It’s 6 a.m. You got four hours of sleep. You were up late writing, and the work was pointless. As you comb your hair, you wonder, Where is my energy? Where is my pep?
I envy people who get up and are instantly awake. No pushing the SNOOZE button again and again and again. A friend used to rise at 5 a.m. (“That’s before the sun!” I said, incredulous) and bike around her upscale suburb before her family got up.
How, I demanded, could she perform this feat without coffee? I have always needed coffee. A travel mug of coffee accompanies me everywhere. Years ago I snuck the forbidden brew into my classroom. We were told not to drink coffee in while we taught because we had to be good role models for our students. Since coffee was not illegal, I paid little attention to this rule. Okay, I paid no attention to this rule. Coffee is not a drug.
But it doesn’t matter whether you’re a morning person or a night owl.
It’s all part of being human.
Notebooks vs. Electronics
If I’m stressed about my schedule, I write down EVERY DETAIL in my planner.
And then I hear the call of electronics.
Do not succumb. It is best to avoid screens early in the day. You do not need Meta or X or Google to lure you down a rabbit hole when you’re frazzled and half asleep.
A popular alternative to screens is writing free-form in your journal. For years people have read books on journaling and taught journaling, and I like the idea of letting the writing flow, of not knowing what you’re going to say until it appears on the page.
So write your lovely journal. Try to be upbeat in the morning. I am not a positive thinker, but it doesn’t hurt to be positive in the MORNING journal. It’s a different matter in your AFTERNOON or EVENING journal. Then you can embrace negativity!. They begin as thick green leaves which soon flatten and vanish, only to bloom as beautiful pink lilies in late July or early August.
Postscript: Might as well drink coffee while you scribble in your journal and look at flowers. I’m just saying…
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Author KatPosted on April 16, 2024Categories Uncategorized Edit “Night Owls & Notebooks”
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