BellaOnline Forums Beauty and Self Self Development How do you begin your day?

Here's an interesting tip for starting your day as productively as possible.

Just before you go to bed (the night before), list 3 things that you must get done the following morning. Then as soon as you wake up, action those 3 things without letting anything distract you.

It takes practice but it works! Joy

I have a morning routine which normally begins around 6:00 am (I'm up way to early this morning!)

I begin my morning in service to my family. Then, laundry and emptying the dishwasher, make the bed. Take my son to school then I'm off for my morning walk. It's there that i prime myself, repeat affirmations and other such statements, appreciate nature, and plan for the day.

After I return home, I either write articles, read, or plan lessons for my next class.

I think the takeaway is getting yourself to stay in a state of positivity, productivity, and action. I can waste an entire day surfing the net. I need to be mindful not to indulge in that activity too often.

Today I started the day by watching 3 squirrels and 2 mice all playing together under a Yew tree in the garden. It was so cute!

(It makes you reflect on how Nature simply carries on its business whatever's happening in the world... )

Joy, I LOVE that idea. I have worked on my to-do list at bedtime, and I really like how that works out the next day. I also have reminders on phone, so I can't forget.

It always feels so much better when I've taken actionable steps!!

Alice, that's what I think too. I know when I stay positive, productive, and take actionable steps, at the end of the day I feel really good about myself and my day. If I surf the net, or binge on Netflix, I just feel feckless.

Good days - I am up, grabbing a pile of things to take downstairs with me to work on, selecting a book or two to read for the day, maybe a quick song plunked out on my Uke and many dog kisses. I settle down with a quick cruise of the local news and plan my day out with index cards. Depending on the weather, coffee inside or outside, and I settle to write, draw, research, read and plan the rest of the day. Not once on a good day has an invisible maid arrived to clean my house.

Bad days - I start off on the good day schedule, but might start with a quick look at the computer and follow links and posts on Facebook that can often lead me to read one thing that leads to another and before I know it, wow, my morning time is over! Yet, I do try to justify this time as research! Not once on a bad day has an invisible maid arrived to clean my house.

First off Michelle!

You don't need an invisible maid. Post on your door "Welcome, Don't mind the mess, we live here!"

Mon-Fri I wake when the kids alarm goes off: 7 a.m.? Mine - 7:40 a.m. I start my coffee and tell the kids to shush the heck up, because dad is still sleeping...12 yr olds don't know the meaning of whispering at this point in their lives yet...especially in the not so wee hours of the morning (7 ish)....but really wee to some (dad!) lol

So - coffee brewing - check on it once or twice, because it leaks often! In between little people going in and out of the bathroom, I brush my teeth, wash my face and brush my hair (then pick it up from the floor) lol!

By the time I'm done in the bathroom (less than 3 minutes...time me! the kids are done eating breakfast and I can turn on my laptop and enjoy returning or deleting emails and responding to you at BOL before I drop them off at 8:15-ish!

Have a great weekend!

Hi Allyson, 3 mins in the bathroom is impressive. You should write an article on that as a time-management tip! Joy

Hi Michelle, "research" time is really important. Your 'Bad days' sound pretty good to me! Joy

Thank you, Joy! I will now acknowledge these moments as "Research"!
I am also intrigued by the 3 minutes in the bathroom!!!!