Fill First

If you’re someone who lives by the work before play model, I invite you to fill first instead.

That means you do something pleasant for yourself before you do the things that must get done. These are simple practices to slip in all throughout your day. Filling first is especially helpful for getting your energy up to do the things that you really don’t want to do. 

For decades, I followed the work before play model, which often led to a feeling that my life was one long to-do list. This approach no longer works for me. Now when I finish a task or two, I intentionally make time for pleasure before jumping to the next item on my list. By switching the order, a bit of play then work, I have more vitality.

A couple of practices that help me fill up emotionally and physically:

Before I get out of bed, I touch my face.

I start with pinching the tissue along the arc of my eyebrow, gently squeezing and releasing.

Next, I move down to the bottom of my eye socket where I make a few friendly pressure dots, from the inside to the outside edge.

Then, I line my index fingers up along either side of my nose and sweep out to the edges of my cheeks.

That’s it. Just 1-5 minutes then I get up and get going with my day. 

Or I’ll spend a few minutes looking at art books before I open my computer. This has been the most powerful and pleasurable practice of all. I’m especially enjoying illuminated manuscripts at the moment, which are impressively rich in color and detail. Taking in things that have been made slowly and with care, like the S in the image above, provides a helpful counterweight to the destruction happening in the world. 

I also fill first before I write an email. I’ll watch shadows shift, stare at a plant, or close my eyes and listen to the birds for a minute. 

These are small, short practices. They’re not meant to be burdensome or to bring about sweeping changes. But they do accumulate. And hopefully they’ll help you, as they have helped me, to experience more enjoyment, beauty, and pleasure throughout your day. 

What are the things that fill you up? Where can you slip in a few fill first practices into your day? Try it for one day, and then maybe a week. I’d be happy to hear how it goes!