Jennifer (a.k.a KraftyChick)Well, here we are, mid-way through December already. I know we say this every year, but, really, where has the time gone? I know once September hits, time starts moving quickly. But once November gets here the acceleration just hit overtime. I’m also trying to adjust some of my schedule, requiring early mornings for someone who it not a morning person, and that seems to be making the time fly even faster. The year seems to be gone! Anyone else relate?
It has also been a month since my last post. Again, where has the time gone? My Christmas tree is up and my living room quilt is changed to my winter snowman one. So at least I’ve made some festive progress.
I made this quilt a number of years ago and pull it out every Christmas. It is a panel with borders and backed with flannel to be extra cozy. My friend Ginette at U-Quilt It in Hamilton did the quilting, and the binding is a fabulous stripe. I just love a striped binding, don’t you?
Early Morning Struggles
With the tea business now at the farmers’ market every Friday and Saturday, I am trying to get my life into a new schedule and rhythm. That get’s more difficult as we get older, doesn’t it? Phew. Check out my last post if you want to see our shop set up. It’s really lovely. And it makes getting up in the morning worth it. But…
I am not a morning person. Waking up early is just not me. I am not one of those people who pop up awake and begin their day. Nopity nope nope. I have tried over the years to wake up earlier, but that practice never sticks. So here I am, now needing to get up at 5:30 in the morning on Saturdays to be open at the farmers’ market by 7 in the morning. Change is hard. But I’m doing it. LOL. End goals. Keeping my eye on the prize.
Things that are helping me adjust my schedule:
Prep Work
- Having my lunch and/or snacks ready the night before. This is not a novel idea by any means, but I got out of the habit of it. So, I’m reactivating that part of my habit memory. That’s a thing, right? Like, the habit I use to have is still there lurking in the recesses of my brain just waiting for the opportunity to come back to life? LOL.
- Putting out my clothes the night before. The less thinking there is to do in the morning, the better.
- Setting up the market shop with my tea (aka life) supplies. I treated myself to a pretty thermal cup with lid that I leave at the shop. I also have a tin of my current favourite tea (which is an Oolong, by the way: Iron Goddess) at the shop. This saves me a bit of prep time in the morning before I leave for the market, and it also means I can make a fresh cup of tea whenever I want while I’m there. It is also one less thing I have less to carry to the market. And I don’t have to worry about whether someone else has used my thermos and it’s not clean, or worse, it smells like coffee, which will ruin my tea. IYKYK.
Discipline
- My alarm is set and I don’t dilly dally when it goes off in the morning. Right. This one is painful. The alarm goes off and I make myself get up instead of lingering in bed. I just love some lazy time in bed before getting up. It’s so warm and snuggly and I usually have a good book on the go, so a few chapters of reading before getting up is so delightful. BUT staying in bed is a trap! It takes so much more time to get myself going if I stay in bed too long. So, no dilly dallying.
- Less nighttime reading on Friday nights. Oh, this one is hard. So very, very hard. I love my nighttime reading. However, as I remind myself of the consequences of my own actions, late night reading limits my precious sleep that the 5:30 alarm is already cutting into. So there. Self lecture complete.
Closer to Changed Behaviour
I think it takes 6 weeks to change a pattern of behaviour, so I’m getting closer to it being easier (aka a changed behaviour). I tell myself this anyway. LOL. I know I am not going to be a morning person. I’m just not. And fighting with that reality won’t help. It just piles on other stressors to my life (aka: guilt, self blame, etc.). So, I accept that I’m not an early bird and will also accept that I need to make changes in my life to allow for those mornings that need to be early so I can achieve my goals.
Share your helpful tips on making changes to behaviors, or things that help you get up and going in the mornings. Particularly early mornings.
Cheers!
Jennifer
