The Daily War

It’s been a crazy week. For those celebrating Easter Happy belated Easter. My family celebrated Passover a Jewish tradition where one abstains from various foods to symbolize the journey of the Jewish people as depicted in the 1956 film The Ten Commandments. It isn’t until the first day of Passover that I remember how important routine is. For most of the year, my diet consists of mostly the same foods. Unlike my fiancé who loves experimenting, I’m a creature of habit.

After reading Atomic Habits by James Clear I learned about Decision Fatigue. The idea is we have a finite amount of decisions we can make each day before our quality in decision making begins to take a steady decline.

I’ve noticed this in myself and as a result, I’ve tried my best to plan the simple things ahead of time. Knowing my breakfast, outfits, and schedule for the week allows me to wake up and follow the plan without thinking. I even go as far as to plan what project I will be writing that day. When I wake up, I make breakfast and a coffee and sit down to an open notebook with the previous day's work for reference. Often I’ll stop a sentence mid-way through so I can finish it the next day. This allows me to gain momentum easier than if I sat in front of a blank page and asked “what do I write about today?”

While writing I rarely know where the story will take me but to have a launching point offers an ease into the work.

Every day I wage war against morning anxiety. Setting a routine helps diminish the cataclysmic feeling of impending doom. Even when I wake up feeling like the worlds coming to an end, I remind myself “just follow the plan.”

Do you have little tricks that help you get through the week without fatigue?

I’d love to know what works for you. Let me know in the comments or on Twitter/Instagram