by Shameera Nair Lin
Getting out of bed is one of life’s biggest challenges. Not for everyone, but it certainly is for us. However, much like a well-oiled machine, a sense of routine can help us warm up to a long day ahead. Today, we will be looking at a few ways to achieve that.
Hype yourself up!
You know what they say: be kind to yourself. When you wake up, grab a piece of paper, a pen or your phone, write down a few daily reminders of things you can achieve today. Here’s an example: Have a mug of your favourite coffee today; do a 10-minute stretch; talk to a friend about the show you watched last night. It helps to foster a sense of accomplishment to start your day.Â
Build your morning around habits.
We are not a self-help portal and we have definitely not read ‘Atomic Habits’ by James Clear, but it’s always reassuring to get going with what you already know. For instance, it might be as simple as responding to messages from loved ones before you head to work, or reading 25 pages from a book before you commit to the workday.Â
Start small
Ever heard of the Malay proverb, ‘sedikit-sedikit, lama-lama menjadi bukit? In English, this translates to, ‘bit by bit, over time, it becomes a hill.’ While this hill usually refers to a pile of coins in your piggy bank (yes, we own one of those), the concept holds in approaching daily life. Start your day with the easiest and smallest of tasks, be it at work or more generally: prioritising the importance of your tasks will go a long way.
Speaking of which: priorities!Â
How do you prioritise your way through the day? There are too many ways. Here is one method, however, that might work for you. Choose eight tasks on your to-do list for the day, place them in order of importance, and steadily get through them. You could do this in your daily planner, a bullet journal or just about anywhere.
Above all, don’t force it
That’s right. Set a reasonable target for yourself, not one that will almost surely exhaust you. When you hit the mark, sit back and enjoy the rest of your day.Â
