How do you start the day? Reading this article? 😉
Do external influences get you started or do you take your time to set the course?
Depending on what’s on my mind, I sometimes have days when it feels like my head is awake before my body is… And before realising it, I’ve answered the first message before I’ve even had breakfast. Ouch.
Days like that usually continue the way they started. I feel “pushed through them”, somehow constantly behind, only reacting to requests for lack of a plan of my own. And with the recurring thought “you wanted to do that too” in my head, I sometimes start three things at once without finishing a single one of them. Like someone who has been beamed into the car and onto the acceleration lane of the motorway in his pyjamas.
Zack, you’re in the left lane and the car behind you pushes and urges you to go faster! And because of all the “getting carried away” you even miss the exit at the end ….
If you are in a hurry, take your time.
If I don’t succeed in mentally slowing down these days and stopping this actionism, I often feel in the evening as if I’ve been going at it all day – but achieved nothing.
What has worked for me is a morning routine. That is, I consciously take time in the morning to prepare myself for “the race” and to set my course for the day. This includes certain rules, such as not looking at my mobile phone for the first time until after breakfast.
My morning routine consists of the following elements:
Move – activating the body.
- If I have a lot of time, I do a sports session, if I have less time, I do at least some yoga (sun salutation) or stretching exercises.
Mind – aligning my thoughts
- Motto of the day: I take a moment of silence, sometimes when still in bed, sometimes on my Yoga mat, the other days with my tea in my hand in front of my kitchen window. I listen in – how do I feel today? What credo could help me during the day? (e.g. “I focus on what I am doing.” or “One thing at a time.” or “I take my time.”)
- Milestones: Reviewing my appointments.
- 3 Wins: what tasks and activities are the most important ones today? What do I definitely want to get done today?
Mastery – inspiration and development
- Depending on what currently helps me most, I listen to a podcast, audio book, or do some online learning.
How much time you want to and can take for this certainly depends on whether you are a slow or fast “starter” (I belong to the slow starters) and what obligations (dog, child etc.) are waiting for you. Plan your time for this. The more demands on you, the more important it is that you are already emotionally and mentally in the saddle and holding the reins before the rodeo starts.
There are many books and articles on the subject of morning routines and rituals. Some people get up at 5 o’clock to fit everything in. For me, as an owl, that would be nothing – and would mean stress. For someone else, this is the least stressful way. You can recognise a good morning routine by the fact that you feel
- more motivated, clear and sorted in the morning,
- more self-determined during the day
- and more successful in the evening.
Below this article you will find a few links and suggestions. Have fun trying out your morning moments!
Birgit