What helped me was dropping the fantasy of a āgood morning routineā altogether. My grandma is one of those people that naturally rises and shine, signing while making breakfast (I love her!) but I could never.
My brain doesnāt start the way other brains do, and the shame spiral of āwhy canāt I just get up and beginā was is worse than the actual morning chaos.
What makes mornings tolerable is friction removal: I let myself slide out of bed, I picked my clothes the night before, I eat the same boring toast with coffee... Not pretty but it's doable. It gets me out of the house on time, at least.
I had to find mine a long time ago to survive with several burn-out.
Important thing to know, I can't handle with any annoyance in the early morning. It vampirizes the few energy that I have and ruins my day. So I anticipate and prepare the most things and actions the night before.
I have a weekly pillbox that I prepare on Monday evenings because it doesn't work for me on Sundays (too much anxiety). I put the day box next to the alarm, with water, in a place I can reach easily. So if I go back to sleep, I've taken my treatment at a fixed hour. With time, my brain gets the habit to wake at that time or just before! It doesn't work as well as soon as there's a break/change (early appointment, holydays...) but it comes back with a little bit of effort.
I have a "breakfast setting" with breakfast biscuits on a small plate, on a tray, on the kitchen table. The cup and spoon are ready under the coffee machine, the coffee pads and sugar pot are next to it. And the tank is full of water.
I check the weather the night before and prepare my clothes for the day. I put them in the bathroom, ready to be worn.
I also prepare my handbag, bottle of water and lunch or snack, laptop and paper files, umbrella... All together in the same place.
If I have to plug my phone in the morning before leaving, I put my home and car keys next to it so I don't forget my phone. And if I have something important to remember, I write it down with big nice colored letters on a paper fixed with cellar tape on the front door, or sometimes on my car key. Phone alarm doesn't work for me, I have to write. That's why I have a paper agenda!
What helped me was dropping the fantasy of a āgood morning routineā altogether. My grandma is one of those people that naturally rises and shine, signing while making breakfast (I love her!) but I could never.
My brain doesnāt start the way other brains do, and the shame spiral of āwhy canāt I just get up and beginā was is worse than the actual morning chaos.
What makes mornings tolerable is friction removal: I let myself slide out of bed, I picked my clothes the night before, I eat the same boring toast with coffee... Not pretty but it's doable. It gets me out of the house on time, at least.
Awsome post
So beautifully said. I work with a ton of folks who carry this same quiet grief.
Really enjoyed this one and also the links to the sources.
Thanks for this helping tools!
I had to find mine a long time ago to survive with several burn-out.
Important thing to know, I can't handle with any annoyance in the early morning. It vampirizes the few energy that I have and ruins my day. So I anticipate and prepare the most things and actions the night before.
I have a weekly pillbox that I prepare on Monday evenings because it doesn't work for me on Sundays (too much anxiety). I put the day box next to the alarm, with water, in a place I can reach easily. So if I go back to sleep, I've taken my treatment at a fixed hour. With time, my brain gets the habit to wake at that time or just before! It doesn't work as well as soon as there's a break/change (early appointment, holydays...) but it comes back with a little bit of effort.
I have a "breakfast setting" with breakfast biscuits on a small plate, on a tray, on the kitchen table. The cup and spoon are ready under the coffee machine, the coffee pads and sugar pot are next to it. And the tank is full of water.
I check the weather the night before and prepare my clothes for the day. I put them in the bathroom, ready to be worn.
I also prepare my handbag, bottle of water and lunch or snack, laptop and paper files, umbrella... All together in the same place.
If I have to plug my phone in the morning before leaving, I put my home and car keys next to it so I don't forget my phone. And if I have something important to remember, I write it down with big nice colored letters on a paper fixed with cellar tape on the front door, or sometimes on my car key. Phone alarm doesn't work for me, I have to write. That's why I have a paper agenda!