Benjamin Spall keeps his phone in the kitchen at night. 

As co-author of the book “My Morning Routine: How Successful People Start Every Day Inspired,” and mymorningroutine.com, Benjamin has heard many highly successful people highlight the importance of keeping their phone away from them while they sleep. However, it still took over four years for Benjamin to finally adopt the practice.

“It’s interesting that you can be given the same piece of information from many different people over and over and over again, but it’ll take you a while for that information to actually sink in and for you to do it.” 

While the concept of morning routines is discussed widely today, back in 2012 it was mostly unrecognized in the field of personal development. After interviewing over three hundred individuals about their daily habits, Benjamin has a firm grasp on what routine actions can positively impact a person’s day. Separating yourself from your cell phone is only one element out of many: what time you wake up, what you do immediately after opening your eyes, how many steps you take before you settle into your work—all of it creates your “morning wind,” and if you plan things out properly that wind can carry you throughout your day. 

The biggest mistake that people make when trying to create a morning routine is adding too many elements at once. Benjamin recommends starting small: if you want to run every morning, start by only running for 5-10 minutes. That’s easy for you to accomplish, allowing you to start your day with a “win” and less likely to feel like a failure if you can’t squeeze a half hour exercise into your morning every day. Each activity should build to the next, helping you gain momentum.

Show Notes: https://whitneyjohnson.com/benjamin-spall