The One-Part Recipe for a Peaceful Morning
Hello Readers!
This week let us work on this one habit that is SIMPLE and would make you feel like you OWN THE DAY. A good start to the mornings that makes sure you have an easy peaceful day minus the morning chaos.
DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS?
Have you heard of this term called “Decision Fatigue”? Every day we have to make tons of choices — from mundane to critical. From the minute we get up — till our head hits the pillow at night — we have to make endless choices and decisions — every single day. These choices wear you down, and make you irritable, less productive, and stressed at the start of the day. And hence the term — decision fatigue.
It may not seem to be a big deal — but the day you get rid of the “Everyday — AVOIDABLE choices/decisions” would you realize the burden that you were carrying.
The habit I would like to talk about would help you get rid of decision fatigue. Also,
- It would help you sleep better and get up being sure of the day. Instead of getting up and wondering what DAY it is! And then rushing through your morning.
2. It would calm your nerves!
3. Help you start your day without losing your mind, every morning.
4. In short, Peaceful mornings 😊 The best part? No rushing through the mornings, looking for your car keys!
WHAT TO DO?
1. Grab your journal and in case you haven’t made one, just a plain piece of paper and pen.
2. This is a one-time exercise only.
3. Visualize your mornings and list out all that you do once you get up — till you head for work/start your day.
4. Next based on your list, think of all the tasks you can do the night prior that can make things easy for you in the morning.
5. List out these tasks and try achieving them the night before. The list can be as small as ONE task.
Here are a few ideas that you can implement: -
Decide your outfit for the next day. Keep it ready. The shoes too.
Keep your keys, wallet, sunglasses, and other accessories laid out. (We all hate looking for the keys early morning!)
Decide your breakfast a night prior.
Pack your work bag and your laptop.
I write my journal first thing in the morning. Hence, I always keep it next to my bed with a pen, the night before.
As a mother of a 3.5-year-old, I and my husband follow this ritual with our little one too for her school day. And of course, we involve her too.
- Prepare her school uniform and keep it ready. Even keep the towel next to it.
- Polish shoes and keep them ready with socks. She loves this part.
- Prepare her school bag. Keep it ready by the door.
- We let her decide on her breakfast the night prior.
These habits if inculcated at a young age can have a BIG impact on how productive and organized she gets as she grows up.
HABIT TRIGGER
The book “Atomic Habits” by James Clear talks about Habit Triggers.
We all want healthy happy habits. We do have the time too. But what we miss out on — is remembering them, owing to our chaotic busy lives.
You are about to go to sleep and that’s when you remember — oh! I forgot to pack my bag.
And hence to counter this, we have the — Habit triggers. These triggers are habit reminders.
So here are a few triggers that you can attach to the habit we talked about today. Remember to pick ONLY ONE. You would want only ONE trigger for every habit. 😊
(a) As you check on the main door before you retire for the day — let that be a trigger to remind you to start the drill.
(b) Let your finished dinner plate signal you to start.
© If you already have a nighttime habit and you are regular with it — you can attach that as a trigger for your new one.
Try this for ONE day and trust me — you would want to do this for the rest of your life after seeing the remarkable change it brings to your mornings.
It is addictive.
Credits to my husband as it is from him that I picked up this super amazing routine. :D
Namaste!
