I’m on a journey to cultivate an undistracted life—tracking my time, having honest conversations with God, and setting intentions to align my daily rhythms with His purpose. It’s been eye-opening, challenging, and deeply transformative. If you’re new to this series, you can read the full story here. Or download the free UNDISTRACTED Quick Start Guide and join me on the journey.
The Question
How do you start your day?
I don’t mean after you get out of bed, but that moment you wake up?
As part of the undistracted life journaling I’m doing, I’ve become very aware of those first few moments.
For me, I do one of two things—and which one I do has a profound impact on the rest of my day. Far more so than I would have ever believed.
I either roll over, snuggle up with Riley, and talk with God for a little bit, or I grab my phone, check emails, Facebook, weather, and texts and get going.
Starting from Presence
The first starts my day gently, in a posture of humility and awareness of God’s presence with me. My mind is calm but clear and alert. I can do the handful of little things I need to do before my devotional time prayerfully, and with a heart focused on Him. When I do sit down for my time with God, I’m ready. I’m not battling the to-do list in my brain. This is where I need to be.
More than that, though, when I start my day from a posture of presence, I find it easy to move into performance mode—doing what I need to do. I do it with clarity while easily maintaining awareness of His presence with me. What I read or my prayers stay central in my thoughts and heart as I move through the rest of my day. And I can readily shift back into a devotional mindset. It’s as if my whole day has become devotional.
Starting from Performance
However, if I start my day on my phone, even if it’s only 30 seconds to a minute (which is how I have been excusing it), something shifts in my brain. I go into performance mode. I start thinking of all I need to do. My list is running through my brain. I may actually get up and clean the kitchen, the bathroom, and start doing other things. When I walk Riley, it’s purposeful—get it done. And then when I do sit down for my time with God—IF I sit down with Him—I’m distracted and all over the board.
I can’t shift out of performance mode. It sticks with me, kind of like a posture of presence sticks with me. Unlike the posture of presence, the performance posture is driving and anxiety-inducing. It creates an internal chaotic frenzy, coupled with the message that I’m not doing enough, working hard enough, producing enough.
This impacts my mood, my relationship with God, how I respond to Riley, and the extent to which I enjoy my day.
A Simple Choice with Profound Impact
It’s a simple choice that takes seconds. It doesn’t feel like it should really matter, and yet what I do in those first few minutes before I ever get out of bed, before I ever “start my day,” sets the tone for absolutely everything else.
“What I do in those first few minutes before I ever get out of bed sets the tone for absolutely everything else.”
What intrigues me as I’ve tested this is that if I schedule time on social media and email and it’s after I’ve started my day with God, then I never shift into that frenzied performance stage. I have a steady energy, clear focus, and I am far more productive.
It makes me wonder: what else in my life is suffering because of something I do mindlessly that takes seconds and I’ve written off as insignificant?
A Resource That Might Help
If you’re looking for help establishing a pattern of giving God the first part of your day, I want to point you to a resource that has been incredibly helpful to many: Be with Jesus 365.
Dr. Mark Jones, the prayer pastor at my church, has created biblically sound, attainable content to help people cultivate a daily rhythm of being with Jesus. His website offers a 40-day worship experience designed to help you establish a pattern of giving God the first 15 minutes of your day. He also posts daily devotional content on his YouTube channel—very short, accessible, and deeply encouraging.
If you’d like to connect with others who are on this journey, Dr. Mark also hosts a private Facebook group where people encourage one another and share what God is doing in their lives.
I’m always looking for opportunities to share ministries and resources that are solid, Kingdom-aligned, and not necessarily well-known. Be with Jesus 365 is one of those treasures. Check it out and see if it’s something that would serve you well.
Exploring with God
These are the kinds of things I’m exploring with God as I partner with Him to create an undistracted life aligned with His heart and plans.
Want to explore this with me? Download the free UNDISTRACTED Quick Start Guide and start tracking your own patterns. You might be surprised what you discover in those first few moments of your day—and how they’re shaping everything that follows.
