The Power of a Good Morning Routine

One question I'm asked quite a bit from other actor and artist friends is how to put together a daily structure. The life of an artist is many things, but structured seldom comes to mind. 

Actors in particular are conditioned to drop everything should an audition, or acting job present itself.

What I learned the first few years after drama school was I might not have control over what happened throughout the day, but I could determine how my day started and ended.

Here a few quick tips you might find helpful:

-- Try starting the day by saying 5 things you're grateful for. They need not be earth-shattering. You can be grateful for the thread count in your comforter.

Beginning the day from a place of gratitude starts the day on productive/positive tone helping you focus less on what you don't have.

-- Try reading something positive/educational for 30 minutes.

-  Carve out a little time to sit in silence, focus on your breathing, and take a little personal inventory. You don’t need to be a Zen Master and can do it for as little as a minute or two.

Equally important are avoiding the pitfalls. Here's what I try to avoid at all costs when the alarm goes off:

-- Toxic headlines. Beginning your day with car chases, robberies, natural disasters, and political gridlock dancing in your head is hard to get past. Be socially aware and civic-minded, but do it in a way that protects your mind. Filter the information you take in. 

-  Checking email, texts, or social media. Yeah, I said it. Research shows by starting your day answering the priorities of other people instead of your own, your productivity for the week plummets more than 30 %. 

You can download the "Creativity Day Planner" with all of this information and more at www.nickmaccarone.com in just a few days. 

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