Do you read those morning routine articles, especially when they’re from ridiculous celebrities? I do, I love them. It’s such a weird guilty pleasure.
The overall impression most articles seem to give is that if you’re not waking up early, meditating, journaling, eating a healthy breakfast, clearing your inbox, retiling the bathroom, working on the cure for the common cold before running a 5k by 8:30am, well then you, my friend, have failed. Soz.
So, as I previously mentioned, I didn’t work on Monday. Except I really did. Writing this little note to you at 6pm that evening, I got thinking about everything I did today that led me here.
I woke up, only mildly begrudgingly, at around 7:10am (probably should’ve been 6am, right?) and had to take my hayfever tablets (vitamins, no?) because I couldn’t breathe or see properly. This meant I had to eat (eggs on a protein bagel because I’m a gym bro) before I walked the dog. I listened to Midnights by Taylor Swift for roughly the 13,000th time on my walk (should that have been a motivational podcast?)
After calling my mum for a chat (cultivate your relationships, people!) I went to the gym, then for a swim and sat in the sauna for a bit. After eating a delicious lunch, I played Two Dots on my phone and fell asleep on the sofa (INSPIRING!). Everytime I cook, the kitchen looks like a drunk raccoon has been let loose so I had to tidy up. One more coffee, then back to my desk (kitchen table) for deep focused work (catching up on email newsletters I’ve not read).
And here we are.
Nothing romantic or glamorous about it, it’s just a day in the life of a freelance writer who didn’t have the typical priorities you might expect someone to have on a Monday. But here I am, writing, and to you!
What I’m saying here is there’s no ideal conditions. There’s a multitude of ways you can tackle the day but above all you have to do it in the way that works for you. While some may scoff that I didn’t ‘work’ today, I kind of did. Because everything I did to take care of my mental and physical health, as well as nurture my environment, contributed to my being able to sit at the table and write some words down for you.
My memory fails me but I remember reading on Instagram - apologies for the fridge magnet philosophy - that you shouldn’t ask if you’ve worked hard enough to earn your rest, but rather have you rested enough to do your best work?
So, my question to you is how are you taking care of yourself? And I want you to go forth and do whatever the hell you need to do to show up.