Do you ever find yourself rushed to get out the door in the morning, even though you theoretically had plenty of time?
For me, this usually happens when I let my desire to do certain things get the better of me. Instead of doing the things I have to do first, I do the things I want to do up until I realize that I barely have enough time to brush my teeth, take a shower, and get out the door.
On the other hand, I’ve become very good at doing my shoulds first. That is, I complete my self-care routine each morning before doing anything else. But once I’m done exercising, consuming wisdom, meditating, eating, learning, and writing, I ought to go straight into the things I have to do in order to get ready for the day. Instead, I often find myself responding to emails, reading blogs, or checking Facebook.
Thus, I’m trying to implement a new personal rule for the mornings. I’ll do my shoulds before my have-to’s, and then I’ll do my have-to’s before my wants. And if I truly have time, then and only then can I engage in my wants.
And while I do sometimes get distracted by physical things I want to do, such as tidying up or working on a jigsaw puzzle, the most common way for me to lose track of time in the morning is by wasting time on the internet. So I’m trying to be extra careful about hopping online. The thought, “Oh, I’ll just check the news real quick” is a trap. It could lead to me reading an article for 15 minutes. And then I’ll be in a rush.
And who likes being in a rush? Wouldn’t it be better to be relaxed in the security of knowing you’ve already done everything you have to do and then enjoying whatever wants you actually have time for? Isn’t that a better way to start the day than trying to frantically squeeze in all your have-to’s after you’ve overindulged on wants?
Beyond the Morning Rush
The ‘have-to’s before wants’ rule will also help you in other ways. It will allow you to get more enjoyment from the things you love to do. Your downtime will be more restful. It’s much easier to let yourself go and have guilt-free fun when you know your chores are done. And it’s much easier to relax when you’re not burdened by the thinking cost of all the have-to’s left undone.
So what’s something you have to do that you’ve been putting off? How many times have you thought about it recently? Perhaps now is a good time to do it. I’m willing to bet you won’t regret it.