Busy Mornings
Everyone experiences busy mornings at one time or another, especially if you have others to get ready and out the door. Let’s face it. Busy mornings are often stressful. The good news is…you can minimize the stress. It just takes a little commitment and determination. Earlier I shared with you how the first few hours in the morning set the tone for the entire rest of the day.
Do you want calm or chaos? Think of the busy mornings where everything is out of control. Then, think of the mornings where you are in control and productive. You got this…Just embrace two simple concepts. Before I get to them, there is another issue that happens when you do not have others in the home to care for.
Creating A Morning Of Action
I have an empty nest. Interestingly enough, I found that having children or young adults in the house required me to be in a routine. Because I do not have people who require me to get them ready for school or to appointments, it is sometimes easy to slip into time wasters. Unless you create a morning routine that requires action, you could fall into a slump.
Read more about it here: Why You Need A Routine Before Retirement
Now, onto two simple concepts…
Structure Your Routine
You are in charge of your life. So, why do you let circumstances or others take charge of your routine? I was coaching an older woman who expressed how difficult it is to get going early in the morning. There are things she wants needs to do for herself, but instead, she allowed others to dictate her schedule. I asked her what her optimal morning would look like if she did not schedule clients so early.
As she talked it through with me, I asked her some thought provoking questions. Her eyes lit up and she had that ah Ha moment! I explained that her clients and friends would learn to respect her time and schedule if she made herself a priority and respected her own time and schedule. Which brings me to simple concept number two.
“Your” Time
When are you at your best – morning, afternoon, or evening? If you are not a morning person, you can wake up later because you go to bed later. However, if you are like the woman I coached, she is a morning person who allowed others to dictate her schedule. As of our last meeting, she reported that she schedules clients after 10 am. And, she does not want to work full time so she blocked time on her calendar to work with clients three days a week when she is at her best.
Maybe you are a night person and do your best work in the still of the night. Perfect! Make it a point to be honest when others ask you to meet them early in the morning.
Determine when the best time is for YOU to do certain tasks. Finding your rhythm is important for a healthy and productive day.
Knowing Yourself
I love quiet mornings. I am also most productive in the morning. Knowing yourself is important. For example, I know that if I get online first thing in the morning without going over a specific plan for the day, I could end up there for hours without making much headway.
On the other hand, if I get up, exercise, carry out some chores, shower, and then eat, I accomplish a lot in a short period of time. Two days a week I allow for early morning meetings because I don’t have control over when they are held. This requires planning in other areas to accommodate for a good nights rest and not having to rush in the morning.
Before we wrap this up, spend a little time thinking about your current morning routine and where you are spending time. Look for things you can change and tweak to create more time for the things you want to do. Go ahead. I give you permission.
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Until next time…
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