Morning Time Out

I'm hitting reset this fall. After reflecting on my weekday morning routine, I realized that I need to incorporate a morning time out -- time to sit, enjoy my cup of coffee, and catch up on the news or a read magazine. It's like a breath of fresh air before I tackle that day's to-do list.

The reason being is that like most of you, my weekdays mornings start pretty busy. Getting the kids ready for school is no simple task -- between dressing them, packing lunches, making breakfast, and walking the dog before we get out the door, my mornings feel pretty hectic. On most mornings, I'll head straight to the gym after dropping them off at school. And once I get home, if I don't sit down to work, I'll start with house chores. I'm aware its a luxury to be able to work from home, but for me, it's really hard to ignore the chores. What ends up happening is that I tend to ignore one or the other. Anyway, I digress.

So here's what my morning time out includes:

- A fresh cup of Nescafe coffee. I rush through my first cup as I'm getting ready in the morning, so when I get back home, I crave a second cup. And this time I savor it slowly. I love the convenience of using instant coffee, and to make it more special, lately I've been adding a stick of cinnamon to add a little touch of fall.

- Unplugging from social media and my email.

- A magazine and/or a newspaper.

As you see, it's quite simple as any time out should be. It allows me to enjoy the little things and take pleasure in the details. It's refreshing and inspiring. And although there are mornings where a time out seems impossible, it's been my one activity I look forward to every morning.