My Morning Routine

Photo: Sun Rise over Sydney by glennharper

I'm a morning person. Always have been.
I love to get up early, have the first of my many cups of green tea for the day, and watch the sun come up.

As long as I have a good 6-8 hours of sleep the night before, I can even wake up happily to an alarm clock.

Mornings are a special time for me. The first couple of hours really dictates how my day goes, so I have to be very careful with how I spend that time.

If you've been with me since early on, you'll know that I've had some issues with productivity and time management. So, I've made it a point to observe how my day progresses with each change in my morning routine.

One thing that stands out to me is, if I wake up and just plant myself in front of the computer, I'll be there all day, surfing in seclusion (Damn you, StumbleUpon!), jealously guarding my territory, glaring at anyone who dares suggest I let them read their email. No work gets done, and I'm a grumpy mess all day.

So, based on that and many other observations, I've come up with a routine I've been using since the dreaded Big Binge. I've come to really enjoy starting the day this way. Check it out...

- Wake up, and try to sneak downstairs without waking the kids. (If they do wake up, they can have breakfast, watch tv in another room, or play on their computer.)
- Head to the bathroom and put on contact lenses.
- Make a cup of green tea and a light fruit breakfast.
- Eat while reading blog stats. (I don't even look at email at this time, or I'll be tempted to start replying and get sucked into the vortex.)
- Exercise: I stretch first, making sure I do hasta padangusthasana (with a strap right now) because I have tight hamstrings. Then I do 5 Surya Namaskar, or Sun Salutations... more if I'm feeling really happy about it. This is key! I never feel sluggish thanks to this.
- Then I read email, feed the kids (if they happen to be awake at the time), or do anything else that needs to be done.

As for writing, I don't write in front of the computer as often anymore. I do it the old fashioned way... pen and paper. It's fun, portable, less noisy, compact, and fast -- my handwriting's even gotten faster!
I can do it anytime, anywhere, even when I can't get my hands on a keyboard. It's great, and I get more done! Productivity rising...

So, how about you? What's your morning routine? Share with us in the comments...

2 comments:

  1. Beautiful photo! I'm not much of a morning person, so my routine is usually rushing out the door. I'd love to work exercise into my morning, but first I need to lessen my dependence on sleep!

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  2. I agree with you, Kelly. I need my sleep too, or else I'm as useless as an old sock! I tend to want to crash much earlier than my nightowl roomie. At about 5pm, I start getting cranky and tired. LOL

    And I have to admit that, even though I get up early, I still end up rushing when I have to leave the house to go somewhere! :)

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