Did you wake up from a good nights sleep and just hours later feel exhausted? There's a good reason for that. And it's part of a bad habit we're all guilty of. The good news is, with just a few minor adjustments those energy levels will improve dramatically. You'll be more energized at work. And your mornings will start including more time for the things you truly love.
This is something we've written about previously on The-Inspired.com but a recent event at home highlighted the need for this important reminder.
The past few weeks have been incredibly hectic for my wife and I at home.
We had family visiting from out of town, our professional jobs have ramped up, and we're dealing with finding new tenants for a property we own.
And while we've completed many projects around our home, they just never seem to end. Both of us have our side projects on the go too.
Life is busy.
But we were making matters worse for ourselves. And it was leaving us feeling exhausted early in our days, even after a great nights sleep.
Then something happened the other day...
My wife went to work, and forgot her laptop at home.
She'd taken her phone, purse, keys, all the papers she needed, but, she forgot her laptop.
This in itself is not THAT big of a deal. BUT it was a symptom of something else.
No it's not exercise, or diet, or even meditation. All important things, but not the point of this tale.
The answer here is about reducing the amount of decisions we need to make each morning or day.
Let me explain...
If we wake up in the morning with these questions...
What time should I wake up this morning?
When should I go for a walk, or run, or do I go to the gym today?
What should I eat for breakfast? And how much should I eat?
When should I eat breakfast? Should I buy my coffee in the office?
If you're a student - What do I need to pack for school? Books, gym gear, computer, other?
If you're a parent - Who's taking the kids to the after school practice, or event, or other thing?
If you're a pet owner - Who will feed the pets, take the dog for a walk, clea the kittens litter, or change the water bowl?
Who's buying the groceries today? And what are we eating for dinner?
Did anyone prepare lunches for today?
What should I wear today, like shirt, pants, socks shoes and jacket?
Where we put our keys last night, our computer, our pass to get into our office, and headphones for our commute.
...we're starting our days off with too many decision points.
And that's decidedly bad for our us. Too many decision points will exhaust you.
Too many decision points create added and unnecessary strain in our days.
Strain that can lead us into high levels of anxiety and stress.
Anxiety in forgetting to do the important things because too many decisions got in our way.
Stress in letting decisions pile up, and worry that we might have missed something important.
Count the decision points above if you haven't yet. There are well over a dozen in just the first few moments after we rise. And that's way too much.
Have you tried a bullet journal?
INSPIRED FOUNDATIONS: The Habit of Building Daily Routines
With just a little bit of planning and building out routines, we can reduce our decision points. So instead of 'thinking' about all those decisions each morning, we'll already know what to do.
This will allow you to enjoy a pleasant conversation with someone you love, or a quiet breakfast. Through these Daily Routines we can grant ourselves the gift of a healthy morning headspace, and even something more...
Try These Daily Routines as part of your Inspired Foundations:
Set your alarm for the same time each morning, no matter when you need to rise. If you don't have to go to work or school as early on some mornings, you'll have that added free time for you that day
Take just five minutes before going to sleep to decide what you'll wear tomorrow, put that clothing aside, and pack your bags for school or work in advance, then put your pre-packed bag by the door, including your headphones or work pass.
Create a meal plan for the week ahead and stick to it, including decisions on who is buying the groceries.
Roles and Responsibilities at home that are well defined, like routines with your kids, or pets, or other household duties will help reduce the stress of knowing if you or your partner or siblings are each pulling their weight around the house.
Try these inspired routines and the added benefit is you'll also find more time for FLOW.
Rather than spending time inside the chaos of decision points which destroy a great day.
Your energy levels will rise too, and so will your peace of mind.
After all, life is about mastering our Inspired Life Foundations, so each of us can spend more time doing the things that we love.
The things we were actually put on this earth to do. Thanks again for reading!
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Until next time...
Goran Yerkovich
Roles & Responsibilities in check = On a recent sailing trip it was my job to BBQ daily! #notverygoodatsailing - but owned that tiny BBQ!
