It’s not a secret. I’m not – nor have I ever been – a morning person. Although, I would REALLY like to be.
Since leaving my full time job to pursue photography in June 2008, I developed the very bad habit of staying up until 2am/3am working and then sleeping in until 11am. EVERY DAY. And it’s terrible. I guess at first, it was nice. But now, I just feel mostly sluggish and unproductive.
It was this Monday at the
Making Things Happen workshop that I decided that things in my life have to change.
We had to do an exercise that had us list 10 things that make us feel the most alive…the most whole. My list in no particular order:
1. Drinking green tea and eating mint dark chocolate. 🙂
2. Playing with my dogs.
3. Candles burning (particularly pumpkin spice and cinnamon).
4. Cuddling with Geoff.
5. Having quiet time in prayer, bible reading, and journaling.
6. Fresh air.
7. Having a clean house.
8. Getting up at a decent hour, showering, and getting dressed before the day starts.
9. Cooking a meal.
10. Getting out of the house.
This list makes me feel great just reading it. So, I decided I’m going to find a way to implement more of these things in my daily life. And here’s how I’m going to do it:
1. Change what my day looks like….I need some structure!
The plan is to get up when Geoff gets up for work (7am). To ease this transition, I’ve decided to make use of the CD alarm clock we have next to the bed and set it to wake me up to something that says “it’s a great day today….get up and enjoy it!” (this morning, it was Leeland). I’m going to get up and get ready. I’m going to eat some breakfast with Geoff, take the dogs out, and spend some time reading/praying/journaling. The work day will start at 9am (in my office…not the couch) and will only be interrupted by TV with my lunch. I’m going to end work when Geoff ends work, cook dinner, and learn to enjoy the evenings more.
Now, I realize having a baby is going to throw a big wrench in this plan…but for now, I’m on board. 🙂
2. Get help.
I decided to give outsourcing another go.
Erica has already taken over all of the album design and I’m hooked up with an amazing lady to handle all of my bookkeeping. Most recently, I’ve begun to outsource the color correcting of the many thousands of images we shoot every week…this is a HUGE help. And soon, I’ll be seeking out an intern to help me with various things related to the business.
3. Have a clear plan/set goals (personal and business related) for the year, 5 years out, and 10 years out.
I think I need to have a retreat for myself soon to map all of this out. Perhaps I’ll hit up
Crisp one day next week….goal setting + caesar salad + sitting outside on their patio in the sun sounds pretty dang good to me. 🙂
I’m excited….today was day one…..and it’s been a great day. 🙂
These are great changes! You will love that you made these transitions when the baby comes. Since you are over the hump of starting your business, it is great to look ahead and see how your business will work with the lifestyle you want for your family. I have made similar changes over the past year and I am SO much more productive, which will definitely help when our baby is born in the next few weeks, but it is also just helping me enjoy life more. I stop and smell the roses on a daily basis now. 🙂 It sounds like that is what you are going to Make Happen in your life too! Very very exciting!!! (my blog comments are WAY too long…sorry 🙂 Just wanted to encourage you in your transition!!
I have a great wakeup song for you! It’s from Eisley and is called One Day I Slowly Floated Away. The entire staff in Wilmingtin plays it when they’re having a hard time getting into the swing of things in the AM.
PS you are my hero. It takes every ounce of my being to wake up before 9am.
I hear you sister! Good luck with the changes… I know what a night owl you are! But way to get things in motion! 🙂
Girl, I couldn’t agree more! I just made the same change (from a 11am-2am work schedule to a 9am-6/7/8pm work schedule) … and it’s been FABULOUS!!!! Keep it up. You will NOT regret the change!
Cheyenne – This is great! Our 5 year anniversary is coming up (can you believe it), and with the baby due any day now, this is a great idea for us to implement as well. We’ve been talking about how we are going to balance everything – work/baby/school/life we should probably make sure we are still managing to find time for things we enjoy…I’m inspired! 🙂
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If time elements are a problem, I am not the one to ask and in fact have moved from structure as much as possible as of late and have become more in the moment. Less stress. I don’t know that I did well teaching Geoff or Jaime structured time, as I used to say, we are leaving in 5 minutes and then I would get involved in something and an hour later we would leave. But, I really think Jaime and Geoffrey did not have much difficulty when it came down to being on time for important stuff, so they both turned out okay. Just roll with the punches unless it is important. That is what a baby will teach you. YOU 2 will be GREAT! I hope to be around for weekend and evening baby sitting.
Congrats on making these changes! I also went to MTH, and I think a lot of making things happen has to do with the way you live your every day life. I too am making changes to my days, trying to enjoy my nights more and reserve the day for work. 🙂 Good luck! It does feel great to wake up early and have a good start to the day!
Girl! I struggle with ALL the above!! Especially making time for journaling and time with the Lord.. it just doesn’t happen as naturally as it should! ugh. But your post was so encouraging! Thank you!!! 🙂