Grace Marshall is our Productivity Ninja for the Midlands
She blogs at https://grace-marshall.com/ and can be found on Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin
I am NOT a morning person. Night owl, yes. In fact I’ve been known to be more awake at 6am on the rare occasions that I’ve stayed up all night than if I’ve woken up at 6.
Throw into the mix two children, who have both had their fair share of broken nights, 4-5am starts and illnesses that have thrown all routine out of the water.
I admire people who are able to go to bed at 8.30pm in an attempt to get a full night’s sleep. But truth be told I’m far too attached to my evenings when I have my brain all to myself or when my husband and I can chill out and catch up on Dexter.
So, back to the mornings. How do you avoid being a zombie all morning then panicking in the afternoon wondering “where did the time go?”
Here are some things that I’ve found work for me:
Going for a run – sounds a bit extreme I know, and it is easier to do in the summer when there is actually daylight first thing in the morning, but boy does it wake me up and charge me up for the day! Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it
Having something to wake up for – before my kids started school I used to leave the house at 6.30am on a Friday go to a breakfast networking meeting. Amazingly, I used to jump out of bed and get dressed much quicker because a) I would not be popular if the alarm kept going off at that time of the morning and b) I had somewhere to be. I didn’t want to miss it or turn up late. I couldn’t afford to faff around!
Making decisions beforehand to keep moving – If my brain is not awake in the morning, I am more likely to stall at decisions, even something as simple as what to wear. If I have clothes picked out already (by the radiator if it’s a particularly cold night) I can get up, get dressed and keep moving. Same principle goes for identifying your to-do list the day before.
Sensory stimulation – splash of water on my face, a breath of fresh air, the smell of fresh coffee, the taste of cold fresh orange juice, singing at the top of my voice to The Boo Radleys or New Radicals blaring at full volume (yes I am a product of the 90s!) – all help to wake me up!
Starting the day with a job that energises me – I’m a people person, so starting the day with a conversation, coaching call or networking meeting is one of my best ways to boost my energy, motivation and momentum for the rest of the day.
What about you? How do you wake up?
Let me know your thoughts and comments below – love to hear from you!
