How do you fit in 'me time'?
Being a mum of two girls (3 and under) I admit I find it pretty hard.
Every evening the girls seem to be full of beans until about 9pm.
When they're in bed, I think of all the things I want to do in the small window before lights out - new Netflix shows, a stack of unread magazines, that book I've been meaning to start...
But usually, I am pretty worn out.
And I’d love to say I go to bed early but I usually don’t.
I am guilty of losing precious minutes aimlessly scrolling through my iPhone.
I'm the person reading a random Buzzfeed article like ‘Here's What The Kids from Neighbours Look Like Now!' - (it's here if you want to read it...) and then next minute I realise it’s gone midnight...
So I’ve been thinking about how to find more hours in my day.
Time to read, time to listen to podcasts, take some more pictures - basically relaxing doing the things I enjoy.
Could earlier mornings be the answer? Getting up earlier, before the girls wake up?
I've been nosing into other people's morning routines to see if I can improve mine and here are some great things I can recommend if you, like me, are thinking of shaking up your morning routine:
Could I actually get up an hour earlier to get more done? This is what The Miracle Morning is all about. You get yourself up at say 6am and spend an hour or so reading, doing yoga, listening to music/podcasts/journaling or even just sitting with a cup of steaming hot tea (a novelty). There’s a whole Miracle Morning community out there I have discovered. I LOVE this idea and it's something I want to try. Maybe not everyday but once a week to start with...baby steps.
This is a great website and Twitter handle that explores people’s morning routines. What is the first thing they do when they wake up? What is their breakfast? Personally, I’m fascinated by other people’s mornings. I’ve had a few good ideas from reading these articles. This site is where I first heard about the Five Minute Journal (a templated journal) I wrote about here. It’s now part of my day and when I use it properly (remember to fill in the blanks) I feel much better for it.
I have listened to this podcast a couple of times. Kristina set up the Kikki.k stationery brand, she also has two young children. In this podcast she talks about her habits and morning routine (she’s also an early riser). It’s a lovely listen by an inspirational woman.
This book is pretty well known in the journaling community. The author Julia Cameron talks about Morning pages. The idea is you sit down and write 3 pages of whatever is on your mind. You then throw the pages away. It’s a way of clearing your head first thing and working through problems by writing them down. It’s definitely an idea that I’ve tried and continue to be intrigued by.
So I'm bracing myself to give these early mornings a whirl. Maybe on a weekend to start with. An hour to myself sounds pretty idyllic. Are you an early bird or a Miracle morning fan? I'd love to hear your tips in the comments below.
