In college I used to drink a nice cold can of Dr. Pepper to wake myself up. In about an hour my stomach would be churning in pain. I know some people do it, but I don’t recommend it. There are a lot of things we do in the morning that aren’t good for us. We rush, we skip breakfast and we hit the snooze over and over again. While there is plenty to ruin our personal days, in ministry there are three things that can derail us if done first thing. They are:
- Checking Email/Voicemail: Unless you are expecting it, avoid it until you’ve done something constructive with your day. The reason to avoid your messages is because you are tired; therefore, the wrong message can put you in the wrong mood.
- Personal Projects: You are not only wasting company time, but you are delaying your work time, which will set you back. If you need to take care of something personal (that isn’t a family emergency) then do it before you go in, at lunch or right after you get home.
- Dodging Coworkers: Set the mood in your office by greeting others no matter how bad the commute. You don’t have to get into deep philosophical conversations, but just a simple, “How’s it going?” It will help others who had a not so great morning brighten up. Besides, nothing is more distracting than working with disgruntled people.
If you want to get your day off right, make sure you start it with God and you give yourself margin. Often times we rush into our days and set ourselves back by taking on projects and tasks that will emotionally wreck us for the rest of our day.
Do you agree with these three? What else should we avoid in the morning?