How To Start A Day

I like to start my day with music. My best mornings are the ones where I pick up my phone and instead of checking social media, I open my music app and put that bitch on shuffle. Some people say it’s chaotic to listen to music that way, but I’m almost always in the mood for any song in my music library. Sometimes you don’t know you need to hear Yolanda Adams, Paramore, and Smino in that order until it happens. 

I like starting my day with music because it energizes me. Scrolling through twitter or watching videos on my phone makes me want to barrel deeper in bed. Music wakes me up, makes me want to sing along or get up and dance. I think that’s an important way to feel when you’re beginning your day, especially if you often struggle getting out of bed.

​The best way to do all morning activities is with music playing in the background. I listen to music while I shower, do my morning stretch, and occasionally smoke my morning bowl. I like listening to lofi hip hop beats while I write. I recently incorporated writing for an hour every day into my morning routine. The lyricless music helps me focus (instead of sing along) and the beats are usually gentle yet stimulating.

that mid-day sun

I try to finish writing around noon, which is a great time to run errands (most people are at work/school) or spend time on a hobby.  I believe being intentional about the things you enjoy and making them a part of your routine is important. I could practice guitar for an hour, work on my YouTube channel, read, or even take a nap. 
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I believe that “working” is a bullshit way to start or spend the majority of your day. Since I have the freedom to structure my day however I want, I do all of this in the morning, and in the afternoon I only work three to five hours. While writing is technically a part of my job, I choose to view it more as a creative practice. For me, work is all of the emailing, prep, and research it requires to make a career with my writing. This includes my work as a teaching artist, touring poet, editor, and event organizer. 
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As someone with depression (fuck, as a human being period), having this type of versitility and freedom on the day to day is a necessity. I feel a lot less dread at the beginning of my day and, if I’m having a bad day, I can tend to that without feeling the guilt or stress of calculating sick days or calling out.   

Being able to start and structure my day like this comes with the privilege of not having a 9 to 5. For so many people it is nearly impossible to make a living without one (sometimes even with it) and yet, the 8+ hour work structure doesn’t really allow us the time and freedom to fully live the lives we work so hard for. I’m grateful that I’ve been able to make a living as a freelancer and I’m excited to continue creating the life I want to live. Fuck capitalizism, eat the wealthy and allat.