10-3-2-1-0 Formula to Get More Done

Before he discovered “The Formula to Get More Done,” my friend Bedros Keuilian struggled to control his mornings.

That led to a constant feeling of being rushed and falling behind schedule… which in turn lead to feeling anxious all day long.

But when he put my secret formula into place, his problems were solved.

“Craig, the #1 lesson I learned from you was how to dominate my mornings by blocking off my magic time and scripting out the first three hours of my morning the night before,” Bedros said. “This helped me overcome afternoon anxiety, gave me control of my day again, and helped create more time in the evening to enjoy my family rather than play catch up. I no longer work in the evenings and that means that my work is of better quality because I think and process better in the mornings. I get a full 7 hours of sleep per night rather than 4-5 hours like I used to so that I dominate my mornings and have my to-do list knocked out by 10:00 a.m.”

The single most important factor in winning your mornings and owning your days is to get up fifteen minutes earlier and work on your number one priority before anyone else is awake. It’s that simple.

In theory, that is.

But with all the chaos and temptations in life, how do you do it? Well, it’s easy to be well rested and get up on time when you use this 10-3-2-1-0 formula.

This system helps you get to bed on time, sleep better, and wake up the next morning well rested and ready for battle.

10 hours before bed – No more caffeine.

3 hours before bed – No more food or alcohol.

2 hours before bed – No more work.

1 hour before bed – No more screen time (turn off all phones, TVs and computers).

0 – The number of times you will hit the snooze button in the morning.

Stop drinking all caffeinated beverages ten hours before bed. This is generally the amount of time required for your body to clear it from the bloodstream and eliminate its stimulatory effects.

Finish eating big meals and drinking alcohol three hours before bed. This will help you avoid heartburn (gastric reflux) and interrupted sleep. Alcohol might make you feel sleepy, but it impairs your natural sleep cycle and interrupts valuable deep sleep.

End all work-related activities two hours before bed. No more taking phone calls, checking emails, reading reports, or thinking about tomorrow.

If you struggle to find the “off button” for your brain, I can relate. But at the end of your day, in order to enjoy uninterrupted time with family, in order to be present for your children, in order to forget about work problems, tasks that didn’t get done, or items that need to get completed first thing in the morning, you need to do a Brain Dump. It’s a simple solution that takes five minutes and requires nothing more than a blank piece of paper and a pen.

Here’s what you’ll do.

Write down everything going through your head.

Write fast and furious.

Get it all out.

Now take that paper and set it aside, perhaps in your office or at the front door under your car keys. Now forget about it for the rest of the day. It can wait until tomorrow. That will help clear your mind. Do that brain dump, plan out your morning, and leave it behind so that you can wind down with family time and getting ready for bed.

Turn off all electronics one hour before bed. The blue light emitted from screens makes it difficult to fall asleep. Spend the final hour reading real books, talking with your spouse, meditating, taking a bath, or enjoying “other” activities in the privacy of your bedroom – but do not use your iPhone or tablet, unless you want to stare at the ceiling for another hour.

The last temptation to avoid comes first thing in the morning. If you wake up to the sound of an alarm, you will be tempted to hit the snooze button. Don’t. Not only will it make you late for your scripted day and interfere with winning your morning, but going back to sleep for a few minutes actually makes you more tired than if you had started your day immediately.

There are solutions to help you overcome the temptation of the snooze button. First, place your alarm across the room. That makes you get up, leave your bed, and walk a few steps before you can turn it off. By then, you’re more awake and it’s easier to resist the allure of snoozing. Of course, that approach could also result in divorce, or at least being told to sleep on the couch.

A second, more stoic approach is to internalize the benefits of getting up immediately. Remember why you are doing this. It’s your one and only life, one that is not rewarded for staying in bed, one that does not move forward because you stole an extra five minutes of sleep. If you want more sleep, you need to get to bed earlier, not wake up later. You cannot miss out on your magical fifteen minutes in the morning.

When you follow this formula, you’ll get more done and stop letting the big opportunities in your life from slipping away. You can do it. And it’s all worth it so you can live a healthy, productive life, free from anxiety.

Keep your productivity and focus going strong with this unbeatable Morning Routine…

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