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Just give me a nod if this scenario applies to you…
Wake up in the morning and have some cereal and coffee. Go ahead and check your emails (there are 25 waiting for you), get on Facebook and watch some of the funny videos that have been posted overnight, update your status, reply to comments on your blog, and then sit back…
tell yourself how much you really should workout, and spend the next 15 minutes deciding HOW to workout… then look at your watch and the first thought that comes to mind is “Oh $*%#!”… because it’s 11:30am already!
Has that happened to you before? If not, you must have gotten some of that “freakish discipline” from Jonathan Budd. I wonder if he’s selling that stuff yet? 
For the rest of us, I have put together a short video outlining the “daily success ritual” that I follow to get as focused and productive as possible when I sit down to my computer for the day. Enjoy!
So what did you think of the video? I would greatly appreciate it if you leave me a comment below outlining YOUR daily success ritual or any other suggestions you might have. I love learning from the wonderful community we’ve assembled here.
Share the post with your friends on Facebook and Twitter if you found it valuable!
Have an amazing day, and I’ll be with you again soon.
To your productivity and prosperity,
P.S. Did you check out the video montage I put together from the No Excuses Summit? It’s quite a crack up. Check it out here: No Excuses Summit video montage.
Jennifer May
Spunky Jones
Lori Robertson
Edward
Heather Taskovics
Wendy Hewlett
Kim Pottle
Diane L Fisher
Ken Pickard
Chris Bernardo
July 22nd, 2010 at 11:25 am
Hey Amanda,
I started doing the list thing the night before awhile ago and it totally does work!
I also like how you mentioned being active in the morning. I wrote a post about having balance in your life. Since I have actively tried to have balance in my life between work, exercise, family, and personal time, I have had a lot more success.
I think that it makes you feel more well rounded. It also makes me much happier knowing that I accomplished more than just something on the computer.
Thanks!
~Erin
Erin Smith´s last blog ..Overcoming Your Fears
Amanda Reply:
July 22nd, 2010 at 10:35 pm
@Erin, I agree! I get alot more done when I make my list the night before!
Being well-rounded and keeping everything balanced is so important. I have to remember to get off my darn computer sometimes.
Thanks for your input!
July 22nd, 2010 at 3:02 pm
HI Amanda,
I am still working on getting them written in the evening, and that may be my bug on this. What you said is that you make your list when you have finished working whether it be 4pm or 9pm. Then maybe that should be number 6 on the list: make your list for tomorrow. Maybe I shouldn’t wait until evening or make the list the last thing I do for the day. Thanks for getting me to think about this, I think I may have solved my bug.
I also have trouble getting my daily exercise in each day and perhaps I will try your method of doing it in the morning before I get onto the time eating machine (computer) My problem is I don’t like any of those things called exercise, I only like how I feel after I do them
Jan
Jan Hale´s last blog ..Gulf Oil Spill- There is a Safe Solution
Amanda Reply:
July 22nd, 2010 at 10:40 pm
@Jan, yeah maybe you want to try to make your list for the next day, before you do your last thing for the current day.
Getting out for some exercise before you even touch the computer is so important. And don’t be afraid to take little breaks throughout the day to re-focus yourself.
Thanks for your input!
July 22nd, 2010 at 9:46 pm
Amanda,
This is great advice. I tend to attempt to do too many things during my week and not get enough sleep
I like your idea of working out in the morning because then it always gets done rather than waiting till the end of the day when you are tired.
What I do is have the week’s schedule on a spread sheet with the times of day and I fill in what I am going to do at certain times and limit myself to that time. It’s a work in progress, though!!!
Thanks again Amanda. Look forward to more of your great posts.
Blessings,
Karen
Karen Marrow´s last blog ..How To Find What You Love To Do
Amanda Reply:
July 22nd, 2010 at 10:42 pm
@Karen, been there, done that.
It always caught up to me though not getting enough sleep.
I find that I perform better in my workouts when I do it in the morning. Your spreadsheet idea is great but I’ve found that I can’t seem to stay on such a rigid schedule. I’ve tried over and over but it just doesn’t work for me. Everyone is different though!
I really appreciate you stopping by!
July 22nd, 2010 at 10:46 pm
Great Post! This is a trap that so many of us can easily fall into.
Back when I was a kid everything was pretty much planned out for me, be it by design or happenstance as I’m sure it was for most of us. Even with homework I knew what had to get done and typically did the most difficult tasks first, unless I knew it wouldn’t allow for my other work to be finished for when it was due.
Your ‘5’s the Limit’ rule is great as I tend think I’m Superman at times. As a freelance graphic designer, animator, and marketer I usually weigh out how labor intensive some things are and factor that in too. I have days where 1-3 tasks are all that I will have time for before my day is through.
It’s great to know others have similar challenges… except for folks like that Jonathan Budd ;o) (Yeah I follow him too…)
Benjamin Hur´s last blog ..4th of July Car Giveaway
Amanda Reply:
July 26th, 2010 at 1:08 pm
@Benjamin, glad to hear you enjoyed the post! Sometimes I only lay out 2 or 3 things and that takes up my whole day too! Guess we’ll have to work on our JBness.
Thanks for stopping by!
July 22nd, 2010 at 11:43 pm
Hi Amanda,
I use the ‘to-do’ list widget on iGoogle for keeping track of waht I need to do. I move it right to the top of the page so I look at it everytime I’m on my home page.
Take care…
Deb-n-Lee
Amanda Reply:
July 26th, 2010 at 1:08 pm
@Deb-n-Lee, cool! Thanks for the tip!
July 23rd, 2010 at 12:23 pm
Hi Amanda,
I also find that writing 5 things on my to do list works well for me. The only thing is that being a stay at home mom you got another to do list for your kids, especially during summer brake
Thanks for sharing this video
Katherine
Katherine Droguett´s last undefined ..If you register your site for free at
Amanda Reply:
July 26th, 2010 at 1:08 pm
@Katherine, I can only imagine!
July 27th, 2010 at 1:21 am
Great post Amanda!
need some of that “freakish discipline”!
You inspired me to actually write down what I want to get done tomorrow.
August 13th, 2010 at 2:22 am
Hi Amanda,
I know that I really suffer badly from sitting at the computer only to leave a few hours later & NOTHING has been achieved!!
Great advice.. I`ll be making my list from now on!
Thank you.
Take care
Nick
August 18th, 2010 at 3:04 pm
Hey Amanda
Excellent post Amanda. Yes, I agree you need to have a morning ritual to set your day right.
When I started working from home, my day was sooooooo… busy, but my to do list wasn’t ticked off the way I like to. Thanks to Eban Pagan’s Wakeup Productive course, I implemented a morning ritual similar to yours. Mmmm… I follow it may be 80% of the time… well there is heaps of room to improve.
Reading this post and watching your video is really a reminder and reinforcement to what I am doing. So, I am grateful that you did this post.
Have an amazing day
Damayanthi
Damayanthi´s last blog ..Attention- Home Business Owners – What Do You Do When Nobody Is Watching