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What's your morning routine?

Helena

Veteran

Good morning all and happy Monday! I'd love to hear about everyone's morning routines - especially but not only from those who WFH?

The back story: as my two kids are now in full-on teen mode, I'm building new routines where previously they were very much driven by the needs of my kids. The one bit I'm struggling with in mornings - I still tend to work around everyone who needs to get out of the house (since I WFH) so my shower etc. is never at the same time every morning, and also - I'm not a morning person! I generally slump to the kitchen table with my tea and then get sucked into my phone for way too long before then rushing around to get ready by a reasonable time. I don't need to be Snow White singing to birds, but I think I can do better than this

Anyways, just looking for some inspo about better ways to start my day! Love to hear what works for you!

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30 replies

Latest reply was from judy

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

I recently started getting up an hour earlier so that I could get my yoga in and sit savoring my not coffee (mushroom tea). Then I feed the cats, blend up a green smoothie for our breakfast and head for the shower. Having two bathrooms is nice because when needed, P and I can both be getting ready at the same time. I’m not working around kids schedules, but I am in the office full time so I have to leave at a certain time.

Sisi

Veteran

If you are not a morning person, I'm afraid there is little you can do. I know because for all my life I struggled terribly to get out of the bed in the morning and for an hour or so my brain was in the fog.
You could get your husband bring you a cup of coffee or tea when you are still in bed. With a couple cookies. This helps.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Morning phone usage has become a major time suck for me as well! It’s a real problem, because that very first part of the day, before my eyes are all the way open, is usually my most productive. If you do want to wake all the way up fast, this podcast might have some useful suggestions. The episode title is about sleep, but much of the content is about morning routine.
https://hubermanlab.com/sleep-.....ke-timing/

Helena

Veteran

Thanks you guys!

Sisi I am laughing at your comment hahaha ... it did occur to me that this might be one of those 'roll with it' things ... do the bare minimum in the a.m. to get the day started and save my ambitions of meditation and journalling for lunch break x Must work on DH with the tea in bed!!

slim cat

Veteran

Similar - morning kitty mewing/ the noise outside ( garbage getting out
;-/ ), feed kitty, read news and then rush to do coffee/breakfast/shower.
Nice picture !

Ginger

Veteran

I'm pretty structured because I want to get the work day started and then done with. My routine is pretty fast. I use a light-up alarm which seems to help with actually waking in less of a fog. I read a little on the phone before I get up but not too long. Then wash my face, moisturize, make the bed, get dressed (outfit planned the night before), makeup and hair. Open the blinds in the house, check the weather. Then log on for work and eat breakfast at my desk. I am a bedtime showerer.

Style Fan

Veteran

I am retired, but I do some work from home. No one sees me. Thankfully.
The first thing I do is drink my coffee in bed. I get it myself. DH is still asleep. Then I throw some clothes on and take Garth for a walk. I might brush my hair. Anyone who has a dog will know that there are dog walkers who wear their PJs for morning walks. I only do that in the winter when my parka covers them. But I don't think anyone cares. Dog people understand these things.
When I come home, I have a small breakfast. Then I have a shower and get appropriately dressed. I might do a yoga class at this point. I like doing a yoga class with DH, but it doesn't always work out that way.
Then I make notes about things I want to work on or accomplish for the day. It could be grocery shopping, training with Garth, drawing lessons, writing emails to friends, getting a manicure, etc.

I am a morning person. When I was working, I got up very early and walked my dogs (2) for at least an hour before I left for work. It was the best time of my day.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Morning. Routine? Hahahaha.

No, in all seriousness...maybe there is a pattern, of sorts....

I try to avoid the phone entirely but fail every day.
Feed the cat.
Drink coffee, eat breakfast while checking YLF and messages.
Deal with whatever needs instant attention. That takes varying amounts of time.
Shut it all down and get to work.
I have an exercise class at 10 a couple of days a week which sort of breaks up my morning, but I like the class so I'm sticking with it for now.
Try to avoid reading the news. Fail.

By then it is lunchtime.

Mr. Suz is a true morning person. He is always up way before me. So he makes my coffee. I'm an "intermediate" kind of person -- not true morning but not a night owl either. My most productive, alert hours are later morning -- 9 to 12 or so.

