PROJECTMONKEYMIND.COM

MORNING MASTERY: The Simple 20 Minute Routine

For Long Lasting Energy, Laser-Sharp Focus, and Stress

Free Living.

Feel free to pass the original, unedited version of this

eBook around the web. But be aware, it may disrupt

the lives of any one who reads its!

COPYRIGHT © 2016

PROJECT MONKEY MIND

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Foreword

WARM UP

Calisthenics

Yoga

Bioenergetics

FUEL

Green Smoothie

Pick Me Up Shots

Power Tea

RESET

Meditation

Cold Shower Therapy

Gratitude Journaling

FOCUS

Golden Goal List

Visualization

Brain Boosting Music

BONUS

The High Performer

The Health Nut

The Slow Starter

Contents.

“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive – to breathe,

to think, to enjoy, to love.” –Marcus Aurelius

Beethoven woke up every morning and counted exactly 60

coffee beans to grind for his morning cup.

Monroe rose and warmed up a glass of milk, cracked two raw

eggs into it, gave it a good ol’ stir, and drank it down with a

multivitamin on the side.

Churchill warmed up the engines with a whiskey and a cigar.

For centuries morning routines have been known as a

keystone habit of the super successful, from Marcus Aurelius

and Mark Twain, to Margaret Thatcher and Oprah Winfrey—

and it’s clear why.

Willpower is at its strongest in the morning, so it’s the ideal

time for getting prepped and setting the momentum you want

to maintain throughout your day.

But there’s also a little more to it...

Foreword.

Our bodies work on particular rhythms and cycles over a 24

hour period, regulating our blood circulation, blinking patterns,

heart rate, hormone levels, appetite, and bowel activity, to

name a few. All this goes on in the background like some sort

of supercomputer programmed to manage the world’s most

complex system. With most of our maintenance prescheduled,

we often forget how much timing can affect our bodies,

brains, and as an extension, our energy levels.

By following a routine at the same time every day we are

actively engaging in habit formation—just like those internal

regulatory systems. The difference being that our bodies are

usually pretty good at getting stuff done. Psychologically

we need to strengthen our will power (momentary strength)

and self-discipline (control over routine), in order to achieve

success and control in the outside world.

The simple 20 minute Morning Mastery is the result of

thorough research into the habits of the world’s highest

performers, mixed with cutting edge scientific research, years

of personal trial and error, and an all-round obsession with

finding the most effective way to start the day.

The program is split into 4 sections or categories. There’s no

magic order in which they should be done in. You’ve free reign

to experiment with the routine to see what works best for

Routine.

you. For example, you may start with RESET, then WARM UP,

FUEL and FOCUS—the way they are laid out in this eBook is

in accordance with our personal preference, and what we’ve

found works best for us.

The four categories are:

WARM UP.

Get your body warmed up for the day. Dust off the cobwebs.

Rev up the engine. Oil those joints. Get moving!

FUEL.

The human body is the most complex machine in the known

solar system. Everyone has one, but what makes Einstein

different from Billy Bunter? It’s what you put in it that counts.

RESET.

A clear mind is a key ingredient in a fruitful day. 95% of our

thoughts today will be the same as yesterdays. We need to

Etch-A-Sketch away the worries of days gone by and start

afresh.

FOCUS.

The content of your experience is a reflection of the content

of your mind. Being your day with focused and productive

thoughts and naturally that’s how you’ll end your day.

Health Disclaimer:

THE SIMPLE 20 MINUTE MORNING MASTERY EBOOK IS DESIGNED FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT INTENDED TO SERVE AS MEDICAL ADVICE. BEFORE

ENGAGING IN ANY OF THE ACTIVITIES OUTLINED IN, PLEASE CONSULT WITH A

HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL.

How to use this eBook:

IN EACH CATEGORY CHOOSE ONE OF THE THREE ACTIVITIES TO COMPLETE FOR a TOTAL

OF 5 MINUTES EACH. FOR EXAMPLE, ONE 20 ROUTINE MAY CONSIST OF: BIOENERGETICS, PICK ME UP SHOT, COLD SHOWER THERAPY,

AND FINALLY BRAIN BOOSTING MUSIC.

