The Three Items You Need On Your Bedside Table To Create The Perfect Start To Your Day
B&T regular Dr Amantha Imber (pictured below) is the founder of Inventium Australia innovation consultancy and the host of How I Work, a podcast about the habits and rituals of the world’s most successful innovators. In her latest post, the goodly doc takes a look at your bedside table and what it means for an effective work day…
My bedside table used to be bad news. Like many people, I used to charge my phone and watch about half a metre from my head. And like many, my phone was my alarm clock. So I was basically setting my day up to give into one of the worst temptations – checking my phone upon waking, and by doing so, starting my day with other people’s stuff.
Other people’s stuff might mean requests that have come in overnight via email, comments on a article or post, or multiple messages from a conversation about a meeting location on a What’s App group. While other people’s stuff might seem relatively innocuous, they basically determine the state of mind we get out of bed in.
I remember one morning where I woke up and hopped onto an article I had had published the day before. I wanted to see what feedback I had received in the form of comments or tweets. Clearly the terms “constructive feedback” and “online comments” are an oxymoron, but nonetheless, I used to find reading online comments irresistible.
The article in question was one I wrote about the problems with mindfulness on creativity. I thought it was a clever angle about the darker side of mindfulness (an antidote to the endless stream of mindfulness advocates) and would perhaps attract a reader like me who had struggled to adopt a mindfulness habit.
But no, clearly the mindfulness supporters read anything with the word mindfulness in the title and had swarmed on this article to inform me that I was clearly a resentful mindfulness failure and to stop reporting on research that is clearly incorrect. It wasn’t incorrect (#justsaying).
So, armed with this criticism, I think it’s fair to say I didn’t bounce out of bed that morning. No. I rolled out, dragged myself into the shower, got ready for work, and inflicted my grumpy mood on pretty much anyone who was in my path. I certainly didn’t feel in the mood to engage in any task that was remotely challenging. And working on my latest article after having this one completely bagged was seriously not going to happen.
Imagine though, if I could rewind the first 60 seconds of my day to not having checked my phone. I could have gone about my merry way and almost definitely, got a whole lot more done and avoided inflicting my miserable mood onto my family and team mates.
So for me, the perfect bedside table has become a digital-free zone. I have an alarm clock (yes, I felt like I was back in the 80s when I bought it). The alarm clock tells me the time and tells me when to wake up by playing Canon in D and shining a bright light all over my bedroom.
Next to my alarm clock, I have a notepad and pen. This was a late addition to the game, but nonetheless, a really important one. I realised after removing my phone from my bedroom, that I missed having something to write down random ideas and to do list notes, and instead found myself playing memory games with myself to try to ensure I remembered them in the morning. For example, if I had to remember to get almond milk, Granny Smith apples, and avocados from the supermarket the next day, I’d make up a story about a granny who was making an avocado sandwich for her daughter Almond. Yep, literary genius in action.
This was not an effective strategy.
Instead, I now have an old fashioned notebook and pen, which captures my ideas and gets to do list items out of my head. It allows my brain to have a good night’s sleep rather than try to memorise things. When I wake up, I can then look at what I wrote down and either add them to my to-do list or continue to build on the idea I had late at night.
So to get your day off to the perfect start, simply put a “real” alarm clock, a pen and a notepad next to your bed. Everything else can be relegated to another room in your home.
Please login with linkedin to comment
Dr Amantha ImberLatest News
The Mars Agency Announces Latest Findings Of Retail Media Report Card
The Mars Agency has developed a scorecard that assesses the capabilities of leading platforms across key criteria required to optimally plan, execute, and measure effective retail media programs. The scorecard aims To help brands efficiently evaluate their spending options across retail media networks in Australia (and New Zealand). With spending on retail media advertising in […]
‘It’s The Lesser Of Two Evils’ – NRL Eyes US Betting Market As Aussie Regulators Circle
US betting firms will be delighted by the circa 50,000 Americans who could soon watch the NRL on their favourite app.
A-League In Deep Discussions With New Partner To Keep Games On TV After Production Company Enters Administration
The A-League's insatiable appetite for scoring own goals continues.
TV Ratings (27/03/2024): Jungle Members At War Over Concealed Lipstick
A heated argument between two jungle members did the numbers for Ten last night, with I’m A Celeb obtaining a total national reach of 1,282,000. Fans were delighted as Candice Warner and influencer Skye Wheatley got into it over a stick of lipstick, leading Warner to dub the Instagram star “selfish.” Wheatley, best known for […]
Is The Australian Music Industry In Trouble? Inquiry Launched Following Splendour Cancellation
Earlier this week, an inquiry was launched into the challenges and opportunities currently facing the Australian live music industry in the wake of multiple festival cancellations. On 25 March 2024, the Minister for the Arts, the Hon. Tony Burke MP, asked the Committee on Communications and the Arts to inquire into and report on the […]
Liana Dubois, Leandro Perez, Aimee Buchanan & More Gather For Inaugural Compadres Leadership Event
Didn't get the invite? Perhaps you're not as important as you thought.
Cathay Captures The Unforgettable Thrill Of Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Rugby Sevens, Via Publicis
Nobody does rugby like Hong Kong, apparently. Certainly nobody does it as badly as Australia.
