• They aren’t all rocket scientists. In fact, some of them didn’t ever graduate college (i.e. Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, etc.)
• They aren’t afraid to fail. Actually, they love failure as it’s a way to succeed faster.
• Lastly, they all have great habits. And one of those habits is creating a winning morning routine.

As the legendary motivational speaker and author Brian Tracy said, “Successful people are simply those with successful habits.” And he’s right. Especially when it comes to winning the morning.

One of the ways to do this is known as the hour of power. The hour of power routine has a few different versions but all have a lot in common.  

Hour of Power: Create Your Powerful Morning Routine

Jack Canfield’s Hour of Power

Jack Canfield, author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul Series and The Success Principles, love his hour of power. His version includes:

• 20 minutes of exercise
• 20 minutes of meditation
• And 20 minutes of reading or watching something positive and/or inspirational

Each of these helps him start the morning off with gratitude, movement, and inspired. One common thing among ultra-successful people is avoiding your phone for the first hour of the day. Give yourself a digital detox.

Besides, how many times have looking at your phone in the morning actually made your day better?

If you’re like most people its just a distraction and easy to end up on the vortex of social media.

Tony Robbins’s Hour of Power

Tony Robbins is another huge proponent of morning routines and has several different rituals, depending on the amount of time you have available. While the hour of the power of is good in theory, not everyone always has a full 60 minutes each day.

In this case, it’s important to have a variety of 15 and 30-minute versions instead of skipping altogether. Here’s what Tony’s 15-minute ritual looks like:

15 Minutes of Fulfillment

1. Move and Breathe (5 minutes): As Tony says, “Motion creates emotion.” Use some sort of diaphragm breathing or short burst of exercise to wake up your nervous system once you wake up.
2. Gratitude Exercise (5 minutes): Go to any Tony Robbins seminar and you’ll instantly understand the importance of gratitude. In this exercise, focus on three things you’re grateful for in life. Nothing is too small or big.
3. Incantations (5 minutes): Incantations are a form of affirmations in which you use your body and breath more than simply reading positive statements. Tony’s said in several interviews he used to shout incantations at max volume while driving in his car. He’s said that they’ve helped rewire his subconscious and help him achieve more.

Start Your Hour of Power

If you’re ready to start your hour of power for the new year here are some easy rituals to add to your routine:

• Writing in a gratitude journal or expressing gratitude outwardly
• Journaling your goals and future plans
• Exercising, yoga, stretching or going for a brisk walk
• Watching or reading something inspirational or uplifting
• Having a healthy breakfast and preparing a healthy lunch

Remember, you can always change the terms of your hour. It is your Hour of Power. But have fun with it, and know that it’s extremely effective in centering you, uplifting you, and helping you create a powerful, positive day.

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Sleep not only helps us feel healthy and energetic, it also serves a biological function.

During sleep, our brain removes toxic proteins from neurons, revitalizing our brain for peak performance the next day. 

Here are the most common symptoms of sleep deprivation to help you decide if you’re sleep deprived:

Symptoms of Sleep Deprivation

• You are impulsive and easily irritable
• You can’t recall things or think clearly
• You find it hard to make decisions
• You cannot move properly: Motor skills get affected
• You are over-reactive, can’t handle emotions
• You abruptly fall asleep in meetings, while driving.

If you test positive on the symptoms of sleep deprivation mentioned below, use the solutions that follow to fix your sleep and feel energetic again.

Effects of Sleep Deprivation

You Cannot Perform Well

We need sleep to function well. Without it, we’re running on fumes and are at the risk of screwing up important tasks at work. American Academy of Sleep Medicine says that healthy adults need a minimum of seven hours of sleep and recommend sleeping for 7-8 hours every night.

So if you don’t sleep long enough, you are unable to think clearly, solve complex problems or recall from memory, and this affects your performance at work.

Your Health is Affected

Physical effects of sleep deprivation: Sleep deprivation can cause many kinds of health problems such as heart attack, stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity. And the excess cortisol produced weakens our immune system, making us more susceptible to such serious diseases.

Even one night of poor sleep leads to considerable effects on how you function during the day. If you sense any of the symptoms of sleep deprivation mentioned above, know that it’s time to make different lifestyle choices.

There is Enough Time!

Without your physical health, no amount of work is going to help you succeed. Moreover, many productivity experts including Tim Ferriss have stated that doing less with high intensity is something better than doing a lot haphazardly.

The proof:

Parkinson’s law: work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.  

The greatest performers understand that stress and lack of time is a story that people tell themselves. Instead of working a lot, work only on the extremely important within a dedicated time period. See also the Pareto Principle which guides you to work less and achieve more.

How to Fix Your Sleep

1. Don’t take sleeping pills

Sleeping pills may seem effective at first, but in reality, they disturb your natural sleep cycle. Anything that you take to sedate yourself at night, including alcohol, disturb the restoration process of brain.

Giving up sleeping pills is easier said than done. If this is the case, you can try other strategies such as meditating, eliminating coffee, staying away from technology (blue light) at night and having a consistent relaxation routine.

2. Don’t Drink Coffee After Lunchtime

People who work round the clock often rely on stimulants such as coffee to keep going through the day. The truth is that coffee may help you feel awake for a while but it’s not healthy in the long-run.

Don’t drink more than three cups of coffee a day. And don’t drink coffee after noon. This is because coffee taken after noon remains in your body till late night. If you sense any of the symptoms of sleep deprivation, take a short nap instead of going for that cup of joe.

