The alarm went off at 5:20 this morning and for a minute or two, I lay in bethinking through my morning routine. I wanted to have a picture in my mind of what I was going to accomplish. I knew if I had that picture, it would more readily be achieved. So, I walked through my morning scripture study and then turned my thoughts to what I wanted to write here.

Last night, I had sat for nearly 20 minutes, trying to think of something to write. Nothing came. I wasn’t interested in anything. I gave up and read a book instead. That was a good decision. For me, writing is something I can’t force. However, this morning, laying there, I thought of this post and laid it all out in my mind in about 15 seconds. Then, I got up and got started.

Why was it so much easier this morning? Aside from being more rested and ready, I spent time away from the keyboard, designing what I wanted to write. Houses are blueprints long before the first nail is hammered into wood. Jumbo jets are blueprints long before the first piece of aluminum is bent. Software programs are sketched out before the first line of code is written.

For a successful creation experience, spend some time planning. Those few minutes of planning can save hours of struggle. Subsequent decisions are rendered easier, once the final product is determined. Each step on the course becomes more evident.

I glanced through my email prior to beginning writing. Once again, Michael Hyatt beat me to the punch. His post this morning, Why Vision Is More Important Than Strategy, was exactly what I wanted to say.

If you have a clear vision, you will eventually attract the right strategy. If you don’t have a clear vision, no strategy will save you.

Read the rest of his post. It is very good. I would like to quote the entire article.

Spend time, as he suggests, writing up your vision. I plan on doing this step very soon. I believe this is what is missing in my life. I have dabbled at parts of the vision, writing my goals and such, but haven’t spent time writing the entire scope of m life vision. Instead, I let the strategy fears take over whenever I start. I haven’t a clue how I am going to accomplish all that I dream for myself. I have big dreams. Too big, at times. Why not dream big and let the strategy take care of itself?

 

This morning, this post came across from Michael Hyatt. This is good, really good. Definitely worth the three of four minutes it will take to read.

This is exactly what I am trying to do this year. One of my goals is to put the things I struggle with first in the day. For the past couple weeks, I have been getting up at 5:45 and forcing myself downstairs to the office. I make a cup of herbal tea and read scripture for 30 minutes. Just the act of doing that makes my day go so much better.

I used to think I could read scripture at the end of the day, before I went to bed. Some days it happened, some days it didn’t. When it did happen, I would read until I fell asleep, which was about three minutes. Getting through one chapter was difficult. Remembering what I read was even more difficult. Now, before the world wakes up, I am hitting my targets and actually doing what could actually be called “study”.

The side benefit? When I get ready for bed at night, I can reach for a novel to read without any guilt or inner-turmoil at all. I have slain the dragon long before. I have walked around the entire day, a little taller, proud I have already slain my dragon for the day. Thanks for the great advice, Michael.

 

sunrise-in-montanaI am not an introvert, but I do like my alone time. I like to have time without noise or distractions where I can think and just do what I want without interruption. The only time I have available is before everyone else gets up in the morning. I have tried staying up late, but teenagers can always outlast me.

Yesterday, I had a lot of things I wanted to get done. I drew up a list Friday night. I found this works better for me since I usually forget by Saturday morning and then waste an hour or two trying to figure out what needs to be done. In keeping with my post from last week, I tried to keep it to only those tasks that must be done. Still, that quickly extended into a list of a dozen things. From past experience, I knew I was in trouble. I usually can’t get that many things accomplished in a day.

When we were going to bed Friday, my wife asked when I was going to get up. I replied 6:00 to which she laughed. Six o’clock on a Saturday? That helped stiffen my resolve and I made it up by 6:30. That little goading by her probably saved my Saturday. Without the dig, I probably would have been happy to sleep in and give up on my ambitions. Instead, by the time the family was up, I had already completed my weekly review and had taken the car in for an oil change and tire rotation. Two things checked off before 9:00!

The rest of the day went very well and I was able to cross everything off my list except one – this post. By the time I got to it, my brain was too tired and my body too sore to want to tackle it. I felt good about putting it off until today.

Getting up early really helped me focus and get moving before the distractions began. But I can’t do it day after day unless I get to bed earlier. I have two teenagers that thrive on staying up late. That part has to change for me. I have to find ways to go to bed, even when the family does not.

I used to scoff at the people who said they loved getting up in the mornings. I thought it too difficult. I am a night person and prefer staying up late. That part still hasn’t changed, but I do agree with the early risers now. The morning is the best part of the day for getting things done.

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