When it comes to starting the day off well, I think there's a lot of truth in what they say about breakfast. I spent far too many mornings last year wasting hours convincing myself I was 'getting up slowly' or easing my way into the day, when in actual fact I was just messing around. It would get to 11 am and I'd still be sat in my PJs browsing twitter, not yet having eaten anything but perhaps managing a cup of tea at best. Getting up and making yourself breakfast is a little thing, but a really effective way of starting your day with intention.
On days when I'm working from home, the act of getting up and starting a task straight away really focuses my mind, getting rid of the usual hour (sometimes more) of faffing around. On early starts and work days, it helps me wake up too, and eating well puts me in the right mood for getting on with work. Here are a few other tips on making breakfast work for you:-
Get Up Early
It sounds obvious, but the earlier you get up, the more things you can achieve that day. This might involve adjusting your bed time and sleep pattern for a while to make sure you're not making yourself too tired, but I definitely think it is worth it. I'm personally far more productive in the mornings, and have found myself with far more energy compared to days where I'd sleep in late, and therefore stay up late too.
Read Something
As I'm often up early by myself, I take the opportunity to read something while I eat, and have found this to be really effective in boosting my creativity for the day. If I'm not reading a book or a magazine, I'm hunting pinterest for things that inspire me, and this little personal brainstorming session often leaves me with big ideas for the rest of the day.
Eat Well
A bit of a no-brainer with this one too, but only good things can come from eating a balanced, energising meal at the start of the day. A personal favourite is a poached egg on toast, with leaves (usually spinach or watercress), red onion and ham. It's actually a really quick and easy thing to throw together, I stack the ingredients on a piece of toast while the egg is cooking, and then pop that on the top. Other favourites include almond milk porridge with cinnamon, or soy yoghurt with fruit and granola. My morning coffee has become a bit of a ritual too, and I quite like that routine.
Stop and Think
This is probably where I find my little breakfast break the most useful. How much time in the day do you actually have, or are able to devote to stopping and gathering your thoughts? For me, it's something that usually slips past, and so starting my day with a moment to think about the day ahead really clears my head and puts me in a great frame of mind for whatever I have to do during the day.
Do you have a breakfast routine? I'd love to hear about it!Labels: breakfast, food, life, thoughts