Create an Amazing Day in 5 Steps

I woke up this morning a bit before my alarm. That's no surprise, I usually do. I actually had about 20 minutes before I had to get out of bed, and as I was laying there, I could feel how tense my my shoulders were. I started thinking about the Sun A flow from Yoga, but the without really thinking further I reached for my phone to open up social media, like I usually do. (This is a serious addition I'm not particularly fond of, but that's a blog for another day.)

Instead, I put my phone back down, got out of bed and decided I would do some yoga for fifteen minutes, rather than start my day on facebook.

I go into my living room and turn on a soft light and start the poses - mountain, stretching up high, letting my shoulders melt down my back, gentle backbend, back to mountain, forward fold...and slowly flowed through each movement. My hair got in the way, so I got a hair tie, came back, and worked on stretching through the sequence a few more times. I had 15 minutes, I could really get some good stretches in!

Instead, I worked on my yoga for like 4 passes through the sequence. In total, probably only 4 minutes had passed, and then I quit, laid on my couch and opened facebook. (Do you see? Addicted.)

But in this case, it's good because I found myself on a blog that had a podcast that I then listened to and it shared five things you can do to start your day off in such a great way that it will keep on being awesome the whole rest of the day. I got in the shower and turned up the volume, and here's what I learned. (Also: these are not my ideas, just passing them on from Tim Ferriss.) (Also: these are not rocket science, either, well maybe #3 is, but that's all.)

1. Make your bed.
Yeah, do that. It will be the first thing you accomplish that day and will set you up to start and finish a bunch more things. Tim mentioned a monk or something who was sharing about this, but also the military. They always start their day by making their beds. You don't even have to make your sheets all crisp and perfectly folded, either. Just get the sheet and blanket on good enough (especially if your bed is like mine, surrouneded by walls on three sides). And let me tell you, if you are someone who doesn't usually do this, you will be so happy when it's time to go to bed later that night!

2. Meditate.
I don't know as much about meditation as I do about bed-making, but what I do know is enough to say it's good for you. Meditation forces you to slow down. Do you know how fast our society goes? And how much we have to do in a single day? How much information we take in and process and then share back out? And even more crazy are our thoughts, the constant, incessant chatter on and on and on.....

Meditation creates a space for you to slow down and not have to problem solve or worry or analyze or stress. You slow down, take note of how your body is feeling at the moment, relax, and prepare for a great day ahead.

I have done most of my meditation in Hot Power Fusion at the yoga studio but have done some at home, too. There are a bunch of great apps you can get, too. Some free. My favorite is Headspace. Check it out and stick to a routine. Make meditation the second thing you accomplish every morning.

3. Hang upside down.
This one was new. I don't have a space to do this, but from what I remember, he was saying it's important to strech out your spine. I don't remember the details at all, so check out the podcast (#105), but I image some bendy or stretchy yoga could also do the trick.

4. Drink some tea.
He had some crazy concoction of a loose leaf teas and herbs he used for varying reasons, but I equate this to drinking warm lemon water. Detox yourself. Most of us drink a cup (or 8) of coffee every day, but starting with lemon water or some other kind of detoxifying tea would probably be better. Coffee is super acidic, and from what I've learned about pH balance, it's not good for us (especially if you put a sugared creamer in it like I do). Alternative: hot tea to detox and get your organs inside functioning properly before you get your day going.

5. Write Daily Pages.
I've said it before that writing is so helpful for my state of mind. The writing Tim suggests was writing in a private notebook for two purposes. First, to express gratitude for all that is amazing and happy in yoru life. We all know that it's the grateful people that are happy. His second reason is to write through all your anxieties. Put them down on the paper, let them be heard, and then you're ready to start your day. After all, you know you're going to encounter some jackass in your day (random or someone you always encounter) so instead of building up all that anxiety in your mind and carrying it with you, put it down on paper and let it go.

