My Morning Routine

Julien Smith’s Morning Routine

Wed, 08 Feb 2023 15:05:00 +0100

Julien Smith is the co-founder and CEO of Practice, a business management platform for coaches, the author of The Flinch and Trust Agents, and a long-time blogger. He currently lives in Montréal, Canada.

What is your morning routine?

These days my routine starts at 8:00am. I begin almost every day with some basic data checking about my business and 1000 words of freehand writing, which I have been doing as long as I can possibly remember. I got it from Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way, and have been sticking with it since my early 20s.

Depending on whether I’m deliberately dieting or not, I’m likely more often than not to be fasting until noon or longer. During this time I drink 3 cups of black coffee which I make with a Chemex from 8:00am til noon. It keeps me focused on work things for the most part, and the calm routine of making coffee by hand is something that follows me wherever I happen to be.

How long have you stuck with this routine so far?

My routine has been consistent, especially the first part, for an incredibly long time. I feel like it’s a part of my personality. It gets me into a certain zone which allows me to feel calm and focused about what matters during the day—I miss it when I stop. It’s an excellent way to get your day started.

How has your morning routine changed over recent years?

While running a business, one of the biggest things I noted is that I would completely let my phone take over wherever I was, either for work related things or just zoning out through social media. So I made a deliberate effort to keep it at my desk overnight, which skews the shut eye time earlier and earlier, and also gets me reading more, which is easy to stop when you are busy.

What time do you go to sleep?

I naturally go to bed at around 10:00pm. If I’m in bed without a phone, I go to sleep very easily while reading. I may wake up in the middle of the night, at which point I’m reading on Kindle again to keep my mind away from work stresses until I naturally fall asleep again.

Do you do anything before going to bed to make your morning easier?

No phone is the most effective sleep mechanism I could ever come up with.

Do you use an alarm to wake you up in the morning, and if so do you ever hit the snooze button?

I do not ever use an alarm on most days except when on the West Coast. It shifts all my regular Zoom meetings 3h earlier, which forces me to wake up with an alarm. But I way prefer not doing it, and allowing my body to naturally choose the amount of sleep I need.

How soon after waking up do you have breakfast, and what do you typically have?

Extremely strict routine on most days as it gets my day started well: no food until noon or later, three pour overs from wakeup time until the first meal, at which point I’m eating two eggs with egg whites and Greek yogurt, which is about 50g protein in the first meal.

Do you have a morning workout routine?

I’m injured right now, but I like to set my workout for around 2:00pm, where there is a lull in my energy.

Do you have a morning meditation routine?

I used to for a long time, and have a big history with meditation—having started when I was 17 until recently. I discovered it was not doing what I wanted it to do for me, at which point I spoke to a Zen priest who was my kind of mentor for these things (I’ve had the good fortune to have a few of these over the years). He told me it was okay for me not to do it, which made me feel like it was okay to stop. I haven’t meditated since.

Do you answer email first thing in the morning or leave it until later in the day?

I do not focus on email in the morning—I don’t feel it leads to productive behaviour. It’s rare that something highly valuable is going to be in your inbox.

Do you use any apps or products to enhance your sleep or morning routine?

No. I am focused on the ritual feeling natural and calming, and I don’t need apps to do this.

How soon do you check your phone in the morning?

This morning, I checked it around 9:00am. I would say that’s about average. My problem behaviours around my phone happen in the evening, not morning, where my natural interest is in writing and checking business stats.

What are your most important tasks in the morning?

As a startup CEO, I know that the business I run should be able to run without me, but that I should be able to increase its leverage with the work that I do. Some days I do this with a very short list, always titled: “How to have a good day,” in which I write a most of 5 items. On days when this happens, I find I am more focused and have better results.

What and when is your first drink in the morning?

Black coffee, almost religiously, for over a decade. I spent a fair amount of money on coffee beans.

How does your partner fit into your morning routine?

My partner has their own need for their own successful routine, so we have a tendency to overlap only slightly in the morning. That said, they have done morning pages recently and found it has worked for them as well (though they prefer long hand, and I prefer doing it on a screen).

Do you also follow this routine on weekends, or do you change some steps?

I do not sleep in the weekends or really ever (because I never use an alarm regardless of the day), unless I had a night where I was up unusually late or stressed. So my ritual is almost identical on all days.

On days you’re not settled in your home, are you able to adapt your routine to fit in with a different environment?

