It’s almost been an entire year since I took the plunge and quit my job to pursue a freelance career, where the heck does the time go!? I can hardly believe that I’ve made it this far, I haven’t needed to sacrifice holidays (I’ve actually been going on more!), I’m not living off credit cards and I’m a whole lot happier. Business is going ridiculously well and the only thing I regret is not doing it sooner.
The best thing about being your own boss is the flexibility; I have so much more time now to spend it with the ones I love and focus my energy on things that are important to me. I’d be lying if I said that sleep wasn’t high on my list of priorities. I suffer from anxiety and catching a few extra Z’s greatly reduces my stress levels. That said, my partner laughs after how I have such a hard day lying in bed all morning, which is easily done!
That’s why I have a morning routine to peel myself out of bed in the morning and get myself to work. I’m not big on new year resolutions, but in 2017 I’m going to be making an effort to wake up earlier and dedicate more time to looking after my mind, body and soul. Early starts make me feel so much better and way more productive, what makes you feel fantastic? #FeelFantastic
6am – Tap snooze
Like I said, I’m a pretty anxious person so when I hit the snooze button I don’t fall back to sleep – I dedicate 10 minutes in the morning to breathing exercises and stretches. This offers me a moments peace before the alarm goes off again and I plunge myself into a world of technology.
6:10am – Read the news
To wake myself up in the morning I scroll through my news feed for 5 – 10 minutes to get your brain working. I’ve deleted the Facebook app off my phone to stop the temptation of scrolling through rubbish, instead I update myself with world news whilst I wake myself up and adjust my eyes.
6:20am – Prepare my workspace
Okay, before I get bed sores it’s time to drag myself down stairs and feed my house bunny, Petal. Once I’ve tended to my rabbit I whip myself up a smoothie to fuel my mind and body. I’ve recently been addicted to olive leaf smoothies since Comvita sent me across some tasty recipes.
6:40am – Clear my inbox
I curl up on the sofa and open up my inbox to see the damage. I usually spend the first 30 minutes reading my messages and drinking my tea. Once I’ve prioritised my emails (the difficult ones first!), I start responding and don’t stop until I’ve completed all of them.
7:30am – Plan the day
Often I do this the day before, however sometimes I refine my plan for the day in the morning. Breaking each part of the day into 30 minute blocks, I meticulously plan my work, blogging, exercise and household chores into my calendar to ensure I’m as productive as possible.
How do you start your day?xo