Maintaining my balance

My holiday in Namibia after Christmas last year taught me something about the benefits of learning through repetition, to maintain my balance. Whilst I was there, my brother and his wife arranged a 10-day tour of the north of the country. Due to the time of the year, we were at risk of contracting malaria, so I took anti-malaria pills, and for about 6 weeks I had to take a pill first thing in the morning about 2 hours before I had anything to eat.

This meant I had to be up at 6, take the pill and then keep myself entertained until breakfast around 8am. Because we did 6 lodges in 10 days, it became a routine to get up, shower, dress and pack so we could leave straight after breakfast. During these 2 hours, I found myself reading in bed, colouring in, or even journalling.

Starting my morning

After about 5 days I realised even if breakfast was not yet being served, I could go and sit on the veranda and observe the wildlife whilst I waited for the others to come to breakfast.

Because the routine was the same every morning regardless of which lodge we were staying at, I soon came to realise that this meant that I got more time out of my morning. I could set up my morning the way I wanted to, and I actually came to enjoy having this time to myself before my cousin, who was sharing the room with me, woke up.

By the time we returned to the coast and I was staying with my parents, it had already become a bit of a habit to wake up, take the medication and spend some time by myself before I officially joined my parents, and let them know I was awake. I took to keeping a bottle of water with me so that I could do this first thing.

I'm really not a morning person so this started out as an inconvenience, but with time I came to enjoy this and to find that it set me up for the day, and I have kept this routine even after returning to the UK.

Returning to “Real-Life”

When the days got shorter last year, I started working between 7-3. I realised that I had always been waiting for it to get light in the winter to start my day, instead of the flip-side which is that if I start at 7, I can finish at 3. This meant that it was still light every day when I left the office, even on the shortest days just before Christmas.

And because it is something I do every day, it has become a touchstone and I have got better at rising early every day. Every day I find a way of improving my morning routine and discovering what I can do before I go to bed the night before to prepare for tomorrow, to start my day right. I am even becoming used to the idea of making my lunch and choosing and laying out my complete outfit the night before, so that I have less to think about and plan when I wake up.

Maintaining my balance

It stands me in good stead when things get a little busy and I find myself under pressure, because I no longer have to think about this. I know how long each step of the process lasts, and I fine-tune it a little more every day. I'm learning to “strive for progress, not perfection" (unknown)

Tweaking my routine just a little every day is manageable. It's easier to identify what I need to improve this time and therefore to identify and recognise my progress. It's easier to remember one small thing to focus on this week (preparing lunch whilst I’m making dinner every night), until I have made that a habit.

And because I am only improving a small thing, I’m focussing on success. I'm focussing on being better and polishing my routine, the way I would if I was rehearsing a dance routine, until the whole process is seamless and flows easily.

I'm learning that whilst life is not a dress rehearsal (Richard Carlson), that I can do the absolute best I can today and be better next time.

Creating islands of calm

And what I love about this is that this morning routine is becoming my touchstone - it's the same every day, no matter what may happen throughout the day. From the moment I get on the bus to the moment I leave the office, there are many things that are not necessarily in my control, but what is in my control is how I start my day.

The same goes for meetings. Each meeting itself may be different, but the process of preparing for it, is the same. It also applies to the training and workshops I run; the set-up is the same, even though the attendees vary from session to session, and I might need to adapt my material whilst presenting to deliver the best service.

And if I can polish my set-up, it becomes a touchstone, to centre myself and regain my centre, no matter how busy my day may be. These touchstones become little islands of calm where I can get back on track and regain my sense of control. Over time, these islands act like a re-set button and I improve just a little every time. In fact I’ve come to see this as an adventure and I look forward to finding a new way to improve each time, and put that into practise the next time.

Book-ending the days

I'm even discovering this applies to my night-time routine, there are some aspects that are the same and can be incorporated in the same way, and that in this way I can book-end my day, with a good start and a good finish, no matter what the day itself held.

I'm still learning some of the challenges that I face as a result of my Dyspraxia and ADD, and in spite of the training and assistive software and technology, I’m coming to understand that to fully appreciate my strengths and areas of development may well take a lifetime.

In the meantime, however, I can control how I choose to start my day, and how I start each day just that little bit better.

Lynn

Dyspraxic Pioneer