How many of you are not morning people and allot yourself only the minimum amount of time in the morning to prepare yourself for the day? I wouldn't call myself a super morning person, but I do enjoy having some me time to focus and ground myself before I leave the house.
Up until about eight months ago I would allow myself about one hour of time to get ready. I am not a morning shower taker so this allowed me time to wash my face, put on a little makeup, have breakfast, pack a lunch, have tea and be off. A while ago I decided to start getting up early in the mornings and doing yoga so that pushed up my wake time by about another hour. I was doing more yoga until recently, but I began to enjoy having the chance to spend my morning slower.
I don't cable t.v. so I am not getting up and bombarding my brain with images of news or what not in the morning. This is a good thing. It's too jarring and startling to begin your day. However, I am no stranger to possibility catching up on some Ellen Degeneres Show or Tonight Show clips, which always help to start my day with a good dose of laughter. Alternatively, I might put on a podcast to listen to. I am still trying to do the yoga at least every other day, or if nothing more starting the day with some stretching. A lot of times I will be able to enjoy a cup of tea while I am perking my face up.
The inspiration for this tip came from HighExistence.com here is what they suggest:
Start your day off right. Wake up and set aside an hour for personal development activities (meditation, self-introspection, observing nature, etc.) Do the things that make you feel blissful, optimistic and empowered so that you can set a positive tone for your day. I guarantee that once you start doing this, your days will be more enjoyable and fulfilling. Today is going to be the best day of your life.
Click here to read the entire article with more ideas for morning activities which help you get started off well. Right now my morning schedule is changing a bit so I now must decide if I want to sleep in a little longer or find more things to do in this morning time. This is my warning: There really is a sweet spot with time, I sometimes begin to get sleepy again before it is time to depart for work. That is never what I want to happen. Sometimes I enjoy doing some personal reading before I start my workday. Reading can typically make me sleepy, so sometimes I find myself needing a catnap before I've walked out the door. Don't plan too much time to where you are wanting to jump back under the covers. It may take a little time to get up earlier, with enough time to do some things for you. Try and start with a half hour and see if you like it.