LET’S BEGIN.

Important!

When asked to say our dreams out loud, many of us quickly

realise we don’t actually know what it is that we really want.

On the one hand, this could be because what we think we

want is actually what someone else wants for us. Or on the

other, it may be because desiring something is actually more

enjoyable than having or experiencing it.

Fantasy often trumps reality because well, let’s face it, there

are no strings attached in fantasy. And it’s for this reason

it’s usually better for such fantasies to stay inside your head,

where they can’t be tainted or deflated by the harsh reality of

the outside world.

What goes on in the mind can be hugely detrimental to

realising long term goals. But, if properly controlled, can

provide us with an easy route to actualising our desires.

What it all comes down to is an issue of clarity; many of us run

into trouble even when trying to define what our passions and

aspirations are.

Think about it. What has consumed your mind for the

past decade? What do you find yourself thinking about or

Warm Up.

“Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of

dynamic and creative intellectual activity.” —John F. Kennedy

The more scientists research the brain and the body, the more

they realize the two are intrinsically linked. Everything from

posture and facial expressions to blood pressure and heart

rate can influence how you think, feel, and even behave.

Starting your day with exercise not only gets the blood

running and the oxygen flowing, but paves the way for

increased productivity, decreased reliance on stimulants, and

a boost in endorphins that’ll help kick start your day.

Warm Up.

1. Calisthenics

If you really want to jolt yourself into the day, 5 minutes of

calisthenics is what you need. Calisthenics is a term for a

group of exercises which use bodyweight to build muscle

and strength. It’s generally less intense than traditional

weightlifting and requires less of a stand and stretch warm up,

making it a perfect fit for a quick start.

Begin with a 5 minute burst, in which you alternate between a

few different exercises. Pick 5 exercises from the following list

and do one minute of each, with no rest in-between:

• Jump squats

• Prisoner squats

• Bicycle sit ups

• Push-ups

• Pull ups

• Lunges

• Star jumps

• Squat walk (Duck Walk)

• Inch worms

• Hip Thrust

Looking for an extra challenge? Try the mother of all body

weight exercises: the burpee. The burpee is a complete full

body exercise that works the arms, chest, core, back, and legs,

all in one.

To do a basic burpee, start by standing straight with your

feet shoulder width apart. Begin to squat, putting your hands

out in front of you as you lower towards the floor. When

you reach the end of your squat, kick your legs back in one

smooth motion so you land in a push up position. Here you

can drop your chest to the floor to complete the push up,

before kicking your legs back to the previous position. Finally

jump straight up towards the ceiling as high as you can, with

your hands reaching towards the sky. When you land you

should be in the original standing position. The process is

complete, that’s one burpee.

Burpees are an advanced movement and are not a favorite

of everyone, but they are one of the most effective full body

exercises out there.

If you’re having a little trouble with the mechanics of burpees,

check out this YouTube video for a visual demonstration.

2. Yoga

Originally a spiritual Hindu discipline, Yoga has become an

increasingly popular activity in the West over the last few

decades. If the idea of sitting around and focusing on your

breathe doesn’t resonate with you, try your hand at yoga.

The active practice includes meditation, breath control, and

the use of various postures and techniques to strengthen

your core, realign your spine, and improve your health and

relaxation.

Here are a couple of movements for beginners. Rotate

between the three for 5 minutes:

• Chair Pose

• Downward Facing Dog

• Standing Forward Fold

3. Bioenergetics

The evidence is undeniable. The body and the mind are one

in the same in both how they feel and how they act. It’s just a

fact.

Why then when you look at traditional methods of treatment

for problems of the mind and body do you see a distinct

divide between the two? Psychotherapy treats problems and

trauma in the mind through mental exploration. Physiotherapy

treats disorders and injuries of the body through physical

manipulation.

However, psychosomatic therapies such as Alexander Lowens’

‘Bioenergetics’ consider the two inseparable. In Bioenergetics,

neurotic holding patterns, such as anxieties, fears, and

repressed feelings are explored and released through active

expression in the body.