So there you have it friends. Make your bed, meditate, invert yourself, drink some detoxifying tea, and do some writing. He said even if you can knock out three of these you're off to an amazing start.

Tomorrow I'm going to make my bed and do the writing.

What will you try?

Or, what are you already doing?
Leave a comment below and keep the conversation going!

Next Goal

So I'm thinking about taking a creative writing class this summer...anyone out there in blogging land ever take one? I'm really not sure where to go - find a workshop? Go through a university?


One of my best friends is writing a book right now and I'm so jealous (Yay you, BFF!) because I want a great idea and I want to write a great book (too). It's always been one of my goals, and I guess if I'm going to make it happen, I've got to do something about it. This blog has been a great start, and I'm really enjoying writing on it, but it would be even better to do something for the sake of accomplishing it AND earning some extra income!


So far my best find is this place --> Story Studio Chicago
Seems like they have lots of different sessions, from novice to experienced and from one-night sessions to eight-week sessions. Is $400 too much for an 8 week session? Compared to taking it at a university, seems reasonable. (and even better - no deadlines and grades and homework to do!) There's a class on picture book writing, too!  Upon further rever (found them on Yelp) it seems that their ratings are pretty high...there I was looking for a reviewer to tell me straight up what they thought of the place, but instead, since they are all writers, it's like a plot line with a lead and a twist in the tension. Sheesh! 


Looked around a little more and didn't really see anything else. Perhaps I'll start with a one day session and go from there.


Now, what to write about? I definitely know the most about teaching. Katie and I have talked for years about writing a book about teaching. Perhaps the time has come!

Who else writes? I want to follow your blog if you have one, so leave a link here!


Until next time....

Gettin' tech-y wit it!

Do you use writing workshop as a structure for your writing classes? Do your students take their writing through the writing process? Here's a great idea for helping students be more effective at editing!


Many times we have a hard time with our kids when they edit. They take two minutes to read the paper, add a period or fix the spelling of a word, and then say they're done. Below, find a suggestion for editing and a new idea to help students become better editors.


First thing, you have to model with kids. EVERY time. You'd think that after showing them five times they will remember what to do, but they forget how much attention they have to pay to the task at hand. When I start an editing session with kids, I always put a sample on the document camera and we do a paragraph or two as a whole group - reading aloud - sentence by sentence. This seems to help kids feel how it's supposed to be. They can see the pace I'm going, they can hear my thoughts as I "think aloud," and they can practice - with a partner - finding errors like capitalization, spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

Now...for the new stuff!
This time, I used our 1:1 computers in a new way. The night prior to editing, I asked the kids to go home and record themselves reading their piece into Photo Booth. If you are unfamiliar with Photo Booth, it's an app that the kids use to take still photos and videos.


They were then asked to return to class with their video and a pair of headphones. At their desks, they set up their laptop with the video open and the most recent copy of their piece (I believe we were on draft 4). They then went to a peer's computer and listened to the story being read AS they edited. 

As you can see in the video, kids are listening to their peers' stories while editing the author's paper. I gave them an exit pass on their way out and here's some of the feedback I got from them:


Did using the video recording help you edit your draft better?


"Yes because they helped to know where to put the stanzas and if I should change punctuation. It also helped me to fix some of the syllables."

"Yes it helped me because I made some mistakes I didn't know about!"

"Yes because I could hear the person reading it instead of reading it in my head."

When we finished up the Photo Booth, students were given the rubric to make any last changes that they needed to. They will have published copies turned in on Monday and then we will be able to start planning our Author's Chair. This event is held in the evening. All class stories are compiled into a book and each student reads their work to the class and their parents. They LOVE this event....the current kiddos have no idea what they're in for!

So, just a little change that you could try if you have the technology available to you! I also plan on having the kids prepare for their Author's Chair by reading their final copies into the Photo Booth a few times.

Happy weekend teaching friends!

Homeroom : )