I didn’t mean to be lazy this morning. It just happened.
Well, actually, maybe I kinda meant this to happen. My husband and I got home late last night after attending a concert, and I didn’t……drum roll here…….set my alarm!
There are a lot of ramifications for not setting an alarm.
You see, I am ALL ABOUT productivity. I have a lot of things to do (just like you do!), and they require getting a strong start to the day. A good 5:00 am start.
But not today. I woke up at 6:48 am and decided to take a break from my morning high expectations of myself. It’s two minutes short of noon at the moment, as I write this. I’m still being lazy, and so far the sun is still shining. 😊
I’ve become an advocate of having a morning routine, one that sets me up for a productive day. Typically, by 8:00 am, I’ve accomplished a lot: 3000 – 5000 steps already logged on my fitbit (well, on a really good day), a workout finished up at 9Round (if you’re not familiar with this 30-minute kickboxing workout, look it up!), a walk with my dog checked off the list, some writing accomplished for my book or blog or online course or something!
But not today.
A few days ago, my sister, Sherri, posed a question on my Facebook Community (Women Who Spark TRIBE). Her question was to explore the time waster kinds of things we may fall victim to that derail us from being productive and that may potentially lead us into feeling guilty.
I was so grateful for the women in the Tribe who shared the joy of doing nothing, the need to relax, and that enjoying our guilty pleasures is, in fact, productive.
I am giving this a trial run this morning.
My Lazy Morning
1: I didn’t set my alarm clock
I was ready to set it like I always do. “Siri, wake me up at 5:00 am.” Then, I thought, “You know what, Siri, back off! Leave me alone in the morning, and let’s see when I want to wake up.” How lovely to wake up at 6:48 am (as I mentioned earlier) and, best of all, not feel guilty about it. I didn’t even think to myself, “Holy smokes, GET UP, Aleta!” I had to pre-decide the not feeling guilty part. I took care of that last night when I went to bed.
2: I made a cup of tea
There is something so enjoyable about starting the day in the kitchen, making my own version of a chai tea latte. This is in contrast to getting up, putting on workout clothes, lacing up my shoes, wrapping my wrists with straps for kickboxing and heading out the door. Almost in one fell swoop. Making a cup of tea and sitting down to enjoy it is so much less harsh (if you’d allow me to be a bit dramatic about it).
3: I sat on the patio and caught up on some social media
The day started at 70 degrees. The birds were still chirping. I put the bright blue umbrella up and settled in to relax and scroll. Social media is a bit like work, only because I have this amazing Tribe of women in my Facebook community. I love settling in to catch up on their posts and to see the support and encouragement they are lending one another.
4: I called into the office to share I’m not coming in today
I realize not everyone can call in to announce you’re going to lazily work from home for part of the day. Then again, maybe you can. It just so happens to be my company (well, half of it anyway), and I don’t take nearly enough time away from it. Given the beautiful day that it happens to be, I decided to continue relaxing on my patio on this beautiful day. One can catch up on email and write proposals from a computer sitting on the patio….same as in an office. OR, perhaps you could give yourself an unplanned PTO day, just because.
5: I’m moving slowly, without a to-do list in front of me
I know I have things on the list. I also know nothing has a deadline today. So, I’m not working on the to-do list. I felt inspired to write this blog, which happens to not be on a to-do list at the moment. Sometimes content creation fills up my to-do lists, but not this one. Today I’m doing what I want to do. In the moment. I feel inspired to remind each of us that an occasional completely lazy day simply isn’t going to hurt us.
I encourage you to give yourself permission to wake up one day and do virtually nothing. And, most importantly, I encourage you to recognize you deserve it.
Join my Women Who Spark Tribe Facebook Community to become part of a supportive group of women….seeking positivity and productivity in life, just like you.
If you’d like to contribute your thoughts to my research on women’s fulfillment, you can find my survey at aletanorris.com/tribe.
Finally….download my free eGuide: Do Great, Feel Good, Be Happy. You’ll find this at aletanorris.com/do-good-feel-great-be-happy
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