I recently have noticed that my daily routine has changed and I wanted to share with you some discoveries I have had. I know there are a lot of moms struggling with timing – when is the best time to exercise, clean house and have devotional time and we get fixated with this idea that all those things have to start off first thing in the morning. Well, perhaps not if that is not your personal rhythm.
I use to be an early morning riser, up at 5 AM all bright eyed and ready for the day, spending about 30 minutes reading the bible, having coffee, snuggling with my kids in bed. We would get up and head out the door to school by 7:15 AM and I would then head right to the gym to exercise. I am not sure when it happened, but I am no longer an early morning person. Honestly, I don’t like that I am not. I used to get so much accomplished and maybe with some changes I can slowly shift my body back into thinking it is an early morning body!
My day usually starts around 6 AM as I get up with my oldest. I tend to relax and read my bible, drink my coffee and then after the kids have gone off to school I sit down to do some work in my office. Often times I am still in my robe at 10 AM (ARG, I can’t believe I told you that!) and I have told myself that it is a waste of time to shower and then have to shower again after I work out. Well, as with any good idea, it often goes south. I have found myself at 2 PM still in my robe and still have not worked out. Anyone else relate???
So I decided a few weeks back that this routine was not working. Instead of trying to get my workout done first thing I have decided that my body just works better later in the afternoon and honestly I enjoy myself better. I work better on “work” stuff in the morning, so it is better to go with the flow of that rather than fight against it. I think I am in a different rhythm right now – and it feels so much better now that I have changed my expectations. Rather than feeling guilty when I still haven’t worked out and it’s 2 PM, I have re-worked my schedule to accommodate for this change.
Now, I get up, have my coffee and then jump in the shower, get dressed and it is amazing what I can accomplish around the house before the kids leave! I put in laundry, clean a toilet, wipe down a mirror, vacuum a room, make a grocery list, start dinner – all in between other morning rituals. By 9 AM I feel like I have succeeded in doing so much. I feel much more organized and less stressed! My rhythm has changed and I am embracing that rather than fighting it. Do you feel like you might be in the same place?
There are a few areas to examine and see if you could change your timing of activities to help in your success:
1) Exercise – I know the traditional mode is to accomplish working out first thing, but is it more realistic for you to do it later in the day? I cannot tell you how much more I enjoy a run when I am out in the sunshine rather than the cold dark of early morning!
2) Rise & Shine – Are you working with your body clock or fighting against it? If you do not have to be up at 6 AM, don’t – but take into consideration that staying up late the night before could accomplish some of the same type of tasks you could be doing in the early morning before your kids get up.
3) Strengths – Are you playing off your strengths? When you can do more of what you like it tends to put us in a better mood. Yes, there are some things you just have to do (like toilets) but if you can delegate some of the tasks that are much more draining for you it reflects positively in your energy level for the entire day.
I encourage you to sit with this idea and see what comes up for you. You might find that you are beating your head against the wall by fighting an uphill battle and there might be an easier solution.
Are there changes to consider that could compliment your own rhythm right now? Is there an area/task that you are struggling with? Perhaps changing the time of day could help. I would love to hear your discoveries.