What’s more is that you don’t need heavy psychological

trauma to benefit from the exercises. The practices are slow,

progressive and painless, and can charge the body with

energy, making a significant difference to your physical and

emotional wellbeing.

Professional strength coach and personal trainer Elliot Hulse, a

huge advocate of Bioenergetic movement, has shared his own

‘Daily Bio-Energizers Warm Up Routine’. In a nutshell, this is

what it looks like (we recommended watching this video while

you try it):

Part 1: The Bow, Ground Reach and Shake & Vibrate.

Energize the body with oxygen and break up common

muscular tension.

Part 2: The Trust Reach, Deep Knee Bend, Roll Over Reach,

The Scorpion and 90 / 90 stretch.

Prime and prepare the nervous and muscular system for the

functional movements we do every day.

Part 3: The Warrior Pound (or Ground Pound).

Ground yourself, focus your intent, and, of course, feel like a

Native American warrior.

Here’s also a run down of the three core bioenergetic

movements, all of which should be performed to make up the

5 minutes of your daily warm up.

Shake and Vibrate

1. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and arms

down by your side.

2. Begin to vibrate and shake parts of the body, exploring

different and unusual movement patterns—wilder the better.

3. Make sure to breathe deeply to help circulate oxygen

and loosen up tense muscles.

The Warrior Pound (or Ground Pound)

1. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and arms up

in the air.

2. With both feet flat on the ground, start doing small

jumps and chant the sound ‘HUH’.

3. Each time you hit the ground, push the sound from

deep in your pelvic floor. Your whole body should vibrate.

The Bow

1. Bend your knees slightly and lean back, pushing your

fists into the notches just above your bum in lower back.

2. Relax the muscles in your back and chest, open

your mouth wide and take deep breathes through the nose,

expanding the diaphragm and releasing the breathe forcefully.

3. Don’t worry if you start vibrating, thats your body

trying to break up muscular tension.

“Garbage in garbage out.” — George Fuechsel

It’s common knowledge that what you put into your body is

a reflection of what comes out. That’s why we often roll our

eyes when we hear the cliché ‘you are what you eat’.

The reality is though we are only just starting to see the depth

of the link between what we eat and how we perform. And

while the ‘you are what you eat’ analogy is a good way to

begin to look at your health, understanding the right amount

of macronutrients and micronutrients for your personal diet is

a whole other dimension.

Fuel.

Our simplistic thinking around what we eat has made us adopt

the belief that food is like petrol for a car.

In fact, if your body was a car, food wouldn’t just perform the

role of petrol or diesel, it would power the whole maintenance

of the system. It would be the oil, the break and cleaning fluid,

the oxygen, even the air in the tires.

Further to this, modern day scientists are finding that the

natural bacteria in our gut is much more linked to our

psychology than previously thought. One lab study even

found that rats who’d been consuming probiotics (the good

bacteria found in yogurt) were far more resilient in anxious

situations.

Unfortunately, many people start the day with quick fix

cereals or high octane doses of caffeine. Not only are these

ineffective for running your system—maintaining energy,

strength, psychological resilience, and immunity—but they’re

actually harmful to your long term health.

Here are three of the most efficient and nutritious ways you

can fill your body with clean fuel in the early hours. Just one of

these every morning as the FUEL section of your routine and

you’ll experience longer lasting energy throughout the day,

while actively safeguarding your long term health.

1. Green Smoothie

There are hundreds of green smoothie recipes all over the

internet. But we’ll leave you with one that we believe sits

above the rest (Note: make sure to rotate the veggies in

your smoothies to avoid alkaloid build-up, monotony, and to

achieve a more balanced intake of nutrients).

