Overcoming Mental Procrastination for Morning Motivation

The Morning Procrastination – When Being Organised Just Isn't Enough

This morning, in fact for the last few months of mornings, I'm lying in bed talking to myself! 'Stupid, isn't it?' There I was, staring at the ceiling, while my gym kit – laid out since last night, my contact lenses were right there on the bedside table, everything was ready and waiting, and yet ... here I am, having a debate with myself about getting up.

The thing is the night before by preparing my early morning start I am being intentional and know what I want to do. I even attempt a sensible bedtime, though, between the night sweats and the 3 am ceiling-staring sessions that perimenopause brings, my time asleep isn't always the best!

It's amazing how creative we can be when it comes to delaying our day. Every morning, despite having a clear plan and everything perfectly organised, I find myself inventing increasingly elaborate excuses to postpone getting started. The path forward is obvious, and my goals are set, yet somehow I still manage to waste time on meaningless distractions before taking that first real step.

The Honest Truth About Good Habits (From Someone Having a Hot Flush While Writing This)

All the organisation in the world doesn't help when your hormones are messing with your brain. One day you're functioning well and you achieve all you want to, the next you're wondering if getting out of bed is really necessary! Nobody warns you about this bit of being a woman of a certain age, do they?

Making February Different: Beyond Just Being Organised

So the 1st of February is here and it's going to be different. Not because I need more lists or better systems – I've got enough of those – but because I need to tackle that mysterious void between being ready and actually moving.

My new approach (and I'm writing this down because otherwise, my menopausal memory might have other ideas):

My new morning rules are really simple: I call myself out when I'm making daft excuses (seriously, who needs to empty the dishwasher at 5:30 am?), I use the five-second rule to get out of bed before my brain starts negotiating, and I've banned those 'just a quick' jobs between waking up and leaving. That's it. No more pretending the world will end if I don't sort out the pile of washing!

The Real February Challenge

So here's the thing about February – it's shorter than January, and the Christmas chocolates have now all gone. So the time has come to make no more excuses.

It's not about being more organised – I'm organised, It's about winning that mental battle with myself. About closing that gap between being ready and actually getting on with it.

Having your gym kit ready is all well and good, but it's no help at all when you can talk yourself into not getting up and doing what you want to do!