6 Things I Do Before I Start Working

We are so used to rushing out of bed, going quickly thru all the necessary activities to get ready and storm out of our house to get to work on time.

There, you grab a quick coffee (and we’re talking instant coffee most of the time cause that’s all you can find in the office) and enter your first meeting barely awake, incapable to focus and definitely not at your best.

We forgot how to wake up without the merciless sound of the alarm clock. We forgot how to slow down in the morning. We forgot that our mornings are the most important hours of our whole day.

A few years ago I made a commitment to myself to reclaim my morning. I consider it my sacred time and I do not allow anything or anyone to take it away from me.

Of course, if you’re self-employed and you have the freedom to manage your time, it’s much easier. But even if you have to work early or have kids to take to school, you can adjust a few things to give yourself some very needed me-time in the morning.

Among these are:

1. Wake up earlier

Yes, yes, yes! Stop snoozing that alarm clock and just get up even 15 min earlier so you can spend them as you want

2. Ask your partner to split morning duties

Way too often I see women who wake up earlier to make breakfast and get the kids ready to school, while the husband gets to sleep longer, wake up calmly, take a shower and then he takes kids to school.

Why not switching every now and then, so that you get to sleep a bit longer and enjoy the stress-free time?

3. Ask your boss if you can work the morning hours from home

I used to come to office at 11am in my last job.

4. Negotiate starting your work later, but in return stay a bit longer

So… ready to look at what to do with your morning?

Here are the 6 things I do every day before I open my computer to work.

7.00-7.30am It is best to meditate right after you wake up, but before you feel fully awake. This is because when you sleep, your brain frequencies come out of delta (sleep state) to theta (deep meditation), alpha (relaxation) and then… beta (fully awake).

Catch the moment when you’re still in theta or alpha and your meditation will be very easy. Once you get fully awake it might be hard to get back to this state.

Also, keep the room dark so that the light doesn’t pull you out of the meditative state.

So what do you do when you meditate?

You can simply sit and focus on one thing (your breath, your nose, your heart etc). You can also visualise your goals. You can visualise the day ahead and how you will handle some of the things waiting for you. You can ask your intuition advice on some of the things you need help with. And you can make an intention for the day, send unconditional love to yourself and others.

7.30-8.00am I stopped brushing my teeth long time ago and instead switched to oil pulling which I absolutely adore.

During the night you body releases toxins, and it will gather in your mouth and on your skin – this is why you often have this unpleasant feeling in your mouth when you wake up.

So before you drink or eat anything, you should get these toxins out (otherwise you’ll be just swallowing them back into your body). And oil pulling is the best thing to do it.

Simply swish 1-2 tablespoons of oil in your mouth for 30 min. At first I could only handle 10 min, now after some time I do 30 min easily.

I use coconut oil, but really any oil will do the magic.

Another advantage is that right after it you can eat and drink, and you don’t have that minty taste in your mouth you would after brushing your teeth (which makes the food taste horrible!)

8.15-8.30am I am a tea drinker! I love me a hot cup of my favorite Pu-erh tea with a book. It’s been my little ritual for so many years now, I can’t remember when I started.

Frankly, every type of tea has health benefits, though I personally don’t like black tea and opt for green, pu-erh, white or herbal teas.

And if you’re a coffee drinker, then you can have your coffee, too. However, stay away from those nutrient-free instant coffees. Coffee has a lot of health benefits, and if you drink no more than 2 cups a day while drinking water too, there is no side effects to drinking it. BUT – instant coffee is NOT coffee. Also, if you don’t tolerate milk (and most of us don’t), switch to coconut, soya, almond or hemp milk (unsweetened!)

8.30-9.00am Reading something inspirational is what sets you for the day. I usually read 3-4 books at a time and at least one of them is on spirituality or personal growth. This is the best choice for the mornings.

So I take my cup of tea, set a timer on 30 min and for that time do nothing else but read.

9.00-9.30am I eat my breakfast rather late. Some people say you should have it within 30 min of waking up, others that within 1 hour. In my case – it’s usually 2 hours after I wake up. And I’m ok with it. I don’t starve myself the night before, so I can also manage eating slightly later. Plus, both the warm water and the tea fill your stomach so I you don’t get that gurgling feeling in your belly.

Make sure your breakfast is for your body! Give it what it needs to work its magic. The best option is having protein and fats that will keep you satiated for longer. A carbs-heavy breakfast will spike your insulin and will cause that mid-day energy crash. Of course, there are many diets and philosophies and ultimately it’s about following what feels good to your body.