It’s been a week and I’ve found a new routine. It’s not perfect, but you gotta start somewhere.
4:30 am alarm.
Get up and go sit on the couch for a few minutes wondering aloud why am I here. (I may have fallen asleep for 5-10 minutes a few times)
Stand, walk to coffee maker and brew coffee. This generally takes two tries for both the standing up and the brewing of coffee.
Bathroom, change into workout clothes, turn on computer.
Read / write / plan for 20-40 minutes.
Workout or first task on the list.
I found that the first day was the easiest, although on the second day I was awake at 3:40am due to an email (phone was silenced at night after that). I made the mistake of waking up early and putting in a long day (not home until 11:30pm and not asleep until 1am) on Thursday. As well, the bedroom door and latch needed some grease, and socks are a must for early morning walking around to keep the noise down.
Tweaks for this week:
Clothes set out the night before bed with socks.
Get up, brew coffee, bathroom, drink a glass of water- skip the couch.
Meditate for 5 minutes – sitting, eyes closed, focus on a thought and let mind wander, consciously bringing my attention back to the single thought. If I go over five minutes, that’s ok.
Write for 20 minutes while sipping delicious coffee.
Workout – Monday (long jog), Tuesday (yoga), Wednesday (lift), Thursday (yoga), Friday (whatever)
If I fail at something, go discover some new music and post on Facebook with a reminder note on the failing topic.
Tasks for the week posted in project management software – all I have to do is complete the tasks and check it off the list.
Scripts have been written as well to cut down on time wondering to myself ‘what should I say?’.
I should also note, that if an email comes in from Asia, I respond to it immediately regardless of what I’m doing in the early morning (that is if I’m awake). This past week I’ve been able to respond to fifteen requests within two minutes and had a few comments about speedy replies despite the time difference.
I’m also going to stop worrying about being a ‘bad dog’. I’ve found that my drive comes from being constantly dissatisfied along a consistent theme. There are many variations of the theme, but it’s always there.
Ok, enough of this, time to get started.
Scotchography 