3. Don’t Use Electronics At Night

The blue light from laptop, PC, or smartphone can disturb our natural sleep rhythm. This is because our body uses cues such as light exposure and timing of food to set our internal sleep clock.

This is why camping is a great way to reset your body clock. When you’re out all day, you get the right light exposure at the right time and studies show that it fixes your sleep within one day.

4. Wake Up At The Same Time Each Day

Irregular sleep schedule can disturb the natural rhythms of our body. Rhythm means that our body produces melatonin when it’s time to sleep and increases hormone levels when it’s time to wake up. For such body rhythms to work, you need to wake up at the same time every day.

To accomplish this, set an alarm for the same time every day and resist the temptation to snooze and keep sleeping.

5. Have A Relaxing Evening Routine

Doing intense, stimulating activities before bedtime can hamper your sleep cycle. So it’s necessary to have a relaxation routine that doesn’t involve watching TV, internet surfing and using laptop or smartphone.

Here are some ideas for a relaxation routine:

• Read a book
• Take a warm shower and spend time with family
• Meditate
• Write a gratitude journal entry
• Drink herbal tea
• Listen to soothing music

6. Take Naps

Creating the right sleep routine may take some time. Meanwhile, there’s a solid tool you can use if you sense any of the symptoms of sleep deprivation: naps.

Taking naps is better than drinking coffee because coffee decreases brain function while napping increases it. 15-20 minutes of nap gives you a quick energy boost. Longer naps, of 30-60 mins, are good for enhancing memory recall and creativity. And 60-90 minutes of nap facilitates REM sleep and helps in restructuring neural connections and solving creative problems.

The post Symptoms of Sleep Deprivation And How It’s Killing Your Career appeared first on Fearless Motivation - Motivational Videos & Music.

If you are a high flyer by nature, getting enough sleep may seem like the least of your worries. With so many things to achieve, your to-do list is no doubt full to the brim – and constantly growing. When our schedules get busy and we need to find more hours in the day, sleep is often one of the first things to go. However, cutting back on sleep is one of the worst habits to get into, and will ultimately slow you down and even obstruct your path to success. Reaching peak performance requires you to be in peak shape, and this is only possible if you acknowledge and embrace the importance of sleep. Let’s explore why and how sleep is a defining factor in your success story.

Sleep Science: The Link Between Rest and Performance

In a world where we are constantly switched on, sleep has come to be seen as a luxury when it is, in fact, a necessity. It may be hard to believe that something as simple as laying down and going to sleep at night could be essential for human survival – but that is exactly what it is. It affects your entire body and therefore has a direct impact on almost every aspect of your being. Foregoing sleep on a regular basis will not merely leave you feeling a little groggy; it will eventually take its toll on your physical and mental health, as well as your cognitive abilities.

If you are set on success, you know you need to be on top form – and this means getting enough quality sleep to recharge your batteries each night. Here are just some of the things that make sleep an incredibly powerful performance enhancer:

• A sharper mind: According to the National Institutes of Health, sleep is essential for forming and maintaining the pathways in your brain that enable you to learn and create new memories. A good night’s sleep will help you to concentrate, respond quickly and focus your attention on the task at hand.
• A stronger immune system: Sleep is also crucial for maintaining a healthy immune system. A lack of sleep hampers your ability to fend off infection and illness, leaving you more susceptible to sick days. You cannot give your best if you are run down, so sleep needs to be part of your long-term plan for staying healthy.
• Mental wellbeing: How much sleep you get can even affect your state of mind. Most of us have experienced firsthand how a lack of sleep can leave you feeling irritable the next day, but chronic sleep deprivation can also increase the risk of developing anxiety or depression. Sufficient sleep is crucial to maintaining your mental wellbeing – which will help you to stay motivated and driven to achieve your goals.

Making Sleep a Priority

Even armed with all the facts, it can still be extremely difficult to make sleep a priority within your demanding schedule. First and foremost, you need to readjust the way you view sleep: it is not a luxury that you grab when you can, but an essential part of survival – just like food and water. Most adults need between six and eight hours of sleep each night, but everyone is different; you know when you are at your best, so find your magic number and adjust your schedule accordingly. If sleep doesn’t come easy, certain habits and lifestyle changes may help.

Prepare Your Environment

Environmental factors play an important part in sleep quality, and a few changes to your bedroom could make all the difference. First and foremost, you need to be physically comfortable, so make sure your mattress is up to par. If lumps and bumps are keeping you up, or you wake up each morning with back ache, it might be worth considering switching to a memory foam mattress. At the same time, make sure your bedroom is cool and dark enough to welcome uninterrupted sleep.

Prepare Your Body

Your behavior throughout the day can affect how you sleep, so make sure your routine isn’t conducive to insomnia. You can prepare your body for a restful slumber by reducing your caffeine intake – especially after lunch – and opting for an earlier dinner. Exercising at the right time of day can also play a part. Whilst vigorous exercise too close to bedtime may give you an untimely energy boost, exercising during the day will help you to sleep more restfully at night.

Prepare Your Mind

Many sleep disorders are related to matters of the mind, so mental preparation may be the key. Smartphones, laptops, tablets and TVs all provide too much mental stimulation, so get into the habit of totally switching off in the run up to bedtime. If you lay down at night to find that your head is spinning, try keeping a notepad and pen next to your bed. Before you go to sleep, write down all your thoughts, worries and to-dos; this can help to clear your mind so that you are free to sleep in peace.

In order to be at your best both mentally and physically, establishing a healthy relationship with sleep is absolutely crucial. By keeping your mind and body sharp, you can take on whatever challenges life throws at you and be your best self at all times.

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