Ultimate Day Step 10: Set Your Last Hour
“Defending the last hour before bed is the final step in setting your ultimate day and, as a result, your ultimate life. As your days go, so go your years. Realizing the vision you set for yourself requires putting in place the best daily practises for hitting all of your professional and personal goals, and this is one of them.”
This is the final step in setting your ultimate day and, as a result, your ultimate life. As I said at the beginning, as your days go, so go your years. Realizing the vision you set for yourself requires putting in place the best daily practises for hitting all of your professional and personal goals.
So what does this last hour look like? I have a few recommendations that are good for the mind and body.
1. Read fiction.
Reading is a great transitional activity to sleep because it both physically tires the eyes and calms the mind. But choose reading materials wisely. Stay away from work materials. Fiction has been shown to engage the brain in a relaxing, not overly stimulating way. You could also choose non-fiction, but not on a topic that is upsetting or disturbing. You might enjoy biographies of people who intrigue you or histories of fascinating feats, like medical discoveries or space travel. What matters is that your nighttime reading habits interest and soothe you, not rile you up or activate your work brain.
Take time to acquire some books (the physical ones, not e-books) that both interest and soothe you.
2. Restorative yoga.
Yoga is another great option for part of your last hour. A gentle yoga practice at this time – like hatha yoga, with its relatively slow pace and simple movements – provides a range of positive outcomes. Research shows that yoga brings mental peace and lowers stress and anxiety. The controlled breathing helps to quiet your mind and connect you to yourself. This is a relaxing and healthy finish to any day.
Find a yoga app or some videos and start a gentle practice. You can begin with only a few minutes – perhaps a single pose with controlled breathing – and work up to a short routine. You will dissolve stress and quiet your mind.
3. Practice gratitude.
Finally, I want to suggest that you adopt a gratitude habit. But first, what is gratitude? Basically, it’s an expression of thankful appreciation. It’s a recognition of goodness in our lives. Those elements of goodness can be anything at all: your playful puppy, the wonderful meal you had for dinner, a friend who helped you sort a problem. They can also be less specific to any given day. You may feel an affinity to nature that uplifts you. Or you may feel a connection to a higher power, however you define that. What all of these elements have in common is that they are outside of you. They connect you to people and forces beyond the self. They draw your attention to the ways in which the world around you delivers goodness that improves your life.
Get into a gratitude habit. Find an app or get a physical journal in which you can record all of the small things you are grateful for from your day. Even expand to larger expressions of appreciation, like for an individual who brings value to your life or the city you live in. Keep it simple: jot down about five items each day. Pause and reflect on each.
Other than these ideas, there are of course your sleep routines to have in place: no screens, a super dark room kept cool, and regularity. Never forget how much a brain likes routine!
Today’s Exercise: Set your Last Hour
This is the final period in your ultimate day when you do good things for your mental and physical health. It sets you up for sleep on a daily basis and excellence on a lifelong basis.
Try to incorporate at least one of these three practices into your final hour before bed: reading fiction, yoga, or gratitude.
Fill in Step 10: Set Your Last Hour on pages 24-25 in the Ultimate Day Workbook to help you start or continue a gratitude practice.
Today’s Bonus Podcast
Click Here for part one of a 3-part bonus podcast where Greg discusses the idea of "limitless life" and how new technologies and scientific innovations can help boost our longevity and lifespan. If you enjoyed that, check out Part 2 and Part 3 of the podcast.
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