…Catches the Worm?
Nah.
…Writes the Book. Masters the Marketing. Cleans the House. Looses the Weight. Checks off ALL the To Do’s.
That sounds a lot better! Right?
Over the past few weeks, I’ve discovered that the first few hours of my day set the pace for its entirety. So, what do you ‘catch’ first thing in the morning?
To be completely transparent, I am the worst at mornings. I want a few more minutes of sleep and a cocoon of blankets. My alarm is a reminder that it’s another day full of things to do, but instead of taking control and getting it all done I roll back over and pull a pillow over my head to block it all out. My lazy mornings consistently turn into lazy days.
I believe that if I took control of my day from the moment my eyelids broke through the crusty stuff, I’d get a lot more accomplished. I could spend the rest of this paragraph playing the shoulda-coulda-woulda game. But, that won’t get me anywhere. If you’re like me, focusing on what not to do is like playing with fire, so I’ve got a plan.
Wake up with a daily To Do List, and assign each item a time. Or, wake up earlier and make it happen.
- This is where I’ve gone wrong in the past… I always have a list, but the days I don’t finish everything are the same days I’m a poor steward of my time.
- Keep expectations realistic.
- Giving yourself a 3k word count goal every day is ambitious. Especially if you only write 1k words a day, three days a week on average. The same goes for attempting to do six load of laundry in an hour. It just ain’t happening. Make sure your goals are achievable on a daily basis and you won’t get discouraged and quit!
- Create accountability.
- If you’re serious about getting things done, get them done together. It’s tough to face the day alone, so surround yourself with people that care. When you need that extra nudge it’s nice to have someone to encourage you into the wee hours of the night when you’re finishing your rough draft, or when you need a laugh while wrangling the kids at the grocery store.
- Reward yourself.
- When you get done, with long or short term goals, give yourself a night of Netflix! You might also want to take a day to fill your creative take; go for a hike, take a road trip, try a trending Pinterest project.
The early bird needs time, honesty, encouragement, and prizes! There are several daily distractions that can get me off track, but sticking with this plan could be what helps me to a new level of writing. If you implemented this plan would you get more done?
