Here is a chapter from my new book, The Day Makes the Year (Makes a Life), which is being released on September 12, 2023. This is one of the practices from the first principle: The Day: Everything you want or need in the future is created in The Day. Everything. Today.

Having a start and end-of-day routine can provide you with incredible benefits. It is known to improve productivity, well-being, and overall effectiveness. 

The human body has a built-in internal clock known as the circadian rhythm, which governs essential physiological processes like sleep-wake cycles and hormone production. Maintaining a consistent start-of-day routine synchronizes your activities with this natural rhythm, effectively regulating your internal clock and promoting overall well-being.

A start-of-day routine signals your brain that it's time to begin The Day and create One-Day Success. You are ready to advance your life and work forward successfully. For some people, the start of the day routine produces a critical handoff from personal to work mode. 

Your Start of Day Routine

The routine itself varies based on the individual. My friend Donnie cranks The Beach Boys daily on his way to his office. The music is a trigger that it is time for him to be in leader mode. The music kicks in his energy and focus to his team.

The one thing you should always do at the start-of-day routine is to decide what your end-of-day accomplishments will be. This is not completing to-do items. However, you may have some to-dos to complete. Planning the accomplishments and outcomes will move you closer to your success than you were at the start of the day. 

Here are the differences between a to-do and an accomplishment.

To-do: Contact Jim about the marketing plan.

Accomplishment: Get Jim to sign off on the new marketing plan today.

 To-do: Call the new lead from yesterday.

Accomplishment: Get an order from yesterday's lead.

 To-do: Meet with Sarah. (She's an employee.)

Accomplishment: Have Sarah excited about her development plan in the coming year.

 To-do: Work on personal finances. 

Accomplishment: See how I can save $100 more a month.

 Write down your planned accomplishments. Keep them where you can see them. Put them on a piece of paper on your desk. You can have them on a note on your computer or phone. You are far more likely to achieve your targeted accomplishments if you see them throughout the day. 

 A study by Dr. Gail Matthews, a psychology professor at The Dominican University of California, found that people who wrote down goals are 42% more likely to achieve them than those who don't. Writing down accomplishments, I'm sure, is even higher. 

 Only start your day with email, Slack, or other communication forms if necessary. It just puts you into your day without considering the success you are about to create. If you need to check your email, scan through it but avoid jumping in and responding. 

 Your End of Day Routine

At the end of the workday or before you go to sleep, review what your accomplishment was. Circle the ones you planned and achieved. Write down others that you also created. When you have one or more achievements, you just nailed The Day and created One-Day Success. THAT’S how you achieve short and long-term success. 

So let me ask three questions:

1) Why did the Beach Boys bring a fan to the beach?

2) What’s your start-of-day kick a** music? 

3) Do you have routines to create more One-Day Success?