You might have read that, last week, I had this sudden epiphany. As if finally seeing the Truth, I realised that the way to get things done was, well, to do them!
Galvanised by this ground-breaking revelation, I set out to finally get up early in the morning. Proper early, 5.30am. There have been some hiccups in the past week, but all in all, I'm pleased to say that I've made it. For the past few days, I've opened my eyes at exactly 5.30am, before the alarm going off, and got up to a glorious start. A quick coffee, a couple of deep breaths in the cold WA morning, and then 20-30mins of meditation or, as John Kabat-Zinn says, of paying attention to the present moment.
"Just do it!" is the motto. Don't ask yourself why you are getting up; rather, get up! "Become an early riser!" says Brett McKay, from AoM, a blog I read and respect. It's the "5am Miracle"!, as Jeff Sanders describes it. Too easy.
The Just Do It principle applies to a large chunk of society, apparently. All this people out there, determined to get things done, and struggling to find the right way, or just the time, for doing them. There's one clear rule for you to follow: Get out of bed. Just do it.
However, based on my own experience, there is also a - so far overlooked- Just Don't Do It principle. It applies to a different demographic, or at least a different age group. A group that, though not very busy, nor obsessed with getting things done, finds it extremely easy to get up very early in the morning. This group has at least one member, my son, Child n. 1.
The Just Don't Do It principle goes like this:
Do not get up. Stay in bed. You are still to sleep. Go back to your bedroom. It is 5.30am for God's sake, this is my time, not yours. I didn't rape my own nature to stand in this kitchen with you before sunrise. No, you cannot watch TV, it's too bloody early. I'm not angry, I'm just frustrated. Let me drink my coffee, at least. Alright, let's play Lego.
