So I thought I’d start this new and invigorated Guru Nickin with my own basic understanding of goal setting & accomplishing, and I figured if it could help anyone else then all the better.

 

One of the main things I noticed whilst I took my break was the basic and small scale things I would have to do in order for me  to be able to tackle the time I had from the moment I woke up, to when my head hit the pillow later that night. From easy household chores and practices, to diet and exercise and even the mindset I had for the day were all key when trying to get on the better side of the next 24 hours. So I decided to narrow it down to four main points that I considered to be the most important.

 

First I chose to wake up relatively early. I, personally, love my sleep, it’s one of my favourite things to do, but the early part of the day, between sunrise and around midday is probably the most productive period for my mind. So to engage myself and the productivity around that time I have to take full advantage of that sweet period of day. If I have a late night, sleeping at around 12-1 on a weekday, I choose to set my alarm to around 7:30-8AM. Now typically I aim for about 7-8 hours of sleep, the normal amount everyone should be getting. If it’s a normal working day in which I get to bed at around 10-11, waking up at 6-7am is ideal. I know it sounds terrible but utilising as much daylight and time as I could’ve, worked out better for me in the long run so I tried to make a habit out of it.  Now for me and for most other creative people, my mind runs crazy late at night, and sometimes during the night at odd times, so in the past I avoided sleeping early and subsequently woke up later. However, I soon found out that just because you can’t be creative in the morning, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use that time to do anything else.

 

Recently I listened to a Podcast which recounted the journey of UFC Featherweight fighter Cristane ‘Cyborg’ Justino. She was the former Featherweight Champion in Invicta, a subsidiary of the UFC and on the podcast, Her boyfriend and former MMA fighter, Ray Elbe, talks about her routine. He says that the reason why he was never champion and that Cyborg was, was because of her commitment and work ethic. Both of which were exemplified by the fact that she would get up super duper early just to get a jump start on her day. A 5am wake up, followed by a run and then settling back home for a cup of  coffee and then continue with her training and work for the rest of the day…

So, you’re probably ask why I bring this up… Well being creative, working and being productive are not always the same thing. So if you can’t be creative  then it is important to engage your body and mind in other ways. Do a crossword, get  some writing done, read a book or the newspaper, or even squeeze a workout in.

I found that doing any of these things expanded my thought process for the day and also taught me new things about myself.

 

The second point was to make sure my diet consisted of good food that met all my basic requirements. This goes hand in hand with any type of exercise I did throughout the day. Typically,  I like to enjoy my meals, especially junk like maccas  burgers and fries which are always at the top of my list. Of course I couldn’t eat like that all the time or I’d get fat, so I tried to work around what I could and couldn’t eat.

As a result, I put effort into making my own food, purely because it gave me something more to do and to focus on. Meal prep is always a great idea, especially if you only have a set amount of time throughout the day and you’re far too busy to make all your meals as you need them. Sticking to the basics  was my general rule so having a good source of protein and a generous helping of vegetables with some carbs for energy was  staple.  I try not to eat out, but if I have no choice or I feel like treating myself, I steer clear of anything that might cause me to heavily drop in energy throughout the day, so I avoided things like soft drinks and intensely sugar rich foods and tried to go for more organic and fresh foods that kept my energy levels high.

 

The third aspect I brought into my lifestyle was choosing to keep my mental juices flowing towards the latter end of the day.  Coming back from work not only means that I’m finally relieved from the stress of the day past, but it also meant that I have  to get ready for the day ahead.  Now, because I travel up to an hour and a half a day, listening to music is always the best way to wind down. However, I find that sometimes, music can cause me to get tired and drift off, and after a long bus and train ride, it’s easy to get dreary from staring at the world go by through a window. What I need is something that still works my brain down but at the same time relaxes my body and not put me on edge. Podcasts and radio are a great way for you to engage your mind and expand your growth in all aspects. I like entertaining podcasts like The Fighter and the Kid, Tiger Belly and The Joe Rogan Experience, purely because I find the main talking points interesting and the delivery is always entertaining. As well as this, I like to finish the afternoon with a walk of some kind to get some blood flowing, so listening to podcasts after a long day,  during a run or a walk, or even just before bed, is great for me.

 

This leads me into my final point, sleeping early. If you’re a late worker and prefer to work into the night then this probably won’t be for you. But for me, this is pretty much where my day  ends. I know I’m a grandpa, but I found it important to prepare myself for the next day, which helped so much, especially when I was trying to get things done. In my head or on paper, I’d make a list of things to do the next day. Usually because I couldn’t be bothered writing it down, I’d make a mental note, but to avoid forgetting, I tried to at least use posted notes and get some sort of physical reminder. However, I found doing this made me become anxious and cause me to  over think about it so instead of fixating on tasks I would then  divert my attention elsewhere within the last half an hour before sleeping. I used to love watching tv shows before bed but I quickly realised it could get quite difficult trying to fall asleep after staring at a screen for an extended period of time. Instead I used breathing exercises, some slow music or a decent book, which are all great to get yourself into a good mood to get some rest.

 

But being bothered is always a problem, that’s why there’s a sneaky 5th point that I chose to grow into my day which ended up being the most important, and that is my mindset. Being able to let go of the day passed is important for you to take on the day ahead, so getting good sleep and doing so with a good mindset is important to tackle the next 24 hours. This doesn’t mean you have to be happy, rather to be focused and clear to what  inevitably comes next.