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup unsweetend almond milk

(unsweetened) or coconut water

1-2 handfuls of fresh spinach

1-2 frozen bananas

2 tbsp hemp hearts

1 tbsp natural peanut butter

2 ice cubes

SUPERFOOD TOPPINGS:

2 tsbp hemp seeds, pumpkin

seeds, or chia seeds (or a mix)

2 tbsp raw buckwheat groats

2 tsbp silvered almonds

SUPERFOOD TOPPINGS:

2 tsbp hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, or chia seeds (or a mix)

2 tbsp raw buckwheat groats

2 tsbp silvered almonds

2. Pick Me Up Shots

While we try to include a variety of healthy foods in moderate

quantities in our diets, there are still certain rarely consumed

foods which can act as superchargers for our immune

systems. Make yourself a pick me up shot (25-30ml) with the

following three nutrient dense ingredients:

Turmeric

Turmeric Root has been used across China and India for

thousands of years, both as a condiment and as a medicine.

Turmeric boasts a wide variety of health benefits, working as a

potent anti-inflammatory agent to help with IBS and Arthritis

and even in cancer prevention.

Ginger

Ginger is a well-known and popular ingredient that’s been

proven to help eliminate congestion, nauseau, muscle

soreness, and indigestion.

Lemon

If an organic food has a strong taste it’s generally good

for you, and lemon is no exception. For thousands of years

lemons have been used as a health remedy. This fruit has

strong antibacterial and antiviral properties, is a digestive aid,

and can help boost your immune system.

The recipe for this pick me up shot is very simple but does

require you have a juicer.

Instructions

Simply mix 1-2 knuckles of ginger, half a lemon, and 1 knuckle

of turmeric in a juicer. Add a dash of cayenne pepper for an

added kick and you have your morning pick me up shot!

3. Power Tea

If you’re looking for something a little calmer than a green

smoothie or spice shot, then say hello to your new best friend:

Power tea.

They’re packed full of antioxidants, can be enjoyed at leisure,

and will give you long lasting clean energy without the jitters

that often come with coffee. We recommend preparing a

loose leaf tea yourself as opposed to buying tea bags. Instant

teas can contain very little tea and added sugars, whilst a

homemade brew can offer higher potency and something

more in tune with your specific needs and taste.

Green tea, mate, and white tea are three of the best. Check

out Webmd for the benefits of each. But here’s our very own

favorite tea prepared by a fellow worm catching eary bird.

“When people will not weed their own minds, they are apt to be overrun by nettles.”

—Horace Walpole

We often associate sleep with powering down. It allows our

unconscious mind to piece together all the puzzles of the

day—it’s the reason we say to people to ‘sleep on it’. But

what many don’t realize is that the images and unconscious

thoughts which appear during sleep can be just as stressful as

the ones we have when awake.

Add this to the fact our habitual thought patterns start

as soon as we awake, and the result is we end up starting

Reset.

the new day just as we finished the last. This can also be

worsened by a bombardment of information, artificial light,

and notification alerts from our smart phones and tablets

before we’ve even left the bed.

Think of your day as a mental marathon, you wouldn’t sprint

from start to the finish or you’d just burn out. In order to

start your day with concentration and calm, you need a

routine that quietens your mind, slows down your thoughts,

and recalibrates you’re thinking patterns into a frequency of

control.

Push the reset button on the worries of the previous days and

choose one of the following three activities to put into the

FOCUS section of your Morning Mastery routine.

1. Meditation

We won’t babble on about meditation as there are over 3000

studies on how it effects the body and mind. The results are

conclusive: the benefits are HUGE. Among the greatest of

those benefits you’ll find: a reduction of anxiety, stress, fear,

and depression, and an improvement in self-esteem, optimism,

awareness, emotional intelligence, and resilience against

illness.

Resist the urge to question whether or not 5 minutes of

meditation could be a waste of your time—it’s not. Though 20

minutes to an hour is always better, for beginners, 5 minutes

can do wonders. This way you’ll strengthen the practice and

build a long term habit of meditation into your life. There are

dozens of resources out there on how to meditate, and we

recommend you start with a guided meditation like this one to

get the feel for it.

One great app we like to use is the Insight Meditation Timer.

They have both free and paid versions, which offer concrete

ways to keep track of your progress, as well as hundreds of

guided meditations ranging from as little as 1 minute to as

long as an hour.

2. Cold Shower Therapy

Freezing cold showers sound like a nightmare to most people.