I will say it is difficult, but I’ve found that I can do almost the same thing in hotels as I can do here at home. Often I’ll bring an Aeropress with me to make the coffee with their hot water (I carry beans with me), and I sit in their restaurant with a decent view if I can find it. That said, it obviously breaks up some of the routine to be somewhere else.

What do you do if you fail to follow your morning routine, and how does this influence the rest of your day?

I find that this almost never happens, practically speaking. That said, a screwup in morning routine has a particular effect on my state of mind for a big portion of the day, skewing it towards more stressed if I begin my day in a stressful fashion—it’s hard for me to shake it off.

Julien updated his morning routine with us on Feb 8, 2023. View what has changed since Aug 22, 2018.

Our recommended book this week is Daily Rituals by Mason Currey. We only recommend three things a week that we believe will be of interest to our readers. Please take a moment to check it out.

Goodbye from My Morning Routine

Wed, 24 Jul 2019 15:05:00 +0200

All good things must come to an end.

After six and a half years, 343 routines, and a total of 2,214,300 emails sent to our newsletter subscribers, we have come to the realization that our project is complete.

When you combine our book, which was released last year, and our online archive of 343 morning routine interviews, it became clear to us that you, our loyal readers, already have all the tools you need to create a morning routine that works for you over the long term.

What does this mean for you?

While this will be our last scheduled email to you, our website is going to stay up indefinitely, with our entire archive of routines (which runs over 400 when you include those published in our book) available for you to read, enjoy, and gain inspiration from.

We have added some of our most popular morning routines to our homepage so you can get to them easily, and find any that you missed when they were first published, as well as a brand new “random routine” function.

We’ll continue to maintain our library of books, products, and more that can help you get the most out of your mornings.

If you’ve enjoyed what we’ve created over the last six and a half years, you can support us by buying or gifting our book to a friend or family member (over half of the routines in the book are exclusive to it, and do not appear online). If you would like to continue supporting us in our work going forward, Michael is currently available for a full-time role, and Benjamin has a blog and email newsletter that he’d be honored for you to consider joining. For occasional updates and morning inspiration you can follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Finally, we would like to say a huge thank you to all of you. Whether you only started following along last week, or you have been with us since the very beginning, it means the world to us that you have come along for the ride.

As we say in the introduction to our book, our hope is that you see our work both as a handbook on how to create (and stick to) a positive, focused, and calm morning routine, and as a flip-book of inspiring stories. Reading our interviews affords keyholes into the most beautiful, private moments of our day. They form a patchwork study of who we are and how we live.

Goodbye for now,

Benjamin and Michael

Our recommended self-care product this week is the Five Minute Journal. We only recommend three things a week that we believe will be of interest to our readers. Please take a moment to check it out.

John Zeratsky’s Morning Routine

Wed, 17 Jul 2019 15:05:00 +0200

John Zeratsky is a writer and designer on a mission to help people make time for what matters. He is the author of Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Every Day. He currently lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

What is your morning routine?

Most mornings, I wake up around 6:30am—a little earlier in the summer, a little later in the winter (I live in Wisconsin, where the sun rises at 5:00am in June and at 7:00am in December).

I sit up in bed and grab my glasses and watch from the nightstand. I have a sip of water, say good morning to my wife, Michelle, and then walk into the kitchen. I start coffee and feed the cats. One cat eats faster than the other, so I have to monitor them during breakfast. By the time they are done, the coffee is ready, so I pour myself a cup and go look out the window for a minute.

So far, about twenty minutes into my day, I haven’t looked at a phone, computer, or other screen. We charge our devices inside a cabinet in the dining room, so they are out of sight and mostly out of mind. The physical barrier forces a deliberate decision about when to take that first look, and I’ve configured my devices to make them as distraction-free as possible. Normally I’ll check my phone first, turning on the screen without unlocking it to see if I missed an important text or call overnight. Then I’ll grab my computer and sit down at the dining room table with my coffee.

I like to start my day with a meaningful chunk of work. It might be writing an article or working on a presentation. It could be some design work or web development for Make Time or one of my other projects. Occasionally, it’s not on the computer but maybe a project around the apartment or even some reading. This is my daily “Highlight” that I describe in Make Time.

