Good Morning?

How do you start your day?

A friend has been posting pictures from her morning routine. A number of changes have been going on for her and it has challenged me to consider how much the start of my day affects the rest of it.

I am not a morning person. As a result of teaching I have been forced to become more of an early bird. When I finished teaching I was worried that I would waste mornings as I had nothing definite to get up for. So it was with mixed feelings that I started an early morning job at the local newsagents. This means I am up by 5:20 and home by 7:30. This seemed the perfect solution to getting up and then having the day ahead of me ready for writing. Sadly it has not been that simple. I return home and make a hot drink (usually tea) and then treat myself to an episode of my favourite soap. Rather than preparing me for the day, this weakens my resolve and dampens my creativity so then I have a psychological battle to win before I even put pen to paper. I often end up procrastinating with housework, reading or checking e-mails!

There seem to be different schools of thought when it comes to creating positive morning rituals, but all agree that early is good and that times of work should be broken up with times of activity and times of rest. Some want the day to begin with vigorous exercise or cold showers (yuck!) Others suggest starting with meditation and goal setting and then getting straight into work. All agree that social media should be low on the list of priorities. It all makes a lot of sense; starting the day with activities that should fuel productivity and creativity and giving the best time to the things I say are my priorities. It all feels very intentional and a little formulaic (not my favourite ways of doing things) but I can see that this way could produce the results I’ve been searching for.

 

I did look for some inspiration from great thinkers and writers. Immanuel Kant started his day with a cup or two of weak tea and a pipe. He would then meditate. Barak Obama starts his day with a workout and then breakfast with his family. Darwin would start his day with a walk. Some crazies started their day at 4am, beginning with work and leaving exercise till later in the day. The common feature seems to be that there is a plan and purpose to their mornings. It doesn’t just happen and it certainly wasn’t hitting the snooze button to hurtle out of bed and into the day.

This has caused me to re-evaluate my mornings. I can’t do much about the time of my part-time paid job but I am considering how best to use my time once I arrive home and how best to create an environment that will promote creativity rather than procrastination. I began by considering what I would like to achieve before lunch and the time I would need to do this. It meant being honest about the procrastination and I expect there may be adjustments to make along the way. I (weirdly) feel quite excited to try it and feel it will give me greater confidence in saying ‘no’ to other activities.

Sometimes our circumstances dictate more of the morning routine, especially if there are little ones involved. Even in more restrictive circumstances, there are choices we can make that could make the difference between a good morning and a stressful one.

How do your mornings begin? 

What changes could you make to give you a better start to the day? I’d love to know any changes you have already made and what affect that has had.