A Hot Beverage For Planning

On Saturday mornings, I usually sit in my living room with my laptop (for Philofaxy web finds), my coffee, and my planner.

I notice that a lot of others use their planners with hot tea or coffee for sipping, too. Maybe it's because of our consumer culture. Maybe it's because we are addicted to caffeine. (Yes. Yes I am.)

But I think it's about something else.

Sipping a hot beverage with my planner open in front of me might just be about slowing down and relaxing.

Yes, grabbing a Starbucks coffee is about speed. Stay awake. Work faster. Get it done. But I rarely grab Starbucks and run.

Instead, I brew a cafe' au lait and sip it at home. I order a mocha at a local coffee shop and relax, watching people in the public place go about their days, eavesdropping on conversations and wondering what each person's story might be. If I do enter a Starbucks, it's never through the drive-through and it always involves taking a seat.

Essentially, I slow down. I sip my hot beverage, carefully and thoughtfully, while I decide on my plan for the day. The heat of the coffee, combined with the dash of caffeine, slows me and makes me thoughtful about what I want to accomplish.

Today, it means cleaning my kitchen (it's a disaster), finishing preparing gifts for some birthdays, and finishing my Nanowrimo outline. All of this should be overwhelming, but it's not, just because I slowed down and thought about it. I want to do more, but can assess the feasibility in the quiet of my routine and rationalize the amount that I can reasonably accomplish without burn out.

So, sip a hot beverage while you plan. Or listen to soft music. Or do whatever slows you down.

Your plan will be better and your planner will work better for you.

Etcetera.