Anonymous

I’m retired now, but had to be an early riser during my working life. I always got up an hour earlier than I needed to so I could read and have coffee and wake up a little. It shocked my system too much to just leap out of bed and start doing stuff. Even so, I was still pretty much in a fog until noon, when my biomechanisms seemed to kick into gear and things started getting done.

Now, I just get up whenever I feel like it, but I still start the day very slowly. I guess I’m a tortoise rather than a hare!

Cardiff girl

Veteran

Morning routine now daughter is grown,get up at 7 (very reluctantly ,)go for an outdoor swim,feel loads better so glad that l got up,shower,music practice,breakfast then l begin my day.l don’t do this at the weekend where l get up at 9 and do some yoga/Pilates instead.l realise that this makes me sound like a paragon of healthy living but l really am not .l have just learnt that the best way for me to be productive in the day is to exercise first thing.It’s the only thing that really wakes me up otherwise l am in a fug until about11.l hate getting up but am always glad l did.It’s much much easier to do this once you don’t have to be responsible for everyone else getting out of the door.Thatday will come!

LJP

Veteran

Another immediate person here . 6 am shake cats’ food dishes to prove to them they aren’t starving to death . Back to bed til 8:00 . Make coffee , eat breakfast on non-fasting days while reading my email and usual online sites
( incl YLF) . Drink 2 cups of coffee if not headed to work , and continue reading . If headed to work - do hair , makeup , dress , pack a lunch and more coffee then out the door . No meditating , contemplating or general sorting out of feelings going on . I may make a grocery list while at work , then promptly leave it there instead of bringing it with me on the way home …….and then because I haven’t yet sorted out my feelings and am tired and annoyed from work , buy all sorts of terrible things at the grocery store .

Helena

Veteran

Thank you so much everyone; you're such a sensible bunch of women. What I'm hearing overall is (not in so many words haha!) ... calm down, it's normal

I'm going to work on adding my 5 minute journal into my a.m. routine ... maybe fill that in over my tea rather than getting sucked into Twitter and Wordle first thing ... that might be enough of an improvement to start with. I need to get outside in the a.m. too but that might be a bridge too far for just waking up. This is my rough sketch:

7 - 8 tea/breakfast/5 minute journal and my usual morning tidy (dishwasher, beds, bathrooms straightened). Work on doing everything BEFORE I can check my phone?

8 - 8:30 drive the kiddos to school

8:30 - 9 shower and get dressed for the day, get my to do list sorted out

9 - 9:30 walk

and then into the workday we go.

Posting for accountability!

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Helena

Veteran

Lisa we cross-posted ... you make me laugh!!! I can't deal with feelings in the a.m. (despite poor DH insisting on being affectionate when I wake up which, bless him, drives me bonkers lol) but my brain is on full-tilt of thoughts and worries even before I wake up, which is probably why I grab my phone - to shut it up!!

And I ALWAYS leave the bloody grocery list at home *face palm*

And Suz, that's the perfect description - intermediate. I don't want to get up before 7, but I also don't really want to be away much past 10:30

Minaminu

Veteran

I usually wake up at 6ish. During working days, I have the same routine: 10 mins stretch, lemon's water, shower, breakfast and study for an exam I am planning to do soon.

During the weekend, I keep the 10 mins stretch, lemon's water, shower and from 7am onwards I listen to the radio with a cup of green tea and use the next couple of hours to review the week / plan the weekly menu / list out the things to do for the weekend or friends to reach out. It is a great way to feel grounded and also helps me start the new week with a sense of intention.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I'm a morning person, and wake up at 5am-ish, usually. Jo wakes me up. No alarm needed. (I go to bed late too. I don't sleep enough!)

HOT DRINK RIGHT AWAY. And usually two. Feed Sam and Jo. Let them out. Play with Sam and Jo! Sam goes back to bed after a while. Jo stays awake with me.

Catch up on everything that happened during the night. Lots of texts come in from other parts of the word so that's why (from family and dear friends). Catch up on YLF, and the news. Laundry. Yoga practice (not every day). Prep my mind for the day (every day!)

Shower at 7am-ish. Full groom every morning! No exceptions, and have fun with fashion. That is MY TIME and I treasure it! Eat brekkie with hubs Greg. Clean up and organize. Food prep for the day. Sometimes leave at 8.45am to work with a client. If not, begin WFM, errands, phone calls, clients later in the day, walk doggies, appointments........

