spots. Don’t get me wrong my gaming wasn’t all for naught. I did guide the University of Utah to several football National Championships on NCAA College Football. Then my wife had to inform me that it wasn’t real. Oh well, at least I still have my business.
What does your morning routine look like? What gets in your way from doing a morning routine?
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