Thread by @gregorycampion

Houston, we have a problem.

We've set extremely AMBITIOUS GOALS for ourselves for the year ahead.

But despite our best intentions, the reality is that we LACK THE TIME to actually accomplish them.

The Golden Hour may be the answer we’re looking for.

1/ The Golden Hour is time that you intentionally schedule with yourself FOR YOURSELF.

It can be for your:

• Fitness
• Mental health
• Career
• Side project

or whatever it is that you are striving to improve this year.

2/ Here are the rules for the Golden Hour.

• It is time for you and you alone.
• It doesn't have to be an hour. But it's nice if it is.
• It happens daily, ideally at the same time.

3/ Why for you alone?

• In order for you to be there for others in your life, you need to fulfill your own needs first.
• This is not selfish, so stop feeling guilty.
• It's a necessary INVESTMENT enabling you to bring the best version of yourself to the rest of your life.

4/ Why 1 hour?

• An hour per day spent on your own needs can be transformational yet likely isn't egregious relative to your other responsibilities
• It's also enough time to potentially address multiple needs from fitness to mental health

5/ Why daily?

By establishing the Golden Hour as a daily habit, we:

• Signal to others (spouses, kids, co-workers, etc.) that this time is sacred & should be planned around
• Solidify it as a ritualized habit
• Benefit from the magical effects of compounding over time

6/ WHEN the Golden Hour happens, is a personal decision.

• As a parent of young kids, my Golden Hour has to be first thing in the morning.
• It's the time when my mind and body are freshest yet my responsibilities as dad, husband, boss, employee, etc. haven't yet kicked in.

7/ The MAKE-UP of the Golden Hour is also a personal decision.

Today, mine looks like this:

5:45 - Wake up
5:55 - 6:30 - Workout
6:30 - 6:42 - Meditate
6:42 - 6:45 - Gratitude

I could easily add reading, podcasts & so many other activities but for me, these are the essentials.

8/ This specific make-up doesn't necessarily "fill all my buckets" but...

It gives me a hell of a start to each day when it comes to:

• Fitness
• Mental health & clarity of mind
• Mood

And as such, it makes the rest of the day's activities easier.

9/ What happens when you miss it?

• Honestly, we need to give ourselves some grace & just do our best w/ all of our other responsibilities
• The reality is that sometimes we just.. can't
• On those tough days, can you fit in at least 20 mins? Even at another point in the day?

10/ But there's something to be said for making the commitment & sticking with it.

The benefits of making this a daily ritual are:

• Progress toward our many goals (& compounding benefits)
• Self-satisfaction from starting (or ending) the day with a win
• Mood enhancement

There are so many great morning routines out there.

They're extremely personal but share common elements.

The most important is a dedication to making sure it actually happens.

If you can find a way to make this consistently happen in your own life, I'm willing to bet that the benefits will far outweigh the inconvenience.

If you've got a routine that works particularly well, I'd love to hear about it.

And for regular tweets and threads with practical strategies for making small improvements in habits, motivation, careers and health, follow me @gregorycampion.

Thanks for reading!