When you wake up, instead of checking emails on your phone, or counting your retweets, pick up a pen and scratch a few sentences into a notebook.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
Generally, I like to write in the morning before all the dust of dreams has blown away. Beforehand, I read two papers, cook my breakfast and then settle down in front of the word processor, usually by 8 A.M. I'll write, and then check e-mail or voicemail when things stall.
My morning begins with trying not to get up before the sun rises. But when I do, it's because my head is too full of words, and I just need to get to my desk and start dumping them into a file. I always wake with sentences pouring into my head.
I can write all the way through the morning, when my mind is clear, and there are no distractions.
Every day I wake up afraid that I won't be able to write, that today is the day it has left me.
In the morning, I have certain aspirations. One of my goals is to avoid looking at the computer or checking e-mail for at least an hour after I wake up. I also try to avoid alarm clocks as much as possible, because it's just nice to wake up without one.
Most of the time I spend when I get up in the morning is trying to figure out what is going to happen.
It's when you've stopped writing and are doing other things, especially when you're asleep, that the real work is done.
I've always loved journaling as a way to clear my mind. Whether I'm traveling or at home, the first thing I do when I wake up is pull out my notebook and record positive things that have happened to me as well as uplifting thoughts.
I use my iPhone as an alarm, so when it goes off, I pick it up and casually scroll through whatever emails may have come in while I was asleep.
When I wake up, I'll go through emails on my iPhone - the junk email. At that point, my brain isn't usually awake enough to handle anything more than that.