My sister and I finally canceled our midnight-to-3 am content. Critics had described it as “not our best work”. 😆
Here's what happened. I was in my hometown Kansas City visiting my parents. My sister lives in there same neighborhood. (Isn't that cute for them? I'm not ever jealous ever at all.) For years when I'd visit, we'd accidentally stay up way too late, drink a little too much wine, and wake up with headaches, regret, and red-stained teeth.
Then there were the years when I overcorrected, went to bed early but felt like I missed out on quality time.
This trip, we flipped it. We walked from around 7 to 8:30am, getting around 10k steps in before some of my kids were even conscious.
And I realized we were having just as much quality conversation. We just relocated it. Less but better conversation, …really. We used to wake up saying "we probably didn't need anything we said after midnight." 😆
That was filler content. Morning, us got the director's cut: freshest brains, not to mention 3 miles of exercise.
I fully expected one of us to lose interest in the early alarm and us to text each other “never mind!” This was supposed to be vacation energy, after all.
I also wondered if starting the day with a walk might zap my energy the rest of the day. But actually, they made me feel more energized for the rest of the day. And on object in motion stays in motion as they say....
What did we learn? (yet again):
Not sure if you’ll feel like it? Show up anyway, and sometimes the thing files itself under "pleasure" instead of "discipline."
(Btw, this is week 12/12 of the Habit Quick Win Summer Series. We did it!!!! If you missed the first 11 weeks, (You can catch up on the rest here).)
YOUR QUICK WIN THIS WEEK
Pick ONE thing you always save for the end of the day... the writing, the reading, the catch-up call, the stretch, the journal, the quality time with your person. This week, try it first. Just once. See what happens to the quality.
WHY IT ACTUALLY MATTERS
Two things are working here. First, for most of us, alertness and attention peak in the morning hours, which is why for a lot of people 5am writing feels sharper than the 10pm variety. Second, researchers have found we're genuinely bad at predicting how much we'll enjoy things like exercise... we fixate on the effortful start and underestimate the payoff. Translation: your brain will tell you the morning version sounds worse. Your brain is frequently wrong about this.
YOUR MINDSET SCRIPT
"I show up before I feel like it. The feeling meets me there."
BONUS: JOURNAL PROMPT
What have you been saving for the end of the day? What might change if it went first?
That's a wrap on our 12-week Summer Series, friends!
You did it! How'd it go? Hit reply and tell me everything! Next week, I'm gonna embrace back-to-school fresh start energy and talk a bit about strategizing the actual physical clutter in our spaces.
xoxo,
Katie Day, your habit hype girl
(write back soon)
I love you sissy!
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"It is well to be up before daybreak, for such habits contribute to health, wealth, and wisdom."
Aristotle* *I'm starting to thing Aristotle had some like really good ideas. 😆
After hitting rock bottom, I've embarked on a radical journey. For one year, I'm taking a break from all cynicsm and trying out some crazy self-improvement experiments (so you don't have to.)