What if you started your day differently?

You’re in charge.

Do you look at your phone and check email the minute you wake up?

I did this when I worked in private equity. Every morning, my alarm would go off and since it was on my phone, I turned it off and had my phone in my hand. So naturally, I’d immediately check my emails to see what my day might look like.

It seems like a productive thing to do, right? To “prepare for your day.”

I want to offer that when you do this, your day might appear to “come at” you.

All the requests from other people and all the time you need to spend on emailing others for info, looking for info, and creating responses once you have the info. Along with the other meetings and projects you had planned to do that day. It might be overwhelming. Starting your day immediately feeling overwhelmed likely doesn’t contribute to productivity in a way that serves you.

What would happen if you didn’t look at your phone and check emails the minute you wake up?

I’ve talked to clients who said they feel anxious just thinking about not checking email first thing.

What if instead, you have an alarm that’s separate from your phone? And what if you took five minutes after waking up to start your day in a way that you want.

This could look like intentional breathing, a short meditation, or some gentle movement and stretches for your body.

It could look like lying in bed and recalling a dream you had or just savoring those five minutes for yourself.

It could look like writing down your thoughts or drinking a glass of water to rehydrate your body and feeling it flow through your system.

It could look any way you want it to look. This creates space for you to step into your day the way you want to. Instead of having your day come at you.

Your turn: How would your days change if you stepped into them the way you want to? What would happen if you start by exploring with five minutes to yourself at the start of your day, without your phone? And what if you could stretch that to 10 minutes? What about 20 or 30 minutes?

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