You know how you just get into a rut of behaviour because that’s how “you’ve always done it” and you just don’t think to do it any other way?

For years I’ve been eating porridge for breakfast, but it’s only been in the last few that I’ve ever put anything on it other than cream and sugar – remember that time Loving Earth featured my One Small Change? I put new stuff on my porridge and didn’t die. I even liked it!

Ok when I made the switch I started regularly sprinkling sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, fruit, chopped nuts and a little coconut sugar.

Every day I would get out the jar of sunflower seeds, open it, grab some, sprinkle them, and put the lid back on the jar.

Every day I would also get out the jar of pumpkin seeds, open it, grab some, sprinkle them, and put the lid back on the jar.

Every day I would also get out the jar of walnuts or pecans or whatever nut I was having, open it, grab some, chop them, sprinkle them, put the lid back on the jar…

You can see where this is going, right? It was taking me WAY longer than it had to every morning just to get my breakfast on the table. Time I could be doing other important things like finding a matching sock, or sleeping for five more minutes, or I don’t know… staring out the window for a bit. Anything other than this highly inefficient breakfast process that I’d given no more thought to since I started.
I’m not super bright when it comes to that kind of thing (which is obvious, now!), I tend to have great ideas about other things, or know which Backstreet Boy’s favourite food is Pizza, and when Ice Ice Baby was released, and what silverchair were called before they were known as silverchair, and anything that helps me be the undisputed family champion of Trivial Pursuit, but I CANNOT ever think outside the box when it comes to daily tasks. Be more efficient? Not me! That requires creativity and probably a brain that’s not thinking of sleep all the time.

So I don’t know how I came across the idea to pre-prepare my porridge toppings and keep them in a jar, but I’m so glad I did. I mean really, what a simple thing! That I didn’t think of for years! How I’ve gotten this far in life is a miracle.

Healthy Fruit and Nut Porridge Topping

Ok so this is what I put in mine, and keep in a jar in the pantry:

• sunflower seeds
• pepitas
• chopped figs
• chopped dates
• chopped walnuts
• chopped almonds
• chopped brazil nuts

and I make a new one every couple of weeks. Sometimes I change it up a bit, add some coconut or something, and sometimes I add fresh or frozen fruit to the bowl every morning. But it’s significantly cut down the time I was faffing about in the kitchen and I am all thumbs up about that!

What thing do you do every day that could do with a shake up? Have you thought lately about your task efficiency level? Can you cut a corner somewhere? Doooo ittttt! Then you too can stare out the window an extra five minutes a day and wonder if you’ll ever sleep again. Yay!