Start your day 15 min early
My mornings begin at 5:30 during the week. This number has
been been slowly creeping earlier and earlier, as I have more things I’d like
to get done before leaving the house for work. I have my mental checklist: fix my hair (braid, messy bun), coffee,
packing mine and hubs lunch, and making sure whatever we are having for dinner
is defrosting/prepped. When the kids are here, it also includes getting the 6yr
old up, making their lunch and snuggle time with said 6yr old. It’s been a
tough reality of getting up earlier and earlier. It started when we were “late”
according to my 12 year old. He’s a stickler for time and routine, and his
nervousness made me more nervous. So, the next week, we backed things up 5 min.
Although, 5 min for him, was 15 min for me. 6:00, 5:45, and now 5:30. Secretly,
I’ve been thinking another 15 min would actually benefit me as well….soon it
might be 5:15
These are things I gladly do, which gets my me in the proper
mindset for work. I don’t want to start my day rushed, in a hurry and with my
mind all in a tizzy. My stress will rub off on them, and that isn’t good for
anyone. I want to drive the boys to Nonna’s house while jamming away to their
current favorite music, drop them off, drive to work while listening to my
podcasts, and sit and finish my makeup 1 house down from work, all while
keeping a casual eye on the clock.
I first came across this idea when I read “Money Saving
blog” and she mentioned she liked a few quiet moments alone with her coffee and
bible. Her gentle approach to this, as in, I WANT to have a few moments of
quiet time, and this is how I will access it, seemed easy enough for me. I
didn’t want it to work, I wanted to be able to find the time in the evening to
do all of those prep things so I could walk out the door on time. Except, by
the time evening came around, the day
had already happened to ME, and I was struggling to keep up. All I wanted to do
by then was sit and relax before the next day overtook me. So, I figured I’d
try it. I whine about how early I was getting up, to just start my day, not
work out or read my bible, just start my day, and you know? It worked, and I
slowly got used to the idea.
Now I found this pocket of time, and at times, it feels like
treasure trove of energy. The mornings I don’t wash my hair, and throw it back
in a pony/braid, I have 30 min before the rest of my day needs to begin. How do
I fill this time now? By cleaning. Yep, I use this quiet time to do my own
chores. Sometimes I take a wipe, and clean off my bathroom counters. Or, I go
an load the dishwasher from last nights dinner, or make a sweep of the family
room to declutter of toys/cups/napkins and whatever else has found it’s way
there. And, you know? It’s such a good feeling I have to walk into that room
after work, and see those clean counters, the empty coffee table, the folded
blankets.
It comes back to how I want to feel, which is happy and
maybe I’m getting a hang of this “adulting” thing. I’m not a tidy person, I
don’t clean as I cook, and I like to spread out my stuff when I work. Which, in
turn, leaves a constant state of mess around my house. That’s how it is, and I’ve accepted this part of me. In finding
these moments of time when I can clean up my stations, reset the room, makes me
feel good.