I view the first few hours of the day as “free,” unclaimed time. If I don’t use it deliberately, I’ll squander it on email or Twitter or the news or some other mindless timesuck that doesn’t make me feel good. Plus, I’ve learned that my focus is better in the morning than it is later in the day; I want to make good use of that time.

After an hour or two, I eat breakfast, drink a second cup of coffee, jump in the shower, and get dressed—not always in that order. By 10:00am I’m ready to head to the office, continue working at home, or have a meeting—although I normally save meetings for the afternoon.

How long have you stuck with this routine so far?

Since 2012. I’m a natural night owl, and I was inspired to change my morning routine because my schedule was out of sync with my wife’s. By the time I woke up, she’d be off to work, and at night I’d often stay up late alone while she slept.

How has your morning routine changed over recent years?

Until 2017, I was working in a full-time office job at Google Ventures. I would wake up about an hour earlier so I could have my full morning routine and still get to the office at a normal time. This worked well, but now I’m self-employed and set my own hours. Waking up later gives me better energy throughout the day and more flexibility when it comes to evening plans.

There are two changes I’m experimenting with right now:

Waiting longer in the morning to look at my phone or laptop. This is a tough one for me. I like maintaining control over my attention in the first few hours of the day, but I also like to use that time for important work—and for me, that work usually requires a computer.
Using a “calendar template” to consistently plan my mornings. This is a separate calendar where I plan out my days based on what I know about my energy cycles and what I want to make time for. Instead of starting from a blank slate, I’m experimenting with starting from a full calendar and making changes to that plan only when they are truly worthwhile and necessary.

What time do you go to sleep?

Around 10:00pm. This also changes with the seasons, like my wakeup time. I go to bed a little later in the summer and a little earlier in the winter.

Do you do anything before going to bed to make your morning easier?

Easier? No. But my nighttime routine is designed to help me wind down and sleep well, so I can begin the next morning with good energy and focus. The most important elements are:

Eating dinner early so it doesn’t interfere with my sleep
Spending at least an hour before bed with all devices turned off and put away
Lowering the lights in our apartment to parallel the natural rhythm of the day

Do you use an alarm to wake you up in the morning, and if so do you ever hit the snooze button?

I only set an alarm when I need to wake up at a specific time. Most days it is not necessary. This is a big change from when I was working in a full-time office job. In those days, I always had to set an alarm.

My alarm is a small, battery-powered clock that’s designed for travel. It doesn’t have a snooze button. Another quirk is that it’s impossible to advance the alarm time after it sounds. You have to swing the alarm hand all the way around the dial in the opposite direction. In other words, snoozing is not really an option, which motivates me to get out of bed!

How soon after waking up do you have breakfast, and what do you typically have?

I have breakfast at the end of my morning routine, around 9:00am. I usually have a cup of yogurt, a homemade smoothie, and a coffee (my second of the day).

Do you have a morning workout routine?

No. I have my best creative energy in the morning, so I’d rather use that time for writing or other work. Exercise is super important, but working out in the morning feels like a waste of those valuable early hours. Instead, I exercise in the late afternoon, when my brain is fried anyway and I’m ready for a break from sitting inside and looking at a screen.

Weekends are an exception. I practice yoga at a nearby studio on Saturday or Sunday mornings every weekend.

That said, I really love to walk, and I’ll often walk to my office or somewhere else in the morning. It’s a form of exercise, of course, but I don’t really think of walking as “working out.”

Do you have a morning meditation routine?

Not really. I try to think about my day and how I’m feeling while I drink my first coffee and look out the window. And I definitely use any walking time to meditate on problems or opportunities. I call it “little ‘m’ meditation” because I don’t follow a particular process or method.

Do you answer email first thing in the morning or leave it until later in the day?

I try not to look at email until my breakfast/shower break around 9:00am, but sometimes I can’t resist. In any event, I don’t reply unless there’s something super time-sensitive.

Instead, I deal with email toward the end of the day. My calendar template includes “admin” time in the afternoon for things that need to get done but don’t require my highest creative energy (like email).

Do you use any apps or products to enhance your sleep or morning routine?

No. I try to take a natural and low-tech approach to sleep, food, exercise, and other human basics. This keeps life simple, saves money, and makes me more resilient because I don’t depend on technology for the essentials.

How soon do you check your phone in the morning?

I take a quick glance 20–30 minutes after waking up to check for emergencies or urgent messages from overnight. Around breakfast I use my phone to read a page from The Daily Stoic and maybe a couple articles in Feedly or Pocket.

