David J.
Pollay
Read David's bio and previous columns
August 11, 2008
How to Find More Time
in Your Life – Take ‘The Morning Test’
Dawn and the girls were in bed. I was tired from a long day at work. It
was almost 10 p.m. and I was headed for the couch. I needed to watch TV.
I had to relax before bedtime. I deserved it.
And then the next morning, I woke up tired. I was so tired that I was
already thinking about going to bed that night. It was obvious that I
needed more sleep. Yet every night I “needed” to relax on the couch. I
lived this stay-up-late, wake-up-tired cycle for too long. I never fully
admitted the obvious connection between my choices at night and how I
felt in the morning. That is until I took what I call The Morning Test.
Here’s how The Morning Test works. Every night for one week write down
everything that you do at night. Jot down what you eat for snacks, the
TV shows you watch, the radio programs you listen to, the email you
read, the sites you surf and whatever else you do.
Then immediately after waking up the next morning – and this is
important – think about what you did the night before. Think about
everything you did that still makes you happy, and what you think was a
waste of time. Write it all down.
Do
this for one week and see which activities are meaningful to you, and
which ones you do by force of habit. Here’s your opportunity: Replace
some of your less helpful habits with activities that are gratifying to
you.
Why is this important? Because we’re always wishing we had more time to
do more of what we care about. This exercise helps us to make sure that
what we do at night serves us well the next day, and helps us make
progress toward achieving the important goals in our life.
Most of us are afraid of changing our habits, especially those at
nighttime. We feel powerful emotions that we “deserve” to watch TV, or
that we’ve earned the right to just “veg out.” We think we’ll feel
cheated the next day if we don’t indulge ourselves.
I
asked Positive Psychology researcher Ed Diener from the University of
Illinois about the staying power of emotions overnight. Diener told me
that his research shows that 95 percent of our emotions experienced
before bedtime dissipate by the morning. When we take The Morning Test,
we realize that the emotional charge we feel to do something at night is
mostly gone when we wake up. It’s as though most of our emotions are
reset each morning.
The Morning Test helps jump start change in our lives. Psychology
researcher James Prochaska discovered that there are six distinct
processes that people must go through in order to lastingly change a
behavior. The first two stages relate to becoming aware of the need to
change, the third addresses the preparation needed for change, the
fourth is making the change itself, and the last two involve change
maintenance.
The Morning Test helps you move through these stages. You become aware
of the change you need to make. You set a plan to change. You make the
change. You reinforce the change by taking The Morning Test each day.
And as a result, you are reminded of your progress, thereby increasing
the likelihood that you will stick to your plan.
So
if you’re headed for the couch tonight with a remote control in one hand
and a dessert in the other, take The Morning Test when you wake up
tomorrow. It could lead to an important and lasting change in your life.
David J. Pollay
is an internationally sought after speaker and teacher, a syndicated
columnist, and is
the founder and president of The Momentum Project. Mr. Pollay holds a
Master’s Degree in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of
Pennsylvania, and an Economics Degree from Yale University. Email him
your thoughts and stories at
david@themomentumproject.com.
© 2008
David J. Pollay. Distributed by North Star Writers Group. May not be
republished without permission.
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