Why the first five minutes of your day are so important
On an average day, a person will spend a little more than 1,000 minutes awake. That’s 1,000 minutes to be productive -- to work toward your goals and to make decisions that cultivate the type of person you want to be.
And yet, the first five minutes of these 1,000 minutes are the most important for setting the tone of your entire day. Studies show your brain is most susceptible to take in information during the first five minutes of the day. This means that 0.5 percent of your time will determine the other 99.5 percent of it.
That’s crazy, right?
But it makes sense. Think about the times that you’ve “woken up on the wrong side of the bed.” You’ve just kind of felt “off” for the rest of the day, right? In contrast, consider the times that you’ve woken up in a great mood -- you go through your day with these sense of euphoria that can’t be deterred by the normal events of the day.
Clearly, the first five minutes are kind of important to the trajectory of the subsequent 995 minutes. So, what are you going to do about it?
In the morning, when I rise, give me Jesus
Lord, that’s such a good song. And it’s such a good truth. If you want your day to reflect Jesus, start your first five minutes with Him. If you want your choices to reflect His love, start your first five minutes with Him. And if you want the fruits of the spirit to overflow throughout your day -- you know, the fruits of peace, joy, patience, etc. -- then start your first five minutes with Jesus.
If the first five minutes of the day are when my mind is most capable of meditating on new information, then I want to flood it with Jesus. I want the first thing I look at to be words of Truth instead of people’s opinions on social media. I want to root in my mind the peace and love of Jesus before my feet ever hit the floor. And I want to praise His holy name early so my heart keeps singing no matter what the day brings.
Be intentional with how you start your day
Naval Admiral William McRaven once said that you can change the world by making your bed every morning. He said that making your bed starts your day with accomplishment; you can already cross something off of your list before you walk out the door. And by completing one small task early in the day, you will set yourself up to complete more tasks and, ultimately, have a productive day.
Imagine if we applied that same principle to our spiritual “tasks.” I’m not saying that spending time with Jesus is a task, but it is a discipline. And just like accomplishing one small task in the morning makes you more likely to accomplish more tasks throughout the day, spending five minutes in the morning with Jesus sets your heart and your mind up to be sensitive to His callings throughout the day.
Start a new habit
More than 80 percent of smartphone users check their phones first thing in the morning, according to a recent study. So, if you’re already going to check your phone, let’s make the habit intentional by turning to a morning devotional instead of to Facebook or Instagram. There are many great devotional apps that only take about five minutes each morning. Perfect timing, right? Take a look at some of our recommendations here:
Check out these apps and really start to be intentional with how you spend the first five minutes of your day. If you want to move in the right direction for the remaining 995 minutes each day, then you must put in an effort to what you filter through your mind in those first few moments of the morning. Let your day start with Jesus, and watch how Jesus will start to work in your mind and your heart to guide you throughout the day. And it only requires your first five minutes.