But there’s really nothing to “check”—I keep a distraction-free phone with no email, social media, news, or other infinity pool apps—so I don’t feel a compulsion to reach for my phone.

What are your most important tasks in the morning?

Feeding the cats, drinking coffee, and starting my day with a Highlight of meaningful work I can feel good about.

What and when is your first drink in the morning?

I have some water within moments of waking up, but my first real drink is a cup of coffee, about twenty minutes later.

How does your partner fit into your morning routine?

I’m married, and my wife usually stays in bed later than I do (although not always). She often asks me to wake her up at a certain time, and then we spend the first hour or so doing the same things together: drinking coffee and quietly working or reading.

Do you also follow this routine on weekends, or do you change some steps?

No, I don’t really have a morning routine for weekends. I sleep a bit later, but that’s usually because I stay up later at night. I rarely work on the weekends, and I’m more likely to start my day with reading, working on projects around the apartment, or doing some outdoor activity (weather permitting). Lately I’ve started doing yoga on the weekends—a single class at 9:00am on either Saturday or Sunday.

On days you’re not settled in your home, are you able to adapt your routine to fit in with a different environment?

Usually. But if I’m not at home, that’s because I’m on vacation (and not working) or traveling for work (and might have to be somewhere early), and my routine doesn’t necessarily fit into those scenarios.

What do you do if you fail to follow your morning routine, and how does this influence the rest of your day?

The most common “failure” is that I have to be somewhere early, so the whole thing gets compressed. I always maintain my routine of feeding the cats and making coffee, but I might have to skip my morning Highlight so I can leave earlier than normal. This isn’t too disruptive to my day, because if I’m doing something else (going to a conference, leading a workshop, traveling, etc.), that activity becomes my Highlight and helps me bring my attention and energy to what matters most.

But… if something crazy happens to my morning routine and I don’t have time for coffee or breakfast, all bets are off.

Our recommended book this week is Daily Rituals by Mason Currey. We only recommend three things a week that we believe will be of interest to our readers. Please take a moment to check it out.

Kate Nafisi’s Morning Routine

Wed, 10 Jul 2019 15:05:00 +0200

Kate Nafisi is a designer and finisher at Nafisi Studio, a bespoke furniture and sculpture studio that she runs with her husband, Abi. Prior to working in the studio Kate had a decade-long career as a software designer. She currently lives in Horsham, UK.

What is your morning routine?

I have a couple of rituals I like to do rather than a strict routine. When I do my rituals four out of seven days a week, I feel more balanced and energized.

In a few bullet points:

6:00am:

Wake up to my phone alarm
Fumble in the dark to put on my blue-and-white cotton dressing gown (a grid-patterned kimono my father bought me in Japan). I also fumble around in the pitch black for my handmade felted woolen eco slippers, discarded somewhere by the bed the night before. With one eye open, I walk slowly down the wooden stairs my husband made, descending from our mezzanine/mattress/bedroom into our kitchenette.
Drink lemon water
Do my matcha tea ritual
Do my gratitude ritual
Meditate with chanting

7:00am:

Put on a record
Have breakfast with my husband (Abi)
Check email and messages

8:00am:

Drink a fruit smoothie
Head to the woodworking workshop

How long have you stuck with this routine so far?

Six months. I started it when I left my full-time job at Facebook as a product designer to join my husband as a woodworker at Nafisi Studio. I had been in tech for ten years as a digital user experience designer, and I now make bespoke furniture and sculpture.

I went from tech to trees! My morning routine is a great reflection of my journey into the woods and deeper into myself. By returning to being my own boss, I was able to reinvent my schedule to allow more quality time with loved ones and more time in nature.

How has your morning routine changed over recent years?

I think routines should flex and change. Mine feels like a dynamic, malleable thing that emerges organically, rather than a ridgid set of steps I have to follow or plan for.

I have experienced an 180-degree change in the last year. The “old” Kate used to check her messages as soon as she woke up (balancing her phone on her nose), drank her coffee by the bucket, and did not eat until she got to work. I was rushed, and I often underslept.

When I became a woodworker, I couldn’t just stop drinking coffee—I was addicted! I couldn’t simply switch off my adrenal habits in the morning, either, so I often awoke feeling like I should be somewhere or I was late for something the first few months. So there was definitely a transition period.

