The need for French pressed coffee…
I have been in love with a good cup of coffee for several years now. I have also purchased and thrown away about a dozen different coffee makers. From the mister coffee standard drip to the keurig coffee pods, I have tried it all. Each has its own sets of pro’s and con’s but all of them have one thing in common. All are based on convenience and speed, make the best cup of coffee as fast as possible. Which in theory sounds great, but none of these really matched what I was looking for. My mornings have nothing to do with speed.
I am extremely interested in patterns and processes. I function really well when I can have several of them in place each day, the most important one for me is the morning process, it sets the tone. I like to be awake far earlier then I need to be so there is quiet time for me to read, journal, write and prepare. So going through and changing my coffee makers was fun but eventually became more of a headache, I wasn’t able to establish a useful or meaningful morning routine. I wanted something that I could utilize each morning and create a process with.
While doing some online shopping for another new coffee maker I came across a french press. I had seen these before but they looked at useful as using a typewriter for knocking out a novel. I wasn’t in the market to retry any of the previous coffee makers and the only ones I hadn’t tried yet were upwards of three hundred dollars, which wasn’t going to happen, so I go a small french press for $20. I researched the best way to use this contraption and what types of coffee are best. I watched a few youtube videos on time frames for letting it sit and so on and landed on this method. -Heat up the water on the stove (or electric water kettle)- Three scoops of grounds in the french press- Pour boiling water over the grounds- Stir and let sit for 4-8 minutes- Press the plunger down slowly and boom, you have, in my opinion, the smoothest cup of coffee ever.
Now, what the hell am I writing about french presses for? The magic of Intentional Processes.
We live in a world of convenience and speed. There is always someone offering a quicker easier way to knock out the daily tasks we have to get done. A speedier way to “save time”. The real question is what the heck are we saving this time for? From what I can see there really is no saved time, I just procrastinate longer knowing my coffee only takes 2 minutes instead of 5. So saving time can sometimes help me waste it.
It turns out that I get more done each morning when I had to wake up earlier to go through the process with my french press. In order to make the coffee the correct way I have to wake up with intention, and start a process with intention. This focuses my mind on intentional action and creates a rhythm of focus for my whole day. We all have habits, they are what got you to where you are now.
Take some time and write down the morning process you go through. If you don’t have one create one, a best case scenario version. Go over it a few times, ask yourself, does this save me time just for the sake of saving me time? Does this process create peace and structure for my morning or is it just squeezed in? If you need to start small go for it. Maybe it’s just a cup of microwaved instant coffee and a quick 20 min read. That’s great! We are looking for sustainable morning routines to get your mind focused and ready for the day. Your set the tone for your day, you are the master and commander of this ship. Starting your day with intention even on something as small as a cup of coffee allows your mind stay focused. You are allowing your body time to wake up, get running and look forward to a planned day. The way you start your day dictates the processes and patterns your mind and body will lean on the rest of that day. If you wake up rushed and bothered because you are late it’s easy to see how you can and will probably feel rushed and late the rest of the day. I am not saying we all need french presses, however I am saying that taking the time to slow down, focus on one task in the morning like coffee making, reading, writing or so on will allow us to stay more focused and cognitively available the rest of the day.
Intentional processes rule the day.
