Morning Mastery: Meditation, Mutlitasking, And Your First Meeting of The Day

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Every Monday my alarm goes off at 4:30 AM and I check my pulse. If I wake up with my resting heart rate in the 40’s it tells me I woke up peacefully. There are some awful mornings where my pulse hits the 90’s and it has even cracked 100. When I see my pulse anywhere in the 80-100 range, I know my alarm went off when I was in deep REM sleep and instead of peacefully waking up, my body is stressed and it is going to be a rough morning.

It may sound crazy, but I can feel the hormonal difference in my body based on the conditions in which my body enters the day. Waking up to a heart rate in the 90’s will take me four to six hours before my body is able to stabilize its cortisol levels.

If you don’t believe me, schedule an important meeting for yourself every day at 5:30 AM, accidentally sleep through your alarm, wake up 10 minutes before this meeting, sprint to it, and then perform for the next two straight hours without your clients realizing how terrible you feel. I have done this four times in five years and each time it takes a year off my life for every minute I am late.

At 5:30 AM, class starts and the next two hours are filled with coffee, coaching, intensity, loud music, and conversation. I love my morning coaching days. The people that wake up at five AM to workout are a rare breed and they set the tone for the rest of my day. However, when those classes are over, my brain is fried, and I need to find a place to re-charge the system.

Finding Time for Yourself

In the past, once classes were over, I would run to my desk, check emails, write, get hung up in my office responsibilities, and constantly bounce from the intensity of coaching directly to the intensity of the business day. This pattern began to wear on me and I was finding that my life lacked balance. I needed the quiet time to balance out the intensity of coaching and running a business.

This did not just affect my work but it affected my relationships. On countless occasions I would be sitting at dinner, Ashton would be telling me about her day, and I would be staring directly at her not paying any attention whatsoever. This is not a trait I am proud of and it has taken me a while to find a way to balance the intensity of my daily life.

Around eight or nine in the morning, before I check emails, open a computer, log in to Instagram, or think about any administrative work I need to do, I throw on my headphones and dedicate a full hour to learning. We are located three blocks from the ocean and the first meeting of my day is with me. I turn on a podcast or audio book and learn.

I have found that casually walking and learning new information allows me to bring an open mind to my work day. Often times, the information I am listening to has absolutely nothing to do with fitness or business. I find that listening to experts of any kind tell their story gives me insight to the learning process, mastery, and the psychology that allows me to see the world from a different point of view.

Meditation and Inner Focus

About 30 minutes into my morning walk, I find a grassy spot and I spend ten minutes staring out into the ocean (mainly to see if it is possible to see the curvature of the earth – think about it – and no, I do not do drugs at work but I find this interesting). The next 20 minutes are spent practicing meditation.

The first time I attempted to do this, I thought, “If all the crunchy hippies do this, I will crush it.” Wrong. So wrong. Within a minute I quit. I came back a week later and tried again. Way too hard again and I quit. Finally about 3 months ago, I forced myself to commit, hired a coach, Theresa Larson (yes, same person that runs physical therapy in the gym) and she has helped me tremendously.

I can honestly tell you that without her I would still be fumbling around trying to figure out this meditation thing and becoming increasingly frustrated every day. After 20 minutes of clearing my brain, in silence, and focusing on my purpose for the day, I am ready to come back to work with a clear head and a clear vision of what I want to accomplish.

Finding a Morning Routine

My routine is by no means perfect. There are days I struggle. I have noticed that the down regulation, meditation, and creating time for myself has helped me stay present. I am a terrible multitasker. It is a disservice to our clients if I am coaching and thinking about work. It is a disservice to my fiancé if I am not present in the few hours a night we spend together. Focusing on staying present allows me to give everything I have to one specific task without stressing over all of the other things I need to do. I am not perfect and I am the definition of a work in progress. I like these challenges. The more balance and focus I bring to my day, the better husband, coach, and friend I am to the people that surround me.

Morning routines are necessary. Greg Pitts wakes up early, surfs Blacks, works out on the beach, and then does a quick meditation before heading to face rush hour traffic and the desk job. Bryan walks to work every morning and spends 30 minutes learning before he sits down to do work.

Your largest personal investment in everything you do is your time. If you waste your time, you are not creating value in your life or for those around you. If you are constantly rushed, mulit-tasking, and stressed, it is important to balance that with some quiet time to clear your head and focus on what is important.

There is no cookie cutter morning routine and it takes a long time to find the balance you are looking for. For most of us, waking up a little earlier, thinking about what you want to accomplish for the day, why you want to accomplish these things, and understanding the influence you may have on the people around you by accomplishing these things can go a long way.

Set your day off right and develop a plan for attacking your day. Be mindful of why you do things and do not waste your most valuable asset, your time.

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Anders Varner

Anders Varner has focused on fitness and sport since he was able to walk. At the age of 14 he left home to pursue his dreams of playing ice hockey. While obtaining his business degree in undergrad at James Madison University, much of his attention was still focused on health and fitness.

In 2007 Anders was introduced to the CrossFit ...