No social media in the mornings - Day 1

In my previous post, I talked about a small experiment on not checking social media first thing in the mornings.

I won't repeat everything from that article, but the gist is that after some inspiration, decision, planning and taking action, I found out that a small change has significant gains.

This article is the beginning of a journal-like journey for the next seven days.

My main goal is to inspire and motivate you. It's much easier than you think as long as you take action!

Let's begin the journey.

Day 1

1. Beat the alarm today.
   This meant I didn't have to touch the phone first thing in the morning. I didn't wake up early enough to go out for my morning run. I've been fighting some stomach virus for the last few days.

   It was a shame because it was raining and I enjoy running in the rain. 🌧️

   Later I realized that I "beat" the alarm because I set it for an hour later, doh!

2. Phone in pocket
   After showering and putting on clothes for the day, I put my phone in my pocket without turning it on.

   This is always a real test every morning. The temptation, the urge, the addiction is strong every time I touch the phone.

3. Presence
   This is one of the benefits I talked about in my previous article.

   I'm more present because I'm not distracted by checking my social media. This presence allows me to focus and make better use of my time.

   This presence helped me clean all the mail piling up on my desk for over a month. You know, grown up stuff I have been postponing like a good procrastinator.

   What to know how long it took me? 15 minutes while having some great morning tea. 🍵

   The real good news is that I discovered some checks I never deposited because reasons. Don't get me wrong, I like money but I'm far better procrastinator always distracted by social media in the mornings.

   Cleaner desk, enjoying great tea, finding out I have extra money, what else can I ask for this morning? My wife was happy to see my clean desk (she's been egging me for a while) and happier when I told her about the extra money.

4. Driving in the rain

   It was one of those gray mornings that makes you wish you stay in bed and cuddle with your significant other or read a good book.

   As I got in my car, I thought I'd listen to a podcast my buddy Pavneet tweeted me about.

   "No, not this morning." I thought.

   Unfortunately, I just finished my latest audio book: The Hidden School - Dan Millman. So, I opted for some relaxing jazz on the radio. 🎷🎵

   Commuting in the morning rain is never enjoyable. But for some reason today, I was more peaceful than usual. Maybe I was happy because I cleaned up my desk or I found those extra couple of dollars. I don't know but I enjoyed my half-hour commute drive.

5. Work, work
   Instead of complaining about raining harder, I enjoy my 5 minute walk into the office building. I didn't have the mindset to make a big deal over a soaked jacket and pants.

   "They will dry out anyway" - I thought and smiled.

   As my day started at work, I wasn't rushed or stressed or upset due to the weather.

First time checking social media

• Twitter: sometime after 11am
• Email: around 11:30am
• Dev.to: (reply to your comments) after 11:30am
• Reddit: nope
• News: nah
• Crypto currency: 9:30am

In case you didn't read my previous article, my personal challenge is not to check my social medial (or anything distracting) before 11am.

The crypto currency check was because my co-worker reminded me and muscle memory won that battle.

Conclusion

Wow, I didn't know I had such great morning.

I'm surprised because I'm still physically sick from my stomach virus. It's severe enough for me to complain about it (as I am doing right now!).

I can't believe a small change has a huge impact in my overall life.

But what does this have to do with coding?

More presence -> less distraction -> more focus -> more productive -> more satisfaction.

I invite you to give a try, and why not, share your story, your journey in the comments below. How about in an article here in Dev.to or your own blog?

If you are shy, it's cool. Write it on a notebook.

Don't have a notebook? Fire up your favorite text editor and type away.🙂

Thanks for reading. Till tomorrow!