Kerri Experiment #1: Morning Jumpstart
Each week, Shannon or Kerri picks an ArtistCEO experiment to undertake for 5 days and reports back to our email list. Sign up now to follow along.
Kerri was up for her first experiment and announced it on Monday 11/19 on Facebook live.
You can click the image to watch the experiment announcement on the ArtistCEO Facebook page or skip down to the recap below.
The Experiment:
Something strange has been happening lately. As I reclaim more of my artist side, I'm staying up later and waking up later in the morning. This has made me feel like I don't have time for a morning routine, but I know I need one.
I wanted to experiment with a super quick routine to make sure I got it done.
Start with a 7-minute high intensity workout Youtube video (I used this one from LifeHacker) and then check in with myself more spiritually/emotionally with my GUMPTION warmup, which uses the word gumption as an acronym to move through the chakra system (Grounded, Up, Muscle, Play/Pleasure, Truth, Inspiration, Om & Now). If you want to try this yourself, I recorded an audio guide to this warm up that’s at the bottom of the page!
What I Did Each Day:
Friday (started this experiment early because of Thanksgiving)
Slept in a bit but did my workout first thing! Felt good to get up and out (and actually not listen to a podcast while I was at the gym). I’ve been working with a moon cycle intention of “fierce love.” I’ve never incorporated an intention in my Gumption warm up before, but it happened naturally and I had some insights about where I could be fiercer with my clients and hold a tighter container for our transformational work.
I took a shower and then got inspired to spend 45 minutes writing a comedic story before getting to work. I was inspired because I had seen Mike Birbiglia’s new show on Broadway. Felt really good to spend some time with my art after exercise...is another experiment going to be born from this?
Monday
Did NOT want to exercise first thing, but I did it anyway. Rather than going to the gym, I just did it in my pajamas in my living room. Not leaving the apartment meant I had to take a walk outside later in the day to get some fresh air which is a good reminder that it’s not just exercise that keeps me sane, but also leaving my space! I had a really intense singing class in the evening that was illuminating but also emotionally triggering (which was kind of the point). To me, emotional and artistic breakthroughs are often simultaneous. I know that this class I’m taking is going to transform the next artistic project I do - and it seems to be transforming me into a night owl.
Tuesday
Slept in, but did my workout first thing. Was distracted in the afternoon and finally decided, F it, I’m going to clean the house and get packed for Thanksgiving until I have some motivation. I didn’t have that many tasks to get done and two interest calls in the evening.
While I was scrolling Facebook, I saw a video editing job posted, so I took it for some extra cash! I’m trying not to take on additional content production type work generally, but for some reason this felt like a yes and it would cover a recent plane ticket purchase to Amsterdam, so I’ll have some more work to do over Thanksgiving than normal.
Wednesday
We woke up at 5am to beat the traffic, so I didn’t end up doing my routine until about 5pm after napping and going into Boston for lunch, but I was SO glad I did. Took a shower and spontaneously started singing, getting ideas for my record. And got the 1 hour of work I was supposed to do today done also!
Thursday (Thanksgiving!)
Got up and did my routine first thing. Okay, actually, I did 10 minutes on an exercise machine because I was getting a bit bored of the 7-minute routine. But I did it! And I even got some work done after dinner while everyone else was passed out from turkey! Score.
Friday summary & takeaway
I’m getting towards the end of my cycle (TMI? Too bad!) so I forced myself to do it but it wasn’t my most enthusiastic. As much as possible, I plan my month by my cycle and ease down activity near and during menstruation. It’s hard to say what the best move is here because I appreciated getting moving, but I also could feel that my body was getting tired and the next two days I didn’t exercise. Perhaps something a bit more gentle would have been better for my energy overall, but I was so glad I had the challenge through Thanksgiving. (Anyone else tend to have their existential crises around family?)
This was definitely the most emotionally stable AND productive family holiday I’ve had in years! Could just be growth as a human, but I think the warm up actually helped. It’s great to use in a pinch if I’ve been sleeping later than usual or if I don’t have the leisure of time or space, like when I’m staying with family.
In terms of my working days, I also think it revealed to me what’s been missing in my days as I try to power through tasks. I’ll let you know what that is in my next experiment! Stay tuned :)
Audio Diary:
Instead of an audio diary, I made this audio leading you through the GUMPTION warm up! It’s about 12 minutes :)