Own the Day and You Own Your Life

However, conquering the day doesn’t happen by accident. It requires focus and intention. 

Learn how to master the day and in turn, your life: 

1. Realize the power of each day. A day doesn’t seem like much. You’ve experienced plenty of long days where it seemed you accomplished nothing. It’s true that a single day might mean a lot, but a small amount of progress each day can result in a dramatically different future. 

• Realize the power and potential of each day and be determined to make the most of it. 

2. Have a plan for the day. Have a detailed plan for the day and for the week before you even think about going to bed at night. When you wake up, grab your list of to-do items and get busy as soon as possible. 

• There’s an added bonus to planning out your day the night before. Your brain has a chance to think about your list of items as you sleep. Your brain will predict the challenges you’re likely to face and have a few solutions in mind. 

• Try it and you’ll find that your day goes much more smoothly. 

3. Wake up earlier. If you want to own the day, get started early. Successful people tend to get up pretty early. How successful do you want to be? A successful person doesn’t scramble around in the morning trying to find a pair of clean socks. Start your day as early as possible and grab it by the throat. 

4. Focus. What are you going to do for the next hour? Ask yourself this important question each hour. Whether your objective is to write a report, return phone calls, or enjoy your favorite movie as much as possible, identify what you’re trying to accomplish and focus on doing it. Keep your mind on the identified task. 

5. Take breaks. You can get more accomplished each day if you take planned breaks. Working nonstop leads to slowing down later in the day. You’ll ultimately accomplish more if you take a break every couple of hours. 

6. Remove distractions. Distractions will prevent you from owning the day and from owning your life. There’s no reason to rely on your will power to avoid the distractions in your environment if you have the ability to remove them instead. 

• Avoid trying to be tough and stoic. Just remove the distractions to the best of your ability. 

7. Review. You had a good day, but it could have been even better. Figure out what you could have done differently. Make a new plan for tomorrow and include this knowledge. 

• Reviewing your day is a pivotal part of developing your approach to life. So many people simply repeat the same mediocre days over and over. Mediocre days lead to a mediocre life. 

Are you getting the most from each day of your life? Do you have a plan for the day? For the week? What are you committed to accomplishing today? What time did you get up today? 

An amazing life is the result of amazing days. Spending your day focused on activities that lead to accomplishing your goals qualifies as an amazing day. An amazing life can be yours, but you have to create it one day at a time.