Episode 4: Morning

In this episode of The Living Experiment, we talk about mornings - the challenges they present for many, and some smart strategies for redesigning them in ways that work better for you. Pilar shares the central elements of her flexible, minimalist morning practice, and Dallas shares his mindful coffee-making approach. We explain the underappreciated power of your first waking moments, and offer a fleet of suggestions for creating healthier, more rewarding mornings - without taking on a bunch of new, time-consuming commitments. Finally, we serve up some practical experiments to help you consciously reclaim your mornings so you can more successfully start each day on your own terms. Episode Highlights The value of creating a morning practice in a way that develops self-efficacy and gets your day off to a positive start (3:00) How exposing yourself to your smartphone (or any mass media) first thing in the morning stresses you out, makes you vulnerable to unhealthy impulses, and robs you of your best ideas (5:25) Pilar's low-key morning routine, and the value of rightsizing your daily commitment (9:05) How Dallas uses a conscious coffee-making ritual to build some reflective centering time into his days (10:45) The importance of savoring and noticing your practice experience — vs. "just doing it." (12:00) How taking control of your morning sets up a successful day (19:10) Think you are too busy for a morning practice? (23:23) Dealing with barriers to establishing your morning ritual (26:15) Good reasons to make your bed every morning (29:50) Dallas's morning routine (33:40) Feeling resistance, and doing it anyway — plus, the value of noticing how you are NOT doing it (37:00) Claiming "you time" as a form of self-respect and self-preservation (38:45) The art of moving purposefully into a restful state (39:50) Permission to do it your way (44:30) This week's experiments (47:20) Weekly Experiments Dallas suggests: Take a minute in the morning to mindfully make your bed. Commit to making your bed every morning in a slow, patient, mindful way. Take three deep breaths as a pause before the rest of your day. Pilar suggests: Try adopting a 1- to 3-minute practice every day for a week. Create a checklist to track your progress throughout the week. Record the barriers you face when trying to complete your practice. Share the Love!  Each week, we offer you a few life-shifting experiments to try on your own. We'd love to hear how they turn out, and what insights they provoke! Connect with The Living Experiment  on Facebook,  Instagram, and Twitter, and share your stories with us there.  Resources Read more about Pilar's morning mini-practice. Subscribe to our newsletter (so you can stay up to date with us and future episodes). Sponsor link: Check out Brian Johnson's "Habits 101" Master Class for FREE.