Squeeze the most out of every day.
Life is so busy anymore. From the moment my alarm goes off, I am thinking about what my day entails – who I have to call, what events are going on, feeding the dog, etc. etc… While I consider myself responsible and one to get my day’s work done, I am also a creative – and I am excellent at wasting discretionary time. When ever I find myself with “free” or discretionary time, here is what I think to myself: a) I must use that time to clean, I love to clean, or b) Well this time must certainly be available for me to cruise the net and read blogs, recipes, or search for all those things that pop up in my mind throughout the day. This is a terrible way to spend my time.
Mornings are the best time of the day and this is where most of my quality creative time is lost. Here is what my mornings have looked like for the past couple years:
4:50am Dreaded alarm goes off…sleep for at least 5 more mins…
5-6:00am Pick up some heavy stuff (at the gym)
6-7:00am Coffee, breakfast, get on the iPad
7-7:30am Still on the iPad…
7:30-8am Contemplate showering, while on the iPad or cleaning house
8-9:00am Shower, get ready, make lunch, feed dog
9:15am Head out the door
When I look at this now, I think – wow, that was two solid hours of time not thoughtfully planned at all. Over the course of a year, that comes out to 520 hours! 31,200 minutes! Holy cow. I want to live with intention and that means planning my day the way I’d like it to look. If I can help it, I would like to have more days where I can reflect and be satisfied with the way the day went instead of feeling like I didn’t make the time to enjoy the extracurriculars of life that make it so rich. I decided it was time to overhaul my morning schedule instead of just paying lip service to the idea.
Here is what I came up with and I am sure it will be adjusted, as it has only been one day of trying it. Today it worked great but I am prepared to be flexible as needed.
4:50am Dreaded alarm goes off…
5-6:00am Pick up some heavy stuff (at the gym)
6-6:30am Quiet time with coffee
6:30-7am Write or draw
7-8:00am Walk or run for 30 minutes
8-8:30am Eat breakfast
8:30-9:30am Write or draw
9:30-10:30am Shower and get ready
You may look at this and think a number of things:
a) Not all of us have the luxury of starting work at 10:30am.
Response: True – however even if you only have 15 minutes in the morning, see if you can squeeze in some discretionary time for yourself to relax or exercise before the day turns in to the whirlwind they tend to do. Perhaps try dragging yourself out of bed a little earlier, (and going to bed a little earlier).
b) You obviously don’t have children.
Response: True – I cannot pretend to understand what it is like to have babies and kids to have to get up and get ready in the morning but I would suggest that having a game plan for your morning can still apply and work to your advantage when feeling overwhelmed.
c) “Meditative time with coffee”? What kind of woo woo BS is that?!
Response: Taking 5-15 quiet minutes to yourself first thing in the day can really clear your mind so you go into your day feeling energized and not bogged down by the stresses of life that build up. We all have different forms of stress and it is important to put those thoughts in check for a small amount of time each day.
d) Exercise is a pain in the ass.
Response: Exerting energy (via exercise) is difficult, I won’t disagree, but the payout far exceeds the dread, pain, and lack of motivation. Working out for me has been a hell of a rollercoaster, but it has been a lifesaver. You have to take small bites and not beat yourself up when you fall off that wagon. Doing anything is going to be better than sitting on your duff all day. I like to get the blood pumping first thing in the morning because it gets me jacked up for the day, I can handle anything!
e) I don’t draw, but writing is something I could get in to!
Response: All of us have thoughts and feelings we don’t always get to express. Writing, and especially first thing in the morning, is a great way to get those feelings down on paper and out of us. Try it. Write about whatever comes to mind for 20 minutes and see what happens. I bet you’ll find satisfaction from it.
Try tweaking just one of your morning rituals and see what happens.
All of these things like with anything – the more you do it, the easier it will become. Make the time; you’ll be so happy you did.
Dare to Recreate 