let the sun shine

I live in Alaska.
Today the sun came up about 10:00.
I 've learned some things about survival in the dark.

1) Make sure you have a bright spot every morning.

Each day, I make a cup of tea, turn on all the lights in my house and read a book. My morning ritual sets me up before I start working. It's deliberate and it's predictable. It may be the only part of the day that is that way.


2) Make sure your office is bright and inviting.

Mine is a sunshine yellow. I love coming to the office. It's in my home and away from the rest of the house. When I step inside and close the door, I am ready to work. I could be anywhere. If it's bright, I am going to produce good work.


3) Make sure to slow down at the end of the day.

If I don't fight the slow down that occurs as the day darkens, and I relax into the evening, it is so much better. We spend a lot of time as a culture ignoring what we need. Bears and cavemen were smart. When it's dark, slow down. You don't need to shut down - just slow down. You'll sleep better, too, which leads to the last rule:


4) Go to sleep eager for the new day.

I adopted a habit that closes the workday and sets up the next. At the end of the day, before I turn out the light and close my office door, I make a list for the next day. On a fresh page in a spiral notebook. No more than 8 items long. Simple.

I learned that long lists don' t work. We never feel that we are "done" and we are never satisfied. The thing is...we are never "done." What we can be is accomplished. We can move forward.

Makes me happy to move forward. I know the sun will rise again - sooner or later - and, no matter what happenned, I will get to start over. If there is a new list, there will be a new day.