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Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Happiness Project for March: Peaceful Mornings

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If you know me at all, you know if there is one thing I hate, it's mornings.  I've never understood morning people and never will - you people scare me.  However, I do say "hello" to people when I walk into work now and will even crack a smile at them now and then.

So for you to fully understand what my Happiness Project goal is for March, I think it's best I describe my typical workday morning for you:
  1. Blackberry alarm goes off at 6:40 a.m.
  2. I reflex like a ninja without even so much as a removal of my sleep mask to hit snooze until around 7:20 a.m.
  3. Stumble out of bed to the bathroom, sleep mask on forehead.
  4. Look at myself in mirror and think yikes, that's not good.  You're looking pretty haggard.
  5. Tie hair up, wash face and brush teeth.
  6. Scramble for an outfit, sometimes digging a cardigan or cami out from dirty laundry pile.  I'm being honest here. 
  7. Hope I find my standard pair of black pumps by the front door.  If they aren't there, I'm in trouble because I don't have time to play black pump scavenger hunt. 
  8. Throw hair into messy bun or add mousse to wear wavy.  Spritz perfume and throw on whatever jewlery I can find on my bathroom counter that matches.
  9. Grab cell off bed, throw into my purse sitting by my front door, find keys and run out at 7:40 a.m.
  10. Notice there was no time for make-up?  That's because I do that on my drive to work at red lights.  Not safe at all and I fully recognize that.  Hence, why my goal this month is a peaceful morning.
"Technically" I should get to work at about 7:45 so I have time to get a cup of our less than mediocre office coffee, fill up my water bottle, open Outlook and get situated.  Realistically, I'm usually sitting down at my desk at 8 a.m. or 8:05 a.m.  This has to stop.  The make-up in the car definitely has to stop.  I want to feel calm on my drive my to work and ready to start my day when I walk in.

This month my goal is to have a peaceful morning, and in order to achieve said goal, I'm going to implement the following changes:
  1. Go to bed earlier.  I normally don't fall asleep until at least midnight because I'm too busy playing on Blogger or watching my DVRd Oprah episode.  I'm implementing a strict bed time of 10:30 p.m.  with TV and lap top off by 11 p.m.  Ugh, that's going to be so hard. 
  2. Do not hit snooze more than twice.  This means feet on floor and sleep mask off by 7 a.m.
  3. Pick out my outfit the night before.  I can't tell you how much time I waste in the mornings deciding what to wear and then finding outfit pieces. 
  4. Out the door by 7:30 a.m.  I hate feeling so rushed on my drive to work. 
There you have it, my happiness project goal for the month of March.  If you recall for January I cleaned my closet and February I worked on my fitness.  I'm still going to continue with Fitness Fridays since I do need to keep myself accountable and this is the best way for me to do it. 

I'll keep you updated on my progress toward a peaceful morning throughout the month of March.  Wish me luck!  And if you have any morning routine tips that work for you, I welcome them.  I need all the help I can get.
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12 comments:

  1. Hah I just found your blog, and I am the WORST at hitting snooze. Although I am a morning person, I wait until the last possible second!!

    xoxo
    www.stephanieandsuch.blogspot.com

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  2. ummm, I could totally have written this post. A morning person I most definitely AM NOT and I'm not sure if anyone could pay me enough to have an early morning job. However my job as a stay at home mom could have turned out terribly -- I could have kids who wake up at the crack of dawn but thanksfully, I have my kids trained to sleep in until atleast 8 am. Therefore I don't get out of bed til atleast 8 am. And if my kids do wake up at 6 in the morning? Too bad for them, but they aren't getting let out. :) Do I sound like a horrible mother??

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  3. Oh my goodness. You have seriously just described my morning to a T. My routine is almost the exact same as yours . . . including the makeup on the drive to work (and I drive across the Bay Bridge every day)! Totally unsafe and totally ridiculous. I want to change it too . . . but I haaaaate mornings with the same passion that you do. Awful!

    Also, I totally pick cardigans from dirty laundry on the regular. Gotta say.

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  4. I've never been a morning person, either. But I need to get some structure to my routine, too, and it probably doesn't include staying up until 3 in the a.m.

    I'm totally guilty of grabbing jeans out of the dirty laundry pile. :)

    Good luck with your progress, friend!

    www.turnuptherad.blogspot.com

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  5. I'm a morning person and I still hit the snooze button a ton of time! Good luck with your new morning plan! Hope you had a great day! xoxo

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  6. Wow, I totally feel you! I can't help but to hit the snooze button multiple times knowing that when I roll over, it's not like I'm actually going back to sleep. I set my alarm for 6am yet I still think I can get up at 6:45 (6:50 sone days!) and leave by 7:00. I'm a makeup-at-the-red-light-girl too... And I'm almost always late to work. I hate it! I absolutely hate being even 5 min late! It causes so much anxiety! Then I'm trying to drive like a mad woman to work praying I don't get spotted by a cop... lol I think I'm going to join you on this journey this month!! My ideal morning would allow time to have a cup of coffee and a bowl of Special K while I watch Channel 4 news (the mail anchor in the morning is hilarious!). And I want to have my makeup done before I leave so I don't have a half ass face when I get to work. Oh, and I have to be at work at 7:30! I just want to be able to clock in at 7:25-7:30... lol

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  7. Oh, and if I'm feeling really ambitious? Maybe even squeeze in 15 min of yoga or pilates before work!

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  8. LMAO - I remember watching you stroll into FFA looking haggard. JK, you never look bad.

    Uh, I'm one of those morning folks. LOVE seizing the day and getting sh!t done before the world wakes up AND brewing my own damn coffee - that makes a difference in the day!

    Quit hitting snooze and just get up!

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  9. On Tuesday & Thursdays I have to be up by 4 AM, out the door by 5 30AM...Yeah, feel my pain, but not really cuz its only two days out of the week...

    Other days, I get up at 2 PM! Yep...

    $armin<3

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  10. I decided to wake up at 6:00 this morning and work out and now I can barely function... I think if I laid my head on the desk I would pass out. I think I'll be going back to the snooze button.

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  11. haha this post made me laugh. I'm definitely trying to wake up earlier and not feel as rushed in the mornings. Peaceful mornings is definitely my goal at the moment!

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  12. Ah, I can totally relate. My mornings are almost exactly the same. I need to be getting to work by 8:45 but getting there at 9 (okay, okay 9:05) has been a struggle lately.

    One of my goals for this month has been to get up on time. It's been tough but getting up earlier has helped my day overall.

    Hope your March mornings have been peaceful!

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