5:00 AM Saturday wakeup means shower/shave happen after coffee/blog/headlines ending still by 5:20 AM. Matins/Lauds starts at 5:50 AM.
I have noticed a lack of punctuality or a tendency to drag at the 5:20 AM spot as well as at the start of the Half-hour of Mental prayer. If the Half-hour of mental prayer is late to start on School Days, then Prime is rushed. 6:45 AM is too late to start the mental prayer. I think 6:40 AM is the latest and 6:35 AM is better. The same is true for ending coffee/blog/headlines and getting over to start Matins/Lauds. I think unlocking the church at 5:20 AM is the new goal.
I haven't done much to set up for the 8:00 AM Mass. That can lead to last minute stress. To reduce this stress, I should add Mass setup to the pre-Compline routine. This means 8:05 PM Mass Setup.
Texting my brother at the bedtime hour and at 4:30 AM helps keep both.
The repetition of the 4:30 AM—5:20 AM sequence has abbreviated the shower/shave part and given a bit more time for the coffee/blog/headlines part. That's 50 Minutes. I'd like to maximize the coffee/blog/headlines portion of that. Right now it's 30 minutes to 15 minutes. That's a 15 minute gap. I'll refer to reducing this differential as closing the gap. I'd like to close that gap. That'll be up on the next progress report.
I've found that Matins/Lauds does not typically take longer than 60-75 minutes, especially as I've gained more practice. It's probably more like 55-65 minutes.
An important realization I had this morning that I need to emphasize is that I'm not at all trying to "get done" the office in as short a time as is practical. That is not my goal. That would give priority to a spirit of haste which I should regard with great mistrust.
(Advance especially to 3:00-3:15)
Naming an intention for any given morning, is important too. I haven't done that.
Areas of concern, to sum: 1) text bro; 2) close the shower-coffee gap; 3) open at 5:20 AM; 4) Mass setup at 8:05 PM; 5) Start AM Mental Prayer at 6:40 AM; 6) don't rush.
So updated schedule looks like this:
4:30 AM: Rise; Morning Offering
4:55 AM: Coffee/Blog/Headlines
5:20 AM: Open Church; Matins/Lauds
5:20 AM: Open Church; Matins/Lauds
6:40 AM: Half-Hour Meditation
7:10 AM: Prime
7:25 AM: Go to School
7:45 AM: Prep for Mass
8:00 AM: Mass
8:40 AM: Thanksgiving
8:45 AM: Terce
12:00 PM: Angelus
12:05 PM: Sixth
2:30 PM: None
2:50 PM: Go to school
4:00 PM: Half-Hour Meditation
4:30 PM: Vespers
8:05 PM: Setup for Morning Mass
8:05 PM: Setup for Morning Mass
8:15 PM: Compline
8:45 PM: Three Hail-Mary's
Next report in a week.
