I used to really take pride in being a first responder to Slacks and text messages in the morning.
At the sound of my 5AM alarm, I'd habitually roll over, squint into my screen and dive immediately into whatever crisis I could find.
[Part of this misguided behavior was due to a job that necessitates communication across 9-hour time zone difference. But mostly it was due was my own ego-driven desire to "get things done" before anyone else would dare.]
Needless to say, there was a cost.
Whenever I jumpstart my mornings in reaction mode, I run out of steam earlier than I'm supposed to.
Focus wains, distractions take over, and comprehension of anything worthwhile completely evaporates by the afternoon.
It's the adrenaline-spiking-mental-gymnastics-before-my body-has-a-chance-to-catch-up for me.
Thankfully, I'm just now learning how to wake and work in a way that's more sustainable.
Here's what it looks like today:
My phone is still the first thing I pick up in the morning.
But instead of checking work messages right away, I leave all of my notifications on Do Not Disturb.
I choose one piece of non-work reading to scroll through - could be a newsletter I received over the weekend or an article I bookmarked earlier in the week. No IG, TW, or TT allowed.
I've found that consuming something insightful or educational in the morning sets my mind off in the right direction.
After a few minutes of reading, I'll land on my feet with a calming soundtrack or a guided meditation.
Then comes the water/coffee/tea ritual. Lazy stretches while the water boils. A few deep breaths.
Only once I've set the proper scene do I begin to think about work.
My morning routine used to function like a hope-and-pray slingshot into my day. High velocity. Terrible aim.
Now it's more like the freeway on-ramp in a wealthy suburb. Well-paved, well-funded, and just long enough to get up to speed.
So, which one of your morning habits could use a remix?