Our attention is a target for marketing and engineering, and breaking away from this routine takes effort, especially when scrolling endlessly can seem instantly gratifying. For a significant portion of Western society, social media has become a genuine addiction, living up to the term "mind-numbing."
However, by having the discipline to break this cycle and spend the first couple of hours walking the dogs, sitting in the morning sun, reading, writing, brainstorming, or listening to something educational, inspirational, or humorous, I have personally noticed a considerable improvement in my overall satisfaction with the rest of the day.
While I acknowledge that not working provides more time for such practices, before I left my previous job, I consistently dedicated about 20 minutes or more to a routine of focused time away from the endless to-do list and emails, which I humorously refer to as the "VOR-TECHS."
Dedicating time in the morning to simply being instead of immediately doing puts me in a far healthier mindset. It allows me to be proactive and productive instead of reactive and scattered.
Of course, unexpected distractions and setbacks can still throw me off course, as I can hardly move between rooms without adding more tasks to my to-do list. However, I think it's easier to handle these inevitable challenges when I take time each morning to mentally "stretch" my muscles and warm up for the day ahead rather than leaping out of bed and starting the day at full speed. I find that my endurance improves, my pace becomes easier to maintain, and I feel much more satisfaction at the end of the "race" of any given day when I've had sustained energy and endurance rather than struggling to the point of exhaustion and collapse at the finish line.