Reducing stressors before beginning your workday

“Let all things be done decently and in order.”
1 Corinthians 14:40

There is something peaceful about having things in order. As I come off summer vacation and begin another school year of teaching, I have been thinking about some of the unnecessary stress that can happen before my workday even begins. One thing I want to work on this school year is creating calmer, more organized mornings.

For me, that starts the night before.

I can have my clothes prepared instead of milling around in the morning trying to figure out what to wear. I can have a plan for my hair instead of struggling with it when I should be getting ready to leave. I can make sure my lesson plans, work materials, and anything else I need are ready to go. I can also prepare and pack my lunch the night before.

These may seem like little things, but little things take time. When several of them pile up in one morning, suddenly I am looking at the clock wondering where the time went.

Proverbs 21:5 says:

“The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.”

That word hasty stands out to me because rushing has been one of my problems.

I have realized that racing to work in the morning affects me both physically and mentally. When I leave home pressed for time, I start getting aggravated with people who are driving slowly because now I am trying to make up for the minutes I lost at home. I may feel tempted to speed, unnecessarily pass someone, or make other hasty decisions on the road that I normally wouldn't make.

A few minutes aren't worth all of that.

Even if I manage to make it to work on time, I have already stressed myself out before my students have even entered my classroom.

 I don't want to walk through the door already frazzled from a morning of rushing.

The interesting thing is that I used to think my commute was the problem.

When I lived about 45 minutes away from work, I thought, Of course I'm always rushing. I live so far away. Then I moved closer, and my commute dropped to about 17 minutes.

Yet somehow, I still found myself rushing.

Now my job has moved even closer, only 5 minutes away, and that has made me realize that simply living closer isn't going to change anything if I carry the same morning habits with me.

I don't want the extra time I have gained from a shorter commute to simply turn into extra time to mill around the house.

The real issue wasn't necessarily how far I lived from work. It was what I was doing with my time before I left.

Psalm 90:12 says:

“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

I think there is wisdom in learning how to use the time I already have. I have certainly had mornings when I prayed, “Lord, please help me get there on time.” But I am also realizing that I have a part to play in creating the kind of morning I am praying for.

I can prepare my clothes the night before. I can pack my lunch. I can get my work materials together. I can think ahead about my hair. I can give myself enough time to leave home without racing against the clock.

This school year, I want to work on building those habits.

My commute has gone from 45 minutes, to 17 minutes, to 5 minutes. That's a gift of time, and I don't want to waste it by simply finding new ways to run late.

Sometimes a more peaceful morning isn't about getting more time.

Sometimes it's about creating more order with the time I already have.