Give Me 20!

When you hear the phrase, “Give me 20” do you immediately picture a P.E. or sports coach with whistle by mouth ready to fire that high pitched sound? Are you picturing yourself in practice clothes ready to jump, drop, or take off? If so, you may be relieved to know this activity is not what I’m talking about. You may also be excited that I am not asking you to do anything strenuous. What I mean when I say, “give me 20” is for you to give me 20 extra minutes of wake time. In other words, I want you to wake up 20 minutes earlier than you normally do.

Why would you want to do that? Doesn’t this go against all the talk about how important sleep is? Sleep is important, no, vital, but hear me out. Is 20 extra minutes of sleep in the morning worth the stress of jumping out of bed to a screaming alarm clock then starting a sprint to get out the door as quickly as possible? Is it worth feeling stressed, anxious, or even exhausted just to leave the house? Why not go to bed 20 minutes earlier so the rest time will not be sacrificed?

What would your mornings look like if you woke up at least 20 minutes earlier? Currently, you are fitting in what needs to be done, but what if you added extra time to think, boost your mood, or just feel more awake? Starting your day off right is a springboard for having a successful rest of the day.

So what would happen in this quiet time? Ask yourself, “What are the first things I want to do when I wake up?” Some may want to wake up their body, so after hydrating, some physical exercise or a series of stretches or yoga poses will do the trick. Others may want to wake up their mind, so reading or writing when the mind is fresh will be the perfect option. Still others want to focus on their spirit, so prayer or meditation will work for them. Early mornings can be the quietest part of the day, so think about how you can take advantage of this. Checking your phone or email immediately puts you in a reactive space, usually filling other people’s needs, so hold off on screen time until you have looked inwardly.

After taking care of your mind, body and/or spirit, visualize your day ahead. Think through your commitments, activities, obligations and projects. This is also a perfect time to think through your future meals and snacks to be sure healthy eating is in the plan. Complete this portion of the morning mentally or physically, using a planner. After thinking through your day, make adjustments where needed. Have you piled on too much? Does something need to be moved? Did something new pop up? You may have already designed a weekly plan, but revisiting your agenda each morning allows for changes to be made.

Experiment with this extra time in the morning. How did you use your minutes? Did it serve you well? Was it that springboard for a more calm and organized day? Finally, did you love it so much that instead of 20 minutes you are ready to, “Drop and give me more!”

Good Morning Sunshine!