There was a certain point in my life when I was losing myself by giving away my time and energy to others. And only to others. Never to myself.
I used to give everyone and everything around me all my attention when they wanted it most, never thinking twice to say no.
I was living my life on auto-pilot - being controlled by the demands of other people, as well as being programmed to consume every piece of content on social media, read the latest headlines and refresh my work emails every so often, right up until my head hits the pillow at night.
And sometimes it wouldn’t end there.
Another five minutes of scrolling through the latest news and reading my endless to-do list wouldn’t hurt, right?
Make it ten minutes. Okay, half an hour…
Little did I know that how I use my time was heavily dictated by people and devices, rather than deciding for myself where to pour my energy throughout the day.
I found myself constantly busy but getting very little done…
That was until I came across a captivating book called ‘The Miracle Morning’ written by Hal Elrod, in which I learnt a method to start blocking out time for myself, and only for myself.
It was a morning routine set up in a way where the number one priority is me, whilst the chaos and demands of the remainder of the day can take a backseat.
The routine described the likes of reading, writing and getting myself moving.
It is a routine which I have chopped and changed over the years until I found a formula that sits well with me.
Once I learnt the power of taking control of my time, this Dark Horse learnt to:
- Set boundaries between myself and the time I dedicate to work and people around me
- Become a lot more productive by being laser-focused on meaningful activity
- Gain a mental edge by starting the day with a clear purpose and high energy
- Win the day before the day even gets started
The biggest revelation of all was that it is not selfish to dedicate time to yourself, especially if it means gaining more peace, greater joy and becoming a better person as a whole.
What routines or habits do you treasure to help you become a better person than you were yesterday?
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