There are many fundamental aspects to achieving a really fluid day in the chaos that can sometimes be our American life… I have written about routines here, here, and here. I am revisiting my own morning routine this week, so thought I’d share.
The morning is totally one of the most challenging parts of the day for me. I am not a morning person. Last summer, I started working on a more structured AM routine …
#1 big gain from last summer’s efforts: learning to have my clothes ready for the next day – (here’s a fun post about putting outfits together)
#2 big gain from last summer’s efforts: factoring in the appropriate amount of time for food prep
So in revisiting the AM routine this week, I came across this cool blog, where the writer asks folks (mostly solopreneurs) to contribute commentary on their own AM routines. One guy actually had a numbered list of items (all to be done before attends to his 4 kids). He’s timed every component; in his own article on the topic, he mentions that he is about 28% more effective during the day when I gets everything checked off on his list! I love this line, (the author speaking of himself):
…the only person disappointed when the activities aren’t completed is Future Garrick. He’s the one that ends up sleep-deprived and frustrated looking for lost car keys already late for a dentist appointment.
So, I decided to see if such anal AM routine list making would help me. Seriously, my brain is not firing on all cylinders at 5:30 and any pre-thinking I can do – when I am sharp – only helps ME in the end (and probably my poor co-workers too). My initial attempt chicken scratches seen at right.
Part of my AM Routine puzzle – getting up when that alarm goes off (not snoozing) -> if I don’t, something is coming off the list – (I cannot adjust departure time due to the train schedule).
Doing this takes some observation and tweaking!
Here’s Wednesday
- Shower, toothbrushing, etc – 20m (I really thought I could schedule 10 here, but I am just not as efficient as I’d like)
- Yoga – 10-15m
- Dressing – 5m
- Hair/Make-up – 10m
- Lunch Assembly / Coffee Making – 10m
With Hubz traveling add:
- Take out recycling/trash – 5-10m
And yes, it was all written down. For me, on paper – it’s my preference. I might go to using the notepad function on my phone at some point, but having to “wake-up” the phone reduces the convenience factor.
I checked how I was doing a couple of times and I was actually calmer – I knew I had completed 75% of the items, and wasn’t second guessing that I’d missed anything. This is huge for me – to leave the house and be ready for the day/project/job is just so much better than what results from being frazzled.
So, what amount of crazy things do you try to accomplish before leaving the house in the morning? Do you exude efficiency and calm every morning? Where you born with a special chip that allows you to ease into your day without having to be as anal as I? Or do you have a written list…? Or maybe your routine hasn’t changed in 20 years so it is deeply set?
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