Rise & Shine! #2
This post started its life on May 9, 2016 as a Monday morning email to the Tailored Output community.
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My alarm goes off every weekday at 0500. I wake up early to work on my goals before I head off to work for Uncle Sam. I #paymyselffirst because I have to. My evenings can be such a mess — late hours in the office, fun after-work activities, mental exhaustion — that if I want to be sure I get something done, I have to do it in the morning.
When I was hyper-focused on fitness, I scheduled my workouts for the morning. And now that all my excess energy goes into building Tailored Output, the business is my #1 priority when my feet hit the floor.
Except, not always. It turns out: My body gets a vote.
And so I’ve been experimenting ways to overcome. Ways to Rise and Shine! and maximize the time I have to make daily progress toward achieving my dreams.
At first my trouble was getting out of bed. It’s cold and dark in the morning and the snooze button is so tempting! So I started going to bed an hour earlier and I changed my environment to remove those excuses. I charge my iphone in the living room at night, keeping the snooze button well out of reach. I hang my bathrobe on the back of my bedroom door, so I have easy access to warmth when I hop out of bed. And I bought a Phillips alarm clock to make the sun come up in my room even when it’s pitch black outside.
Now my mornings are bright and warm and loud.
And I’ve migrated my slow process toward productivity from the bed to the living room. My body is up, but my mind still isn’t engaged. I need to overcome the temptation to rest my eyes while the coffee brews. And prevent myself from mindlessly scrolling through social media (for an hour!) and wasting the most productive part of my day.
At the beginning of the year, I tried morning meditation. If my brain needs to turn on, then why not force mental focus? Right? Except, closing my eyes and breathing deeply that early in the morning only lulled me back to sleep.
Then I thought I’d reestablish my morning workout routine. I’m always energized after a workout. And this could be a double-whammy! A more productive morning AND more physical activity in my life. Right? Except, I am terrible at getting out of the house in the morning. Without my old workout buddy to keep me honest, I have no motivation to slip into spandex and jog out the door.
Whatever is keeping my brain foggy is keeping me wrapped up in my robe on the couch!
I decided to rethink everything. Maybe I’m still not getting up on the right side of the bed. Maybe there’s more I could be doing when my eyes first open to set myself up for success.
I thought through the things that helped me in the past. Accountability was foremost, but also not something I could recreate here. I’m building Tailored Output to help others, yes. But I don’t have immediate deadlines to keep me honest. The gym atmosphere also helped, for sure. Gyms are bright and full of energy and amped-up with music.
And I love music!
So I reset my alarm to play a motivational song. And I’ve got Apple Music to follow right behind. My mornings are warm and bright and loud. AND my alarm makes me want to dance! I mean, I dare you to stand still with this baby blasting through your house.
I’m still playing with ways to keep the playlist rolling without having to pick up my phone (to avoid the social media temptation). Even still, my new routine gets my blood pumping while the coffee brews. I’m getting started on my morning work sooner. I’m getting more done. And I love it.
Once this routine takes hold, I can’t wait to see what other experiments I can run. Maybe I’ll get myself in the shower sooner, to take advantage of the creative ideas that always come up. Or maybe I’ll open up the windows and let the fresh summer air breeze in. For the fun of it.
The possibilities are endless.
How about you? How do you make sure you Rise & Shine every morning? Do you have any ideas that could make our mornings even better?
Have a beautiful week,
Julie
Update: I have changed my wake-up alarm to my new favorite summer song by Calvin Harris ft. Rihanna. And I love it!
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