Happy Monday! Now that the technical issues have been resolved that delayed posting, I must say that although this is only week two, I am really looking forward to Mondays (and the new week) because of my Do Something Different Mondays! I enjoyed completing my first DSDM activity. I hope that this week will be the same because I tell you I am quite inconsistent with this particular activity! I am not big on the day before prep…but I want to be. And this time, I’ve enlisted a DSDM partner. My seven year old daughter will be joining me as we tackle getting ready for the next day’s activities the night before, together. Woot woot! Plus, she gets to write her own overall thoughts and contribute to Thursday’s check-in post, so double yeah!
The Current Routine
I know that this is probably a no-brainer for many of you. There is nothing illogical about prepping the night before. My circadian rhythm is such that I sometimes begin waking up as early 4:30a. I’m definitely grasping for those last bits of sleep by 5:30a. The downside is that by as early as 7:30p or 8p, I can be dodging the sleep train. If I make it past 9p, then I’ve scored some extra awake time and can actually go to bed much later. Hence, by the time I get home from work/pick up my daughter from school, I just want to unwind and relax. In fact, I’m already counting the minutes to my bedtime!
Additionally, I fancy myself being the kind of person who dresses according to my mood and therefore usually leave the selecting of my clothes for the next day. You know, I’m inspired by what moves me dahling!
And finally, sometimes my energy levels are on fumes by late evening so doing just one more thing, no matter how small, conjures the image of Sisyphus pushing that boulder up the hill over and over again! I don’t regularly prep the night before and as such do not enforce it with my daughter.
My work around to all this has been to do everything in the morning since I wake up early anyway. We’re talking lunch, clothes, hair, bags—everything!
The Problem
Me: I’m not sure how it happens but many a times I run out of…time. It then becomes a rush, which leads to my mornings being hectic and generally not the ideal way to seize the day.
Daughter: I don’t wake her up as early and she needs some time to get to bright-eyed and bushy tailed. Plus, she can get easily distracted. These are horrible combinations for a smooth start to her day. There are moments when we ‘bump heads’ on issues such as her moving at a decent pace, or her staring at the shower curtain for no reason! The transitioning from one activity to the next is hurried, which as many parents know, can be fodder for clashes.
The Importance of the Task
Prepping the night before is a tried and true tool for success in any context. When I can decide how to start my next day without pressure or anxiety, I, no we, can make better choices. On the actual day, we are confident that nothing is forgotten, and we can actually focus on how we will rock the day! And, if we did forget something, there is the space in our schedule to accommodate with little incident. We are more organized, focused and punctual for our day. We also have less morning battles and therefore have better, positive feelings to help us start and continue our day.
The Proposed Solutions
-We will operationally define “prep for the next day” as doing everything that could possibly be done the night before. The idea is to get up the next day and complete as little tasks as possible to allow for more morning time.
-Since I loved how my mindset shifted when I did my record keeping DSDM, I believe I will do the same here:
“My day will not be considered done until I tie up the loose ends of the current day and prepare for the next”
-I will create a laminated checklist for my daughter. I will also make one for myself so that she can see how I am visualizing my own prep process. It would be great for us to sit at the end of the day and go over our lists together. The tasks that intersect can be opportunities for bonding and cooperation
-I will need to eventually incorporate some exercise into my routine because historically I have more energy when I do but this will not work in any DSDM timeframe (I put is here as a future sticky)
-Tweaking my diet will provide more immediate energy-giving results though so this is something I will definitely improve
-Track with notes
That’s it! NB: My daughter and I actually started last night and she said something awesome when we left the house this morning. But you’d have to wait until Thursday to read about it! Let me know if you’re down with this, or any of your own, DSDM activity below!
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