Cocogun Nabs Christine Watts, Kirsty Reynolds & Shev Tan Bolstering Management & Creative Teams
Cocogun bolsters its team with new hires. Committed to purchasing a bigger sofa, too.
The Media Store’s Jacquie Alley & Sam Cousins Take The Plunge With Pro-Bono Work For Cure Cancer
B&T chats with The Media Store bosses about their great pro-bono work and sponsored swim.
Hawke’s Brewing Co. Taps Rocket Comms For PR Agency Following Competitive Pitch
We're expecting Rocket Comms productivity to crash in spectacular fashion following this win.
Spotlight On Sponsors: Patties Serves Up A Taste Of Home For Olympians & South Sydney Rabbitohs Recommit To Gambling Reform
While the Rabbitohs commits to gambling reform, B&T reckons the team should commit to a decent auto sponsor.
Google: “Inevitable” That Bad Actors Will Abuse Ads Platform As Advertiser Account Suspensions Double
Google maintains it's simply impossible for it to entirely stop bad people placing & paying for ads using its service.
Quantcast Expands APAC Sales Team With Appointment Of News Corp Account Manager
No pressure at all when you are appointed as a client success manager.
Publicis Sapient Tests Microsoft-Powered Gen AI Search Tool With Homes & Villas By Marriott Bonvoy
Given Gen AI's record for mangling stuff, B&T cannot see the problem with letting it decide your next holiday digs.
Volkswagen & DDB Group’s “Roo Badge” To Reduce Kangaroo Related Road Collisions
Watch out for RooBadge as Cannes Lions' most debated campaign this year.
Twilio Launches Unified Profiles & Agent Copilot Features To Boost Productivity & Engagement
Agent Copilot sounds like James Bond's less interesting cousin.
Reebok & Honda Among New Clients For onetwo agency
OneTwo finally lives up to its name with this double billing.
Ogilvy Report: Throw Out The Social Strategy Rule Book, The Rules Of The Past No Longer Apply
B&T was puzzled that all 'influencers' aren't, effectively, 'virtual', but here we are.
WhiteGREY & AKQA Merge In Australia, Lee Simpson Departs
Fortunately, the combined agencies aren't opting for a trite portmanteau for the new name.
Splendour In The Grass 2024 Music Festival Cancelled!
Music fans all over the country reportedly relieved they can pack away their rain coats and gumboots for another year.
TV Ratings (26/03/2024): “Fairy Bread, F***ing Disgusting”: Gordon Ramsay Slams Aussie Food In Food Stars Launch
Ramsay not one for mincing his words, even when it comes to minced meat pies.
Paramount+ International Boss Doubles Down On Aussie Content, Says Ad-Tier will Grow Audiences And Revenue
Good news as Paramount will not be binning I’m A Celebrity for re-runs of Frasier.
Brent Smart: Telstra Pushing For 50-50 Brand-Performance Split But Warns Numbers ‘Won’t Look Great’ Initially
The old brand vs performance debate continues. But here, Brent is firmly sitting on the fence.
Crowded House, Tones And I & Dom Dolla Win Big At The Shure Rolling Stone Music Awards
B&T staffer reports back with humdinger of a hangover & feeling seriously uncool after mixing with music types.
Opinion: Dyslexia “A Hidden Gem” For Brands & Agencies
Dyslexics offer underappreciated benefits in the corporate field, according to this op-ed.
David Jones Taps Criteo To Power Online Retail Media Arm
Want to see ads for things you probably can't afford? David Jones has got you covered with new retail media play.
oOh!media Sets Up Team To Target Business Audiences Across Airports & Offices
oOh! wants brands to harass you every minute of your next business trip.
QMS Launches Australian First DOOH & TV Partnership With Samba TV
Samba TV, of course, is not a channel dedicated to dancing. Much to our dismany.
Slew Of New Hires At Amplify
Four new faces join the Amplify offices. Team say desk scarcity becoming "acute".
Adobe Announces Content Authenticity Initiative Expansions To Counter Deep Fakes
Try as they might to enlighten them, we suspect Trump supporters will continue to watch and believe Fox News.
The PR Group Appoints TechCrunch Senior Reporter Catherine Shu As Director Of Content & Media
Catherine Shu makes the bold leap from journalism to PR. Says inevitable pay bump was "unrelated".
HERO Nabs Ebony Santin From AMPR
Rumours Santin cleared out the stationery cupboard before departing are as yet unconfirmed.
Karena Noble Checks Out Of EVT Hotels & Resorts To Launch Comms Consultancy
Noble still managed to squeezed in a continental breakfast before departing.
Canva Acquires Design Platform Affinity To Bring Professional Design Tools To Every Organisation
Canva & Adobe face off continues. We're not picking sides but keenly aware that Canva's office is next door to ours.
“Lean On Our Team To Help You Find An Audience”: Why Understanding Audience Engagement Is Essential In Journalism
Engaging the audience is critical to journos, apparently. We'd thought self-loathing & alcoholism were key.
Adobe Summit: Major Gen AI Developments, Data Concessions & Partnerships
What happens in Vegas stays there. Unless it's the Adobe Summit and then you get to read about in B&T.