Winston Churchill: You can not reason with a Tiger when your head is in its mouth.
—Darkest Hour, 2017
Churchill’s Daily Routine
Churchill awoke about 7:30 a.m. and remained in bed for a substantial breakfast and reading of mail and all the national newspapers. For the next couple of hours, still in bed, he worked, dictating to his secretaries.
At 11:00 a.m., he arose, bathed, and perhaps took a walk around the garden, and took a weak whisky and soda to his study.
At 1:00 p.m. he joined guests and family for a three-course lunch. Clementine drank claret, Winston champagne, preferable Pol Roger served at a specific temperature, port brandy and cigars. When lunch ended, about 3:30 p.m. he returned to his study to work, or supervised work on his estate, or played cards or backgammon with Clementine.
What’s a daily routine?
A daily routine is just a list of activities with a purpose: to become the person you need to be to improve any area of your life.
For this to happen, you build habits. A habit is an automated and repeated action. Needless to say, automation is the key to creating great flow in your mornings.
Here are 5 ways to improve your morning routine:
1. Align your morning routine with your grandest goals
When you schedule specific action, you have to keep in mind your grandest goals.
What are your grandest goals? What goals move your soul?
Make a list.
2. List the activities you want to complete the next day
John C. Maxwell said, “You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.”
Your daily actions tell your whole story.
Each morning as you go through this list, you will check off each item as you complete it.
To-do lists tend to be long; write, instead, success lists (short lists)
Remember to do your most important work—your one thing—early since purpose without priority is powerless.
Create a schedule.
3. Include healthy and productive habits in the early morning
Here are some of the healthy and productive habits you can apply every morning:
1) Waking up with a plan
2) Exercise
3) Fruit for breakfast
4) Meditation
5) Creative visualization
6) Gratitude
7) Food for soul
4. Get momentum to pay you a visit
Make new choices based on your goals and core values, and staying consistent over a long enough period of time.
Consistency is the key to achieving and maintaining momentum.
5. Track your progress, make necessary adjustments
One of the causes of mediocrity is the lack of accountability. In order to accelerate growth, you need lessons learned and make new commitments.
Actions determine outcomes, and outcomes inform actions.
Accountable people absorb setbacks and keep going. They persevere through problems and keep pushing forward.
And you? What are your tips on building a successful daily routine? Leave your comments below.
Art is one of my most important priorities, so I try to make sure there’s some small art project for me to do when I wake up. But I like Churchill’s idea of staying in bed for a few hours reading and dealing with mail and so forth. Sounds like a comfortable way to start the day.
You are smart, James! First things always come first. Regarding to Churchill, it sounds like something to do on Sunday, so it’s okay if you fall asleep again. (I’m sure it would happen to me) 😉 Nonetheless, it worked for Churchill. He wrote 50 books, served in British government for a half century and was Prime Minister twice. What else? 🙂
You are smart, James! First things always come first. Regarding to Churchill, it sounds like something to do on Sunday, so it’s okay if you fall asleep again. (I’m sure it would happen to me) ? Nonetheless, it worked for Churchill. He wrote 50 books, served in British government for a half century and was Prime Minister twice. What else? ?