Morning rush hour isn’t only on the highway. GenuLines knows you deal with your own rush before you head out the door.
With that in mind, here are a few ideas to help you “tap the brakes” during your earliest hours.
Find Time In Your Busy Morning
Mornings are busy and they can be quite chaotic. If you have a young family and plenty of people to get ready and out the door, you know this first hand.
The good news is that it doesn’t have to be that way, no matter how busy you think you are first thing in the day. The first few hours in the morning set the tone for the entire rest of the day. Do you want a panic scene, feeling like you’re running and trying to catch up?
Or do you want it to be calm, collected, productive, and with a feeling that you’re in control? It’s up to you and it’s all about embracing two simple concepts.
Get Up Early Enough
It’s tempting to hit the snooze button and catch a few more minutes of sleep, isn’t it? It’s even hard to set the alarm early enough that you have plenty of time for everything you want and need to get done.
I get it.
If you’re not a morning person, moving up the alarm by 30 minutes to carve out a little extra time can be tough. But after the first few mornings, it won’t be anywhere near as hard as you think.
And you’ll get used to it.
Getting up early enough and avoiding the snooze button at all costs is the key to an unrushed morning.
Buying Time?
Here’s the problem with cutting corners with time, or worse hitting the snooze button a few times. It gets you behind from the very start.
You have to rush to make it out the door in time and any little problem or speed bump along the way turns into a huge problem. Not being able to find the car keys becomes a major crisis.
It could cause you to be late for work and the kids to be tardy at school. Remember, your morning sets the tone for the rest of your day.
If you start it chasing downtime and things, that’s likely how you’ll spend the rest of your time.
But getting up early enough puts you ahead of the game. You’re in control.
You can take care of everything that needs doing in a calm manner. And you’ll still have time for the important things you want to work on.
In short, getting up early enough sets you up for an amazing, productive day.
Restructure Your Routine
Think about your current morning routine and where you’re spending time. Look for things you can change and tweak to find more time for the things you want to do.
For example, let’s say you want an extra 20 minutes in the morning to meditate. Look at what you could take care of ahead of time, get rid of, or delegate to make that time.
You may spend a lot of time getting breakfast for everyone. So get in the habit of setting the breakfast table the night before.
Arrange for your spouse or partner to get the coffee ready, so all you have to do in the morning is push a button. Teach the kids to make their own breakfast.
Have them take their dirty dishes and prep them for the dishwasher. Make sure clothes are set out the night before (including yours).
Give book bags, purses, briefcases, and car keys a designated spot. Know that they’re where they need to be before you turn in for the night.
Small changes like this to your morning routine can make a big difference. I challenge you to come up with a few more small tweaks that will save you at least 30 minutes in the morning.
JohnK 4-4-2022
Overheard: “A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.” ~Charles Darwin, The Life & Letters of Charles Darwin
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