Brian Harman is a leadership psychologist, PhD scholar, passionate speaker, professor and father to a three year old. Read below to learn more about his mindful mornings.
A messy bedroom is a messy life. Poppi, my grandfather, told me that when I was still a toddler.
I always loved how he’d have quick quips of life lessons ready and on hand. Several of the best ones are still in use as I parent my son, Benny. Before Poppi passed away when I was 8, I’d wake up every morning and run to his room. We all lived together like a big ol’ Italian family. He was always reading a newspaper or book, but on the side table was our book. I’d jump up onto the bed and cuddle with him as he read to me all the great stories about knights, castles, and other Medieval things. We’d act it out afterward jumping around on the bed or carpet. These were some of the most memorable moments of my childhood.
Fast forward 30 years, and I’ve realized the value of father and son time early in the morning. Benny’s circadian rhythm is precise, so he wakes up at 6 am sharp each day. I hear him calling and run to his room to pick him up. We have 10 minutes of groggy cuddling and finish the wake-up process. Then, we straighten up the rooms and make sure we start the day with things in order.
A messy room is a messy life.
We head into the living room and turn on the Latin music (Apple Radio) for a 30-minute dance session, building up an appetite for breakfast. It’s close to 730 am now. Time to eat! It’s simple, light, and healthy. We all sit at the table together just like we do at dinner.
While trading off shower times, us parents get dressed and read to Benny while the other parent is showering. It’s around 815 am, so we all sit together listening to music and playing with Benny’s toys.
When I leave for the office at 9 am, I sit in my car and let it warm it for 10 minutes as I sit quietly and listen to that day’s Headspace session.
By using the Daily Deltas technique of writing down 3 high-impact activities each day, mixed with our unique family habits, I can spend my day where it matters most. Because it’s one thing to want to be a great parent and quite another to make your kids your priorities so they can truly feel the extra time, energy, and efforts of it.
Here’s a sample of my Daily Deltas with the first 2 remaining as permanent items:
Spend at least 5 hours with Benny
Catch up chat with Cristina for at least 15 minutes after work
Finish 5 Asana tasks in the marketing folder
Practice presentation/speech for conference at least 3 times
When I return home in the evening, I also sit in the car for another 10 minutes, wiping away any remains of work life, courtesy of Headspace yet again.
This gives me a quick break to refresh my positivity and energy before walking in the front door.
It’s important to me that Benny feels that.
Learn more about Brian @ bmhallmark.com
Brian Harman has one goal: to make work fun! He is teaching global organizations how to use humor to build trust, inclusivity, and engagement.
Currently, Brian is a PhD scholar that’s laser-focused on leadership psychology and working around the world, most recently with multinational organizations in Peru, Mexico, China, India, Ireland, Singapore, and the UK. His research on humor & trust has been featured in academic peer-reviewed journals and he loves writing short articles for Forbes with applicable evidence-based takeaways that you can turn into action immediately.
In 2018, Brian was awarded as San Francisco’s Professional of the Year from the prestigious Institute of Supply Management (ISM). He loves to teach at UC Berkeley because it's a responsibility that allows him to help students develop more skills and it also keeps him sharp and witty in the professional world. As a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, he believes that process excellence and emotional intelligence are pillars to self-leadership and success.
Brian's consulting firm is called Business Management Hallmark (bmhallmark.com),and in 2019, Brian was invited to the Forbes Coaches Council.