This Two-Minute Morning Practice Will Make Your Day Better

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Summary. Thanks to the fight-or-flight (战斗或逃跑) mechanism in our brains, we’re conditioned to seek out bad news and focus on the negative. This can have deleterious (有毒的，有害的) effects on our mental and physical health. It can be tempting to cope with bad news and emotionally challenging life events by overworking, but that only compounds (混合物；恶化，加重) those negative side effects (但这只会加重这些负面的副作用). Instead, take a couple minutes each morning to reflect on and write down three things: what you’ll focus on, what you’re grateful for, and what you’ll let go of. This practice won’t fix everything, but it will prime your brain for positivity and improve the quality of your day.

In the early 2010s, I wrote a self-help book that catapulted (猛投,使突然处于) me into a strange universe. I went from working an office job in the suburbs to walking onto TV show sets where I was often introduced as “Captain Awesome” or “The Happy Guy!” I was thrust into (把……插进,推入) becoming a spokesperson (发言人，代言人) for positivity, happiness, and intentional (故意的, 有意的) living.

But there was just one problem: My life was a mess.

I originally wrote the book as a series of blog posts to cope with the pain of my marriage falling apart and the heartbreak of losing my best friend to suicide. I moved to a bachelor apartment (单身公寓) downtown and lived alone for the first time in my life. I began experiencing deep loneliness, chronic sleeplessness, and endless anxiety.

My solution to these deep emotional issues was to become a workaholic (工作狂). I would work in the suburbs all day, pick up a burrito (玉米煎饼) on my way downtown, and then set it on my desk while working until one or two in the morning until my alarm buzzed the next day at 6:00 a.m.

I started taking pills to help me fall asleep and pills to help me wake up. I lost 40 pounds due to stress. I had headaches and chest flutters (怦怦乱跳, 振动) and stomach bubbles all day. Black bags slowly expanded like puddles under my eyes. When coworkers began asking if I was getting enough sleep, I bought and started applying face makeup (脸部化妆).

I didn’t have time to sleep more and I didn’t have time to be asked about it.

I knew I was spinning.

After reading the book Willpower by Roy Baumeister and John Tierney, I became convinced my issue was decision fatigue (疲劳). My to-do list was a mile high! So in an act of desperation, I began writing down a couple things I would focus on each day on a blank 4×6 index card. “I will focus on…” helped me carve (雕刻，开创) some “will dos” out of the endless “could dos” and “should dos.”

The practice began providing ballast (安定器) to my days because it blew away the endless fog of “what should I do next?” and helped break giant projects down into simple tasks. A looming book deadline became “write 500 words,” an all-hands meeting (全员会议) about a major redesign became “send invite to three execs (高管) for feedback,” and my nonexistent exercise regime (政权，政体,制度) became “go for a 10-minute walk at lunch.”

My to-do list was a mile high: 我的待办事项太多了

See you tomorrow