Why is life so busy????

Helena, good luck finding your new morning routine

rachylou

Veteran

I don’t shower in the morning; I want to go to bed clean after being at the hot and flour-y bakery all day… so that eliminates some time in the morning. I get breakfast going, dress, make lunch pack my workbag, water the yard, then eat. And then I’m off to work 30 min. I can’t dawdle in the morning or I deflate.

The Cat

Veteran

Helena, just one thought re the grocery list: Why don't you make that list on your phone (which I suppose you always bring along)?

As for the morning routine, this is difficult for me, as I am living with and looking after my aging parents. While I am dressing, making breakfast, etc., one or both of them might suddenly need help, so I often get interrupted.

(Don't ask me to get up earlier. You see, my days are very long and busy, and two or three times during the night, I have to get up and lend them a helping hand or solve a problem. So I need all the sleep I can get.--I guess that in some ways my situation is similar to living with babies, only that my "babies" are around 90. )

Irina

Veteran

I’m not a morning person but my days are structured because of work.
Monday and Saturday - get up, brush my teeth, get dress and go for a morning power walk (I still can’t yet run but will eventually). Shower and breakfast to follow, then work on Monday or read on Saturday.
Tuesday and Thursday - get up, brush my teeth, get dressed and go to a swimming pool. Come back, wash my swim gear, shower, breakfast and work.
Wednesday & Friday - brush my teeth, apply skin care and sun screen, breakfast, makeup, clothes, go to the office.
Sunday - slow morning with more elaborate breakfast, swimming pool, too but in mid morning.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

I thought about the phone for grocery lists too. If you keep a running list & jot things down as they come to you (so a phone is less convenient) you can take a pic of the paper list earlier in the day. Tell yourself it’s just for backup.

Helena

Veteran

Point well taken about the grocery list ... My kids think I'm a relic with my written list!! (Don't start me on the paper calendar lol) In fact, doing a bit of digital transfer might be a way to leverage my morning phone trance for good hmmm ...

Angie, I'm exhausted reading your morning! I wouldn't expect less from your energetic self though!

Thanks all for sharing ... You are the group of GFs every woman needs, truly xx

RobinF

Veteran

I don't WFH so have to be out the door by 7:30. I get up at 6 (5:30 on days I work out - I try for 3 a week) and jump in the shower. That is what gets me going. I always lay out my clothes the night before so getting dressed is easy, then I make coffee and get my food packed up for the day (and unload the dishwasher and/or deal with any kitchen mess that happened the previous evening). I need to have some time to relax with my coffee before leaving for work and this usually gives me 45 minutes or so. You would think I'd rather sleep in longer but I need that time to prepare for the day. Weekends I sleep in an hour or so more and spend a lot more time reading or whatever before getting the day going. Love the weekends!

My daughter and her boyfriend are visiting this week so my schedule is a little off, but I try to stick to it as much as possible even with guests. Just get a bit less sleep

Anonymous

I'm just now refiguring it all out- since mom moved and my work schedule changed. 4 days a week working, but odd hours based on whatever events I'm doing. I'm optimistically calling it semi retirement
Work days or non work days start the same. I get up about 5:30, do the animal chores, have my coffee (often on my porch) and read and look over my schedule. Sometimes I'll do Wordle and other NYT games.
On work days I work out with DH (a mix of cardio, weights, yoga) then shower, makeup, hair, dress, breakfast, brush teeth, then head to work.
On days off I paddleboard, swim, or bike for a couple hours. When I swim I like to go to the farm afterwards to pick berries and get fresh produce. Then I'll shower (at pool if there) makeup, hair, and dress properly. Besides that I'll do house and land chores, errands, see my mom/FIL/friends, hike, and do archery.

Yes to grocery list on phone!! I keep other lists on there- like hardware store, weekend reset chores, etc too.

