Hitting the snooze button: a creative morning practice

My take on the snooze button debate:

To snooze or not to snooze?

Maybe there’s a healthy, happy and productive middle ground…

 • • • 

Are you a snoozer?

If you are, here’s an idea that might not only soothe your snooze-loving soul but could also help you be more creative, productive and proactive – from the comfort of your warm and cosy bed…

There’s a lot of advice about How To Be The Person Who Leaps Out Of Bed When The Alarm Goes Off, and there have recently been suggestions that hitting the snooze button can mess with your REM sleep cycle.

While I’m a HUGE advocate of prioritising quality sleep and cultivating healthy sleep habits, I’m also a fan of the snooze button.

I believe there is a way to use the snooze button in a conscious way – as a creative ally, a rare and powerful spiritual opportunity, and a tool for intentional living.

With conscious snoozing, you get to enjoy those extra few minutes in bed – guilt-free – and rise to greet your day feeling calm, connected, inspired and happy.

Because those first blurry moments of waking are a magical time – a rare moment of connection between consciousness and the inner states of mind – and harnessing this woozy drowsing state for an intentional morning practice can enhance your day, and your life, in a number of ways.

Allow me to share with you…

4 ways hitting the snooze button
can enhance your day (and your life)

1. Accessing your creative mind

Snoozing can be potent muse territory!

This sleepy-headed snooze-time is when your genius mind leaves subtle clues for inspired actions to take during the day ahead.

{Ever wake up singing a particular song – pay attention to those lyrics!}

The hypnopompic (waking) state is renowned for accessing creative ideas and inspiration.

It’s also a chance to recall any lingering dreams, a practice that can lead to powerful insights from the subconscious realm.

(I’m currently exploring the creative benefits of Lucid Dreaming and the nine lovely snooze minutes are a perfect time to strengthen the connection to my dreaming mind.)

 • • • 

2. Spiritual connection

This time of being quiet and physically relaxed is also a perfect opportunity for a spiritual practice of meditation or prayer.

It’s a chance to spend a few undisturbed minutes tuning into your inner world and your spiritual nature before the noise of the day and the outer world takes hold.

Building a daily spiritual practice into your routine, courtesy of the snooze button, can help you to enjoy a more aligned, supported, guided and connected on a day-to-day basis.

And these single days are the units of your whole life.

 • • • 

3. Intention-setting

Beyond tapping into the inner magic, hitting the snooze button gives you time to adjust to the idea of getting up!

It’s an opportunity to recalibrate from sleeping to waking, a chance to just be for a few minutes, before rushing headlong into the whirlwind of your day.

This mindful breathing space between activities is recognised by high-performance experts as a tool for productivity and wellbeing.

It’s also a great opportunity to pause and set your intentions for the day before the day’s challenges have a chance to steer you away from what really matters.

These quiet, snoozing moments, when you’re still emerging from your sleeping mind (the realm of the subconscious and superconscious), are also a potent time to focus on your favourite mantras or any affirmations you’d like to integrate.

 • • • 

4. Appreciation & gratitude

A short snooze period allows you to relish the simple pleasure of spending a few waking moments in cosiness and warmth, to take a moment to feel gratitude for your bed, a good night’s sleep and the gift of a brand new day.

These positive feelings make for a great start to your morning and can even influence the trajectory of your day.

 • • • 

All of these are powerful ways to begin your morning!

And I’m not alone in this theory – when I shared this idea on social media, one of my favourite fellow creativity coaches Marc Zegans had this to say;

“You’re absolutely right, the sleep-wake confusion of a good snooze is one of the most creative and delightful times of day.

It’s so important to fueling our creativity and moving past assumed limitations.

I’m so glad that you’ve turned the snooze button into an ally!

I’ve always felt it to be a brilliant tool.”

So if you are battling your snooze-habit, maybe harness its magic instead?

Of course, you’ll need to judge for yourself if these ideas could work for you, especially if you have particular sleep issues, morning commitments or small children, but I hope these musings will encourage you to experiment with the practice that supports your rhythms and nature, as well as your goals and commitments.

Giving some consideration to a waking regime that works for you can reap dividends for the quality of your days, aka your life.

Leaping out of bed to an alarm may be the norm, but that doesn’t mean it’s the best way for everyone.

Conscious snoozing can be a gentler way to begin your day AND become much more tuned into your powerful inner world.

Plus it makes getting out of bed less of a rude awakening – and that’s got to lead to happier mornings.

So you may find the benefits are worth setting that alarm an extra nine minutes early. 🙂

NOTE: If you currently struggle with mornings and/or you’d like some tips and tricks for harnessing The Power & Magic of Conscious Snoozing, I’m currently putting a little freebie together – let me know if you’d like a copy.

And if you’re a fellow snoozer – I’d love to hear how it works for you.

PS  If you like this post, I think you’ll love what I’ve got to share about The Creative Power of Naps… 

PINNABLES…