For a long time, I thought starting my day meant jumping right in. Emails. To do lists. Getting “ahead.”
But what I’ve discovered is that some of my best ideas don’t arrive when I’m busy.
They arrive when I’m quiet.
Often, I wake up after a good night’s sleep with ideas already forming. If I ignore them or rush into the day, they usually fade away. But when I intentionally build space into my morning for devotion, reflection, a walk, or even just silence, those ideas stay.
They deepen.
They connect.
They evolve.
The shower has become one of my most creative places. It’s one of the few moments where there are no notifications, no conversations, no expectations. Just space to think.
After that quiet time, I often sit down and do exactly what I’m doing now. I brainstorm. I write. I explore ideas. And sometimes I use tools like ChatGPT to help me freshen them, refine them, or build on them in a new way.
And here’s the honest part.
There are mornings when I look at the clock and think, “It’s already 8:30. I should have started my day by now.”
That old belief that productivity only counts if it looks a certain way creeps in.
But when I pause and reflect, I realize how much has already happened. I’ve taken care of myself. I’ve listened. I’ve created. I’ve laid the foundation for the rest of the day.
That’s not falling behind.
That’s leading myself well.
There is something incredibly powerful about discovering your own cadence. Your own rhythm. The times of day when your thinking is clearest and your creativity is strongest.
When you honor that instead of forcing yourself into someone else’s schedule, work feels lighter. Ideas feel clearer. And your days start to flow.
Quiet time isn’t a luxury.
It’s a strategy.
And when you give yourself permission to start your day in a way that truly works for you, that’s when the magic happen