Build Big Mo by bookending your days with simple, repeatable routines

Momentum is heavy to start and light to keep. That’s why the first and last 30–90 minutes of your day matter so much. When you begin with the same small sequence, your brain spends less energy deciding and more doing. A simple two‑by‑two start—two mind primers and two action primers—gets you moving without a fight. Gratitude, a quick message of appreciation, a learning block, then one protected push on your most valuable work.

An analyst I worked with did exactly this. She wrote two lines of gratitude while the coffee dripped, texted one teammate a specific thank‑you, read ten minutes from a short industry brief, then shut her door for a 60‑minute sprint on the proposal that mattered most. By 9:15, she’d already banked a win. Emails still arrived and meetings still filled her calendar, but the day’s signature work had a head start.

In the evening, cash out. A five‑minute review helps you carry learning forward without rumination. One note of what worked, one carry‑over, one tweak for tomorrow. Then read a few pages of something nourishing so your mind lands somewhere better than the endless scroll. I might be wrong, but finishing on purpose changes tomorrow’s starting line.

Habit science supports this approach. Routines reduce decision fatigue, prime attention, and build identity. Protecting a daily MVP block leverages Parkinson’s Law in your favor, and reading before bed improves sleep onset and quality. When you repeat the bookends long enough, Big Mo shows up. The middle can still be messy, but your days start and end on rails.

Set up a two‑by‑two morning for tomorrow: prepare your gratitude card and a short appreciation text, choose a 10–20 minute learning piece, and block 60–90 minutes for your MVP before email. In the evening, do a quick cash‑out—note one win, one carry‑over, and one tweak—and read a few pages before lights out. If the morning gets broken, restart at step one instead of improvising. Keep the sequence simple so it’s easier than skipping. Put your coffee mug next to your notebook now.