The #1 Hack for Being More Productive Tomorrow | The Mel Robbins Podcast

KEYPOINTS

• 01

  Your morning routine begins the night before

  Mel says she isn't naturally a morning person. The biggest reason her "million dollar morning" works is that she puts herself to bed with an evening routine that winds down the day and sets up tomorrow. Think of the choices you regret each morning, like the extra drinks, the 1 a.m. drive-through burrito, or oversleeping a class. Tonight's decisions determine who wakes up tomorrow.

• 02

  Watch out for revenge procrastination

  Revenge procrastination is when you resent that work took your whole day, so you get back at it by scrolling for hours, finishing a bottle of wine, or refusing to do anything useful because you deserve to relax. Mel agrees you deserve to relax. Her point is that a few small steps give you time to rest and also hand tomorrow-you a clean slate.

• 03

  A chaotic morning is the first domino

  Mel argues that starting the day in a rush sets off more stress, more feeling behind and more reacting all day. That's partly why, in her old life, she came home exhausted and wanted wine the minute the kids got on the bus. A calm start does the opposite and builds momentum.

• 04

  Rule 1: The 3-2-1 rule

  Three hours before bed, stop eating and drinking alcohol. Two hours before bed, stop working so your thoughts and stress can settle and you're less likely to wake at night. One hour before bed, turn off screens, because Mel says the blue light interferes with your brain's ability to shut down. Since she goes to bed early, her family moved dinner earlier. She suggests a countdown alarm or a sticky note on the fridge as a reminder.

• 05

  Rule 2: Make tomorrow easier

  Mel says her habits used to fail because she relied on willpower and memory. Now she lowers what she calls the "activation energy" the night before, so the morning takes less thinking. Fewer obstacles make you more likely to do things you'd otherwise skip, like exercise.

• 06

  Rule 3: Give yourself a clean slate ("flush the toilet")

  You wouldn't leave last night's mess in the toilet, so don't leave it in the kitchen, which is where most people go first in the morning. Empty the sink, load the dishwasher, and clear and wipe the counters. It takes about five minutes. Walking into a clean kitchen makes the new day feel like a mental fresh start too.

• 07

  Rule 4: Set your alarm on purpose

  Most people have kept the same alarm time for years. Mel says to set it for the person you're becoming, and to drop the "fake math" of brushing teeth, packing three lunches and finishing homework in ten minutes. She needs about 90 minutes before helping anyone else, and 30 in a pinch. If you're not sure what you need, set it an hour earlier. Treat setting the alarm as a promise, and waking up as keeping that promise.

• 08

  Rule 5: Tuck your phone in before you tuck yourself in

  No phone in the bedroom, ever. Charge it in the kitchen, closet or bathroom. If family or work need to reach you, leave the ringer on and tell people to call in an emergency. Mel finds that people only call when it's real, while texts and Snapchats would keep you awake. If the phone is your alarm, having it outside the room forces you out of bed.

• 09

  Your attention belongs to you at night

  All day, through news, email, Zoom and scrolling, you let the world have access to you. Mel says nothing on your phone will help you sleep; it just stirs you up. She says a third of people check email in the middle of the night. If the phone isn't within reach, you can't reach for it out of habit.