Ditch the To-Do List, Start With a Tea and a Think
Using calm reflection to shape your real priorities
You know the drill: Monday morning rolls in, you open your planner, stare at the week ahead — and immediately start throwing tasks at it like darts at a board.
But here’s the thing.
A full calendar isn't proof of purpose. It's often a sign of panic wearing a productivity lanyard.
Before you build the week, take five minutes to step out of reaction mode. Not with another app or checklist — but with a proper, analog pause. Something warm in your hands. Pen. Paper. A question or two worth sitting with.
“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
— Gandalf the Grey
This is what I call Tea and a Think. It’s the calm before the calendar. The clarity before the chaos.
Why it works:
Reflective writing is shown to improve emotional regulation and decision-making. A Harvard study found that people who reflected for just 15 minutes a day improved their performance by 23% over 10 days (Di Stefano et al., 2014). And neurologically, journaling activates the brain’s default mode network — the same system linked to insight, meaning-making, and long-term memory (Uddin et al., 2009).
In short: you’re not just wasting time. You’re choosing how not to waste it.
Try asking:
Where did I feel most alive last week?
What’s pulling at me that I haven’t acknowledged yet?
What can wait — even if it’s screaming at me?
Only after that do you open your calendar. Because once you know what matters, what fits where becomes obvious.
Your time is precious. Your energy is finite. And your planner doesn’t need to be a battlefield.
So this week, skip the rush.
Put the kettle on.
And have a think.
P.S.
Want to make this a ritual? Keep your notebook by the kettle. Let the boil remind you: your clarity needs time to steep.
Now over to you —
Before you plan your next day, pause.
Brew something warm. Pick up a pen.
And ask yourself: What’s really worth my time?
If this helped you shift how you see planning, I’d love to hear about it — reply, comment, or share it with someone whose week could use a little more think and a little less to-do.
And if you're ready to go deeper —
I help busy professionals create calm, clarity, and priorities that stick.
Book a free intro call and let’s work out what really matters to you:
👉 thecalmcoach.uk