My Morning Routine
I was working on an article for Skillcrush the other day and came across a website called My Morning Routine. You guys…I’m kind of obsessed. There are dozens of interviews with all kinds of creative and tech people about what they do in the morning.
A little confession: my morning routine SUCKS. I’m all over the place in the morning. But I’m really trying to change that this year. Partly because of my new house, and the fact that I would love to get up early enough in the morning once the weather improves to take a nice long walk and/or do some stuff outside every day before I start work. Which means I need to start getting up earlier now, so I’m in the habit once April or May hits.
So in an effort to make that habit more permanent, I’m going to answer the questions My Morning Routine asks, with both what my current habits are, as well as what I want my habits to be. Here goes!
What is your morning routine?
I’ve started (this week…) waking up at 7:30 every morning. If it’s a Tuesday or a Thursday, I hit snooze once and then get up, because those are my yoga mornings. On yoga mornings I get dressed (I set my yoga clothes out the night before so I don’t waste time searching for them).
I let my dog out and fill her water bowl at least twice. I check that my rabbit has some hay and water left in her cage, and fill either if necessary. Around 8:15-8:20 I head out to get to my 8:30-9:30 yoga class. I used to go to the 10-11:30 yoga class, but have found it just doesn’t consistently fit into my schedule. So I’ve switched.
When class gets out at 9:30, I go to the coffee shop on my way out and get a dirty chai with two espresso shots, and then head straight home for my 10am daily stand-up meeting.
If it’s not a yoga morning, then I tend to linger in bed till 8am (sometimes later, but I’m trying to stop that). Sometimes I grab my iPad and write or read, and other times I just check Facebook or whatever on my phone. I’m trying to break this habit, and either do something productive from bed (like reading or writing), or just get up.
I make coffee (French press) or tea, and do the same routine with the dog and bunny. Then I head to my desk and do a little planning for the day before my 10am meeting. Occasionally I have meetings before 10, but it’s rare. Different time zones mean we generally don’t get too early of a start. If I somehow manage to get back to my desk significantly before 10am, I’ll try to knock out at least one task before 10.
After my daily stand-up, I either have meetings or start tackling my to-do list for the day. I use a paper to-do list, in a planner I custom-made to fit my needs. Sometime between 11 and 12 I usually grab something to eat.
You might notice that breakfast is generally absent from my mornings. I rarely eat breakfast unless I’m going to be out for the day. I prefer to skip straight to lunch, although I generally have dinner early and then a heavy snack later, so I guess I just push “breakfast” back till noon.
As far as what my ideal morning would look like: I’d love to get up by 7am and actually get out of bed right away. I’d also like to start adding a walk to mornings when I don’t go to yoga, but since it’s winter right now I haven’t. That’s a springtime goal. Although I’ve been trying to get up and dance around for a bit when I wake up, to get the blood pumping and really wake myself up.
I’d also like to set aside more time to do personal work in the mornings, like blogging or working on screenplays.
How long have you stuck with your morning routine?
Four days.
How has your morning routine changed over recent years?
I used to get up super late. It wasn’t uncommon for me to crawl out of bed fifteen minutes before my 10am meeting. Then I was groggy and had a hard time really starting my work day at a reasonable hour. Getting up earlier gives me time to be fully awake before I really start working.
What time do you go to sleep?
I have a bad habit of staying up until 3am working. I’ve been making an effort to go to bed by 1 lately. I’m set if I get 6 hours of sleep.
Do you do anything before going to bed to make your morning easier?
If I have yoga in the morning, I set my clothes out the night before. Other than that, I don’t do a whole lot at night, preferring to use whatever time I can eke out between finishing work and going to bed to relax.
Do you use an alarm to wake you up in the morning, and if so do you ever hit the snooze button?
I always use an alarm (even on weekends) and I always hit snooze. I will sometimes set my alarm 9 minutes earlier than necessary just so I can hit snooze.
I view it as a luxury. I have a really comfortable bed. Once I’m out of bed, I’m on the go pretty much non-stop until I crawl back into bed at night. So taking a few minutes in the morning to just relax and be cozy is important to me. The habit I’m trying to break is hitting snooze more than once or twice. Because sometimes I’ll hit snooze for over an hour…
How soon after waking up do you have breakfast, and what do you typically have?
I don’t do breakfast in general. I don’t like to eat until I’m actually hungry, and I’m rarely hungry when I wake up. I have coffee, and sometimes I’ll drink part of a protein shake, but other than that, I usually wait till lunchtime.
If I do decide to have breakfast, I generally go with either eggs or a smoothie.
Do you have a morning workout routine?
On Tuesdays and Thursdays I do yoga for an hour. I want to incorporate more yoga into my routine at home, but haven’t been very successful yet. On days I don’t do yoga, I’m trying to remember to dance around in the mornings when I get up to get my blood flowing and start my day off awake.
Do you have a morning meditation routine?
I don’t. I prefer to meditate constantly throughout the day. I copyedited a book a few years ago called The Flatbed Sutra of Louie Wing and it completely changed my outlook on and approach to meditation. I highly recommend it.
Do you answer email first thing in the morning, or leave it until later in the day?
I generally check my work email right before my first meeting of the day. My personal email only gets checked if I have an important-looking notification on my phone.
Do you use any apps or products to enhance your sleep or morning routine?
I don’t have any apps for sleeping at night, but I do use Pzizz for taking power naps in the afternoon. The only app I use in the morning is Songza, which is about to be taken over by Google Play. I’m still pissed about that.
How soon do you check your phone in the morning?
As soon as I wake up. I use it as my alarm clock, so I inevitably see notifications when I hit snooze.
What are your most important tasks in the morning?
It varies from day to day. I almost always have some writing to get done. I consider yoga to be a top priority. I’m going to make taking a walk a top priority once the weather improves.
What and when is your first drink in the morning?
It’s generally coffee, unless it’s a yoga day, and then it’s water.
Do you also follow your morning routine on weekends, or do you change some steps?
I tend to sleep a little later (mostly because I stay up later). But otherwise I do the same things, just trading the meetings and day job work for personal projects. It’s rare that I go out and do things until afternoon on the weekends.
On days you’re not settled in your home, are you able to adapt your morning routine to fit in with a different environment?
I’m pretty much never not home in the mornings. If I’m in a different environment, I like to adapt my morning routine to fit whatever I want to do on a given day.
What do you do if you fail to follow your morning routine, and how does this influence the rest of your day?
It can put me in a funk. Especially if I skip coffee. Then I end up with a massive headache by mid-afternoon. But otherwise I’m not terribly tied to it yet. Hopefully that will change with time!
So there are my answers to My Morning Routine‘s typical interview questions. I would highly encourage everyone to go check out their site!