My shift to a simpler life means I have more time to experiment with a morning routine and to take it slow. And I can go to bed much earlier because my previous commute time (7:00-9:00pm) is now my winding down pre-bedtime.

What time do you go to sleep?

At 9:00pm I stop whatever I’m doing, whether I’m working in the workshop, eating dinner, or hanging out with friends. (I’m like Cinderella at midnight… but at 9:00pm.) At 10:00pm the lights are out, and I’m in bed with my eyes closed.

Most of my life I was a night owl, so it surprised me that I could change. Now I like to “sleep early, rise early” like the birds do.

Abi and I try to maximize our relaxation time together before bed as much as possible, because it’s so good to have a long laugh before you sleep. Sometimes Abi and I are so excited by a new commission that we can’t stop talking pillow to pillow in the dark, but we try not to push it later than 11:00pm. We love what we do, and so work feels more like playtime.

Do you do anything before going to bed to make your morning easier?

I have a warm shower with and then anoint my eyebrows with lavender oil. It’s very calming. I then turn on my little bedside aromatherapy diffuser and add in our favorite bedtime blends—either jasmine, lavender, and sandalwood, or patchouli and cedarwood. I feel like a goddess in a cloud of smoke.

I used to lay my clothes out for the next day, but now I have a sort of “uniform” comprised of all-in-one dungarees, which makes things simpler.

I often have a comforting bedtime drink before I brush my teeth. It’s a turmeric latte made with tumeric, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, honey, and almond milk, and it makes me feel relaxed and extra ready for sleep.

Do you use an alarm to wake you up in the morning, and if so do you ever hit the snooze button?

If we have had a particularly packed month of deadlines, my body simply turns to lead and won’t let me get up. Being a woodworker is so much more physically demanding than being on my laptop all day.

But no snooze button. In a typical week I so thoroughly look forward to my matcha tea ritual that that alone boots me out of bed. I value my morning time so much. I even got a ceramic tea set handmade by our friend Mandy Pang to commemorate this time.

How soon after waking up do you have breakfast, and what do you typically have?

So I’m in my Japanese kimono and I’ve drunk my lemon water. I light some incense, breath deeply, and move very slowly.

For my matcha tea ritual, I prepare almond milk on the stove and combine it in a handmade ceramic mug with matcha green tea. I sit in the semi-darkness downstairs, with the cottage shutters closed, on the brown French corduroy floor mattress and sip in the stillness.

I slowly wake up in my own time. I can hear the birds outside and the electric hob cooker hiss as it slowly cools down. The light falls through the slits in our dotted shutter in a random organic pattern on the chipped white-painted floorboards and over the old white piano.

Now for breakfast. I make gluten-free porridge with almond milk and cinnamon with locally produced Sussex honey and organic berries on top. Other days we eat avocado on toast or yogurt mixed with granola and seeds. My husband and I eat together, normally watching something, sitting in silence, or reading the news.

Do you have a morning workout routine?

To be honest, I’m not as good at exercise as I’d like to be! Especially not in the morning. I like to move slowly.

At the moment I go for a midday or afternoon fifteen-minute walk in the forest to nurture my mythic imagination and connection to the land. While I walk I listen to The Hive Podcast—I love hearing psychologist and mythologist Sharon Backie speak about women’s connection to nature.

I’d like to incorporate some slow dancing or stretching into my morning routine soon. It will come in time, I’m sure. I was very inspired by the poetic movements of artist Miyoko Shida. A Zen Japanese dancer, she balances a feather on fifteen palm tree branches in a complex structure called “Sanddorn Balance.” Stunning.

Do you have a morning meditation routine?

Sort of. As I drink my matcha tea, I do a gratitude ritual.

I look at all the hanging plants around me, the wooden beams, the textured white walls of the cottage, and I feel thankful. I list all the things I am grateful for under my breath or write them down. This boosts my energy and helps me handle tricky things during the day. I take bits and pieces from the twenty-eight-day gratitude challenge taken from the book The Magic by Rhonda Byrne.

After tea, if I have time, I meditate.

I stay on the floor and play some mantras on Spotify with my headphones on. I softly chant for fifteen minutes or so. I like chants such as “Nam Myoho Renge Kyo” or “Om Mani Pedme Hum.” I find chanting very soothing. Some days I even find it healing, like it is nourishing old emotional wounds.

Do you answer email first thing in the morning or