But as science continues to study the effects that cold

exposure has on our bodies, we’re beginning to see there may

actually be a lot more to them than simply the discomfort and

squeeling we’re all familiar with.

Throwing yourself in a freezing shower for just 5 minutes

a day can help reduce inflammation and swelling, improve

alertness, stimulate fat burning, and improve your mood,

immunity, and your willpower.

Multi world record holder and superhuman Wim Hof, through

his recent popularity, has introduced cold exposure to the

masses. Hof combines a yogic breathing exercise with cold

showers, ice baths, or cold exposure in nature, to control his

body in a way usually reserved for Hollywood movies.

He’s climbed Mountain Everest in shorts, holds the world

record for the longest ice bath, has proven in the lab to

consciously control his own immune system, and has ran a

full marathon in the Namib Desert without water. All of this he

claims is a result of his cold exposure technique, which he calls

‘The Wim Hof Method’.

If you’d like a closer look at the health benefits of Cold Shower

Therapy head on over to Impossible HQ.

3. Gratitude Journaling

Positive Psychology research is consistently finding that

practicing gratitude is associated with greater happiness and

wellbeing. The problem is that most of us wait for a situation

or an event in which to be grateful, rather than looking as

gratitude as a practice in itself.

A gratitude journal takes the benefits of appreciation into your

own hands by allowing you to experience a snapshot every

morning. Research by Dr. Robert A. Emmons of the University

of California and Dr. Michael E. McCullough of the University

of Miami, found that over a ten week period, those who wrote

down what they were grateful for, just once a week, were

significantly more optimistic and felt better about their lives,

compared to those who’d written down neutral or negative

thoughts.

Gratitude journals are simple. Start by writing down 3-5 things

you feel grateful for in this very moment. To avoid repetition

mix things up with these questions:

• What happened yesterday that I am grateful for?

• What opportunities did I have yesterday that I’m thankful

for?

• What relationships am I grateful for that helped me

yesterday?

• What’s one material possession I’m thankful for today?

• What abilities am I grateful for that I’m going to use

today?

For a closer look at how to create a powerful gratitude journal,

head over to Tiny Buddha and check out these 11 Tips for a

Powerful Gratitude Journal.

“The successful man is the average man, focused.”

—Unknown

For the natural skeptics among us, it’s hard to digest or even

look at mainstream positive thinking advice such as that given

in ‘The Secret’ by Rhonda Byrnes, or ‘Think and Grow Rich’ by

Napoleon Hill.

But aside from magic pill marketing gimmicks, there’s a lot to

be said for the power of focusing on something positive, even

if it’s just for getting yourself in the right mindset for the day.

Focus.

Think of your internal environment like your work desk. If you

start the day with a clear focus, your desk is neat and tidy,

everything is in its place and you’re ready to go. However, if

you let negative news, emotion-triggering social media feeds,

and sporadic ideas seep into your morning, you’ll be turning

up to work with a desk of unsorted papers piled high–you

won’t know where to start.

If you want your mind to be like the desk of an ataxophobic

Scandinavian with OCD, you’ll need to filter what you

consume, focus on what you want to achieve, and spend time

cultivating your ultimate mindset.

Add one of these three techniques into the FOCUS section of

your 20 minute Morning Mastery, and not only get in the zone,

but stay there.

1. Golden Goal List

There are dozens of ways to structure a to-do list. What we’ve

found works best is to keep it really simple by using these

three principles:

Highlight your golden goals

Golden goals are the things that you absolutely must get done

on the day. If there were a handful of things you wouldn’t

allow yourself to sleep without doing, they would be your

golden goals. Keep them realistic, and don’t set more than 3-4.

Once you’ve crossed them off, take a moment to congratulate

yourself or even preset specific rewards as incentives.

Keep them specific

Make sure your goals are as specific as possible. Writing ‘send

invoices’ is a sure fire way to make yourself avoid getting it

done. Instead, you want to spell out all the steps you need to

take: ’Draw up and send X invoices to before X time’.

Keep them on paper

The action of writing down goals is much more personal

than typing them in on a smart phone and therefore helps to

commit them to your memory. Use a small notebook as a daily

organizer or get back to basics with a pile of sticky notes.

