Lately I've been making a few changes to my daily routine, the most important of which has been that I leave my smartphone plugged in when I do things around the house. This has led to a cascade of improvements. First, everything gets done faster. I didn't realize just how much of a time sink a smartphone is; for instance, in the past when I did dishes I would listen to music, and half the amount of time of washing the dishes was actually taken up with finding something to play to alleviate my boredom. Remove the smartphone and there is no relief from the boredom, but the activity goes by considerably faster. Second, since things get done faster, I can do more things. Where it would take me perhaps ten minutes to wash the dishes, now it might take five, and those other five minutes can now be taken up with something else, usually some other chore that I would put off with the excuse that I don't have enough time. As a result, my home has become a bit more orderly, which I like. Additionally, I've noticed that with my smartphone plugged in, rather than following me around the home, I daydream and talk to myself more, and my imagination wanders. I've found myself having imaginary conversations at breakfast, which, by the way, is consumed considerably quicker.
I've been waking up earlier; combined with not carrying my smartphone with me, my mornings feel considerably more productive, and yet oddly relaxed at the same time. Instead of laying in bed and browsing Reddit, for example, for the past week I've gotten out of bed, fed the cat, and made and eaten breakfast, all by 6:30. Then I practice Spanish, which usually takes about half an hour, and then shower and dress and head out the door for work. An added benefit is that because I take my lesson at home rather than on the bus headed to work, I don't take my headphones with me, and as much as I appreciate them for how well they work, I enjoy not having to carry them because they are quite bulky.
