OPTIMIZED MEDIC
November 21, 2020
GOOD DAY fellow Optimizer-Medics,
Here in Manitoba where COVID cases continue to rise, restrictions continue to get tighter, and days get colder, shorter and darker, I'm going to admit... I'm having a harder time getting myself up out of bed in the morning!
The thought of just rolling over to do absolutely freaking nothing is an appealing idea on any given day of the week these days.
This is where the value of having a morning protocol comes in.
One thing I realized a long time ago is that, especially on days where I am scheduled to work, I have very little control over the middle of my day.
What remains in my control is just the morning and the evening.
Bookends.
An AM Bookend. And a PM Bookend.
Or a Pre-Shift bookend and a Post-Shift bookend.
Mastering the use of these bookends is an imperative for any medic who wants to flourish within the constraints of their reality.
We "sell" 12ish hours of our day to our employer. That's one of the constraints we deal with.
But, where I think a lot of problems arise is when we "sell" our bookends.
If you give away your bookends to social media, TV, news, responding to emails / text messages, etc... then how much of the day is left for you?
A step in the right direction is to carve out just a few minutes where you do something that is for YOU.
Something that will help you flourish.
There are a lot of potential options, and I don't think there is any such thing as a universally perfect morning routine.
It might mean taking time to cook and slowly eat a quiet breakfast.
Or maybe you spend some time fitting in a brief high intensity exercise session.
Perhaps you sit cross-legged on the couch with a cup of coffee and stare out the window for awhile.
Let me encourage you to pick something that you can do every single day, in some way shape or form, first thing when you wake up.
The reason is that routine only becomes routine when it is done without thought.
Scott Adams, creator of the Dilbert comics, says "I never waste a brain cell figuring out what to do in the morning".
That kind of automation is powerful and only comes with daily practice.
To that end, choose something that feels like, for you, it will scratch the deepest need you feel for well-being.
Exercise? Reading? Journalling? Cuddling? Jamming? Singing? Dancing?
After years of experimentation, my current first practice (after a bathroom break and a sip of water) is to roll out a yoga mat and do 10 minutes of Down Dog yoga followed by 10 minutes of meditation.
The reasons I think this works for me:
- it requires no brain cells
- it is a nice combination of movement and meditation
- there is built in variety (I just follow along)
- I have always had a hard time just sitting still to meditate first thing waking up, so the pre-meditation stretch helps me do this
- the meditation time flows immediately from the yoga time (I just program the 'Savassana' portion to be 10 minutes)
This is how the first 22 minutes of every morning goes for me... work day or off day. Since April 2 I've racked up over 200 sessions, and it still works for me.
My prompt for writing about this was that Down Dog has just made an offer for all healthcare professionals to receive free access to their apps until July 1, 2021.
They have apps for Yoga, HIIT, Barre and 7 minute workouts.
I don't receive any financial incentive at all for sending you their way.
So, if you're looking for a nice 'brainless' way to get some movement into your AM bookend (or any other time in your life), you might want to check out their offer.
https://www.downdogapp.com/healthcare
My best and kindest regards to you all,
Brendan
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