2. Visualization

Visualization is nothing more than mental rehearsal. A mental

rehearsal which the majority of highly successful people use

some form of or another in their daily lives. Public speakers

visualize giving their speeches, athletes visualize crossing

the finish line, world class surgeons visualize performing

procedures, and actors visualize playing their roles.

It’s helpful to think of visualization like painting with your

mind. If you’re a beginner with a paint brush, the image that

you create first time round isn’t going to be crisp and clear.

But as you practice over and over your visualizations will

become vivid, realistic, even life like.

Start the practice by simply focusing on who and where you

want to be. You can be looking towards the end of the day,

next week, next year, or even ten years from now. Just make

sure, as with the golden goal setting, you’re crystal clear as

to what you want. That way, with daily practice, you’ll start to

paint a detailed picture in your mind of exactly what that life

will look like.

Think about what images do you see, what sounds you hear,

and what emotions do you feel. Try and use all of your senses

to sculpt this vision of the future you.

Not sure what you want? Create several visualizations and

explore different avenues of where you could be. Once you’ve

found one you like, all you need to do is sit with it every day

as it becomes more and more realistic, feeling the emotions,

experiencing the surroundings, physically becoming the

person in your mind, and gradually experiencing the change

come into reality.

3. Brain boosting Music

Music has long been seen as one of the greatest pleasures life

has to offer. After a long day of work or a stressful week at

the office, we use it to wind down, let go built up energy, and

forget all our troubles and woes.

Neuroscientists have discovered that when listening to

music, almost no area of the brain is left untouched by

electrochemical activity. This suggests widespread benefits

and a whole host of potential uses for music—our focus here

being well, focus.

Do you have lots of repetitive tasks lined up for the day?

A pile of research? A heavy report to write? Or maybe

something more creative? Whatever you have planned, there’s

a type of music for it.

What music you listen to while working is often an

afterthought at best. First take a moment to find a band or

artist or playlist you want to listen to during the day. Then

here comes the fun part. Stick it on, crank up the volume,

and turn those mundane morning tasks—brushing your teeth,

packing your bag, washing the dishes—into a 5 minute super

session of getting into the zone.

Here are a few guidelines to keep in mind when choosing a

playlist:

Repetitive tasks

Music works best with simple, repetitive tasks. Choose your

favorite songs and a rush of dopamine will lift your mood and

bring enjoyment to the task.

Creative tasks

Find songs between 50-80 beats per minute. These songs

help induce alpha brainwaves in your brain, making you more

calm, alert, and concentrated on the task at hand.

Learning-intensive tasks

No music. Listening to music while working is essentially multi-

tasking. And multitasking when learning a new skill or piece of

information could harm your ability to absorb it properly.

PRO TIP:

Video game music is designed to keep you engaged without

becoming distracted. Try out this music playlist from

Minecraft by the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

“I wake up every morning at nine and grab for the morning paper. Then I look at the obituary

page. If my name is not on it, I get up.–Benjamin Franklin

You have the information. Now all you need to do is put it

into action, maintain momentum, and eventually you’ll form

new habits. Charles Duhigg, author of ‘The Power of Habit’,

breaks up habit forming into 3 parts: a trigger, an action, and

a reward.

In other words, to form a new habit you first need something

to act as your ’cue’, then a set of predefined steps to follow,

and lastly an effective way to acknowledge your effort.

In this bonus addition to the Simple 20 minute Morning

Mastery eBook you’ll find three examples of Morning Mastery

routines using the activities and techniques outlined in the

book. Each example is targeted toward a specific type of

morning: The Power Morning, The Feel Good Morning, and

The Mindful Morning.

It’s important to note that you can stick to one routine, or

alternate between different ones—whatever works best for

you. Print them off, stick them above your bed, and use them

as your cue to become a true master of your mornings.

Bonus.

PROJECTMONKEYMIND.COM

We hope you enjoyed this eBook! If you have any

feedback or comments you would like to share

with us, please send us a message at:

hi@projectmonkeymind.com

PROJECT MONKEY

MIND