44 email: news@printmonthly.co.uk September / October 2023 - Issue 344 INDUSTRY TIPS / THE ONLINE PRINT COACH ready to take on the day. I challenge you to give it a go! Eating The Fat Frog For those of you who have not heard the phrase before, it was coined by Mark Twain. He said “If it is your job to eat a frog, it is best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it is your job to eat two frogs, it is best to eat the fat one first.” Don’t worry, I am not suggesting you need to start eating frogs for breakfast, unless you enjoy them as a delicacy of course. All this metaphorical concept is teaching us is that it is better to tackle the most important tasks in the morning. We all know how we start each day with the best intentions. We plan our tasks for the day ahead and before we know it, a press breaks down, someone calls in sick, a rush job comes in. Those so-called ‘Fat Frog’ tasks get put to the side and before you know it, another day has gone by without it getting ticked off your list. Why not try building one ‘Fat Frog’ task into your morning routine? I guarantee you will feel much better for it. You might want to copy this routine or put your own slant on this as I have, but one thing is for sure, if you can create a morning process that works for you, not only will you feel far more structured and organised, you will gain an advantage over your competitors. t paved the way for a more focused and productive day. I took elements of learning from both these books and created the following questions: 1. Name one thing I can get excited about today 2. If one word could describe the kind of person I want to be today, what would it be, and why would I choose it? 3. Name someone who really needs me on my A-game today 4. Think of a situation that might stress me out or trip me up today. What would it be and what would be the best way to handle it should it happen? 5. Name someone I could surprise with a sign of appreciation today 6. Name one thing I could do today that is a little bit outside my comfort zone 7. If I were a high-performance print coach looking at my life and my busi -ness from a prominent level, what would I tell myself to remember? 8. What are the big projects I must keep my mind on, even if I can’t act towards them today? 9. By close of play today, how would I know that day had been successful? I don’t claim to be an expert in this field. People like Elrod and Buchard have likely spent years providing psychological evidence to support routines like this and how they make you more successful. All I can say is, the days I follow this routine tend to be far more fruitful and productive than the days I skip the routine. Cold Showers This is another morning habit I picked up during lockdown and it is one that I have stuck to religiously every day since. A chap called Wim Hoff hit many of our newsfeeds in 2020 and before we knew it, people were going for early morning dips in the sea and rivers or installing ice baths in their back garden. I even knew a chap who would take a morning ice dip in his blue wheelie bin. My interest was piqued when I read somewhere that cold showers can impact fat metabolism and help you lose weight. Sadly, that did not have the desired effect on me, but I did discover a whole lot of other benefits – the main one being increased alertness. Three minutes in a cold shower every morning wakes me up like nothing else. I feel much more alert and HOW TO WIN THE DAY IF YOU WIN THE MORNING, YOU WIN THE DAY. HERE'S HOW TO START THE DAY OFF RIGHT. S A V E R S Silence Meditation. Prayer. Breathing. Whatever it is for you, the idea is to quiet your mind, block out the chatter, and start the day with calm thoughts. Affirmations Encouraging words you tell yourself to achieve your goals, overcome fears, be healthy and happy, and live out your purpose. Visualisation Imagine yourself doing each thing, step by step, that you need to do to accomplish your goals. Then imagine what it will feel like when you succeed. Exercise It doesn't have to be powerlifting or long distance running. Just do some bodyweight exercises for 5 minutes to get the blood and oxygen flowing to the brain. Reading Fill your brain with positive thoughts and ideas to improve yourself. Learn the knowledge of people who have accomplished the things you want to do. Scribing Writing or journaling is a great way to process your thoughts and reflect on your life. It will help you be more self-aware and more articulate. ▲ Concept from 'The Miracle Morning' by Hal Elrod
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