MsMary

Veteran

My husband and I are quite set in our ways and have the same routine pretty much every day M-F:

7:30 Alarm goes off, snooze
7:45 Up and out of bed. He backs my car out of the (long, curvy, narrow) driveway and gets the paper, I make the bed, then put the coffee on and get his cereal and OJ.
7:55 - 8:10 or so: Eat breakfast, read the paper, play Jeopardy! on Alexa.
8:10 - 8:30 or 8:45 at the latest: Computer time.
8:30 - 8:45 He unloads the dishwasher and waters the plants (indoors and out), I go directly to shower and dress.
8:15 - 8:30 I'm out the door. Hubby's start time is less rigid than mine so he's usually a bit behind me but not by much.

LJP

Veteran

Because I’m the one who mentioned paper grocery lists - naturally it’s more efficient to do on the phone . However…..being on one’s phone at work isn’t always an option Paper lists are easier to make look like a super important document . Lol.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I am an early waker, but not an early-out-of-the-house person. My routine is not really totally routine, since I am self-employed and my days vary. I usually wake up sometime between 6 and 7. One of the dogs is uncannily good at knowing when my eyes have opened and sits outside the door making little whining noises until I get up.

I let the dogs out (big fenced yard so no walk necessary), get their food ready, and make a cup of coffee. Enjoy the first cup while I look at social media on my phone, including YLF. Sometimes I carry that into the second cup of coffee, sometimes I pick up whatever book or magazine I'm currently reading, often something art-related to get my brain moving in a more productive direction than social media.

Second cup of coffee usually means it's time to eat breakfast. Something simple and quick. After that, I usually get started on some project either in my office or in the house. However, the weather is starting to cooperate more for morning hikes, so I'm going to get out for that more now. Today I got in four miles of sweaty walking, which I needed because I've been lying low after some oral surgery a few days ago.

It's nice not being accountable to any other humans in the morning. I confess I'm totally spoiled that way. But I spent a lot of years waking up early and commuting six or even seven days a week, with either two jobs or a job plus school, so I don't feel guilty.

I would like to get back into a more regular morning workout routine. I was really good at that when I was running and training for distance events, but not so much anymore.

JAileen

Veteran

First things first: Coffee. Second thing: More coffee. Then everything else.

This sign is in my kitchen. I guess it’s kind of a warning to the unsuspecting. Right now I’m drinking some delicious iced coffee.

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Sal

Veteran

Most days I wake up to my alarm at 5.38.
I either walk or gym or yoga - leaving house at 5.50

Back approximately 7am
Breakfast, shower, and empty dishwasher and hang out laundry.
Leave for work about 8.15-9am

On a Friday I try and go to the supermarket at 7.05am after yoga - doesn't always work but it is a good idea!

I took a couple of months off biking to work due to rain, covid and short days....back to it today so that means leaving at 8am as it takes 45 mins or so to bike in.

I used to do wordle etc in the morning. I took facebook and twitter off my phone so now it's only news, YLF and sometimes instagram (I don't find that addictive).

Bijou

Veteran

It's so fun to read everyone's routines

I'm a night owl and think at 7.20am start is early!

This is my working week routine:
Wake up at 7.20am, pop on dressing gown and have a coffee, eat breakfast and give Margot a cuddle - Margot happily curls up on my lap and tries to ignore DH who is intent on taking her out for a walk
8am - when the boys and Margot are off to school and their walk, I have a shower, dress and get ready for the day
9am start work.

My exercise happens later in the day and karate training is at night - perfect for me!

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Now that my son is going off to college, I’d like to get back to the routine I used to have before he was born & before social media:
Wake up when I do, around 6:30
Straight to computer, first thoughts of the day are on work for the day
After ~15 min, a bathroom break, wash face and brush teeth
around 8 or 8:30 bowl of cereal, put on clothes
Back to computer
10ish coffee, egg, nap
10:45 back to computer.
Work until my brain fried, some days around noon, some days as late as 1:30 or 2
Lunch
Gardening
Exercise
Shower
Nap (20 min)
Supper
Read/edit morning output/set up next day’s work. (Crucial step for the next morning)

There was no social media. I think now I’ll try to limit it to the afternoon. That’s when I socialed, often combined with exercise or supper. Housework and laundry for one are simple, and easily worked in around other stuff—clean kitchen as you go, occasionally mop floor while rice cooks after stir fry veggies are chopped, clean bathroom while I’m in there every few days, etc. Weekends are for bigger projects/outings, markets, and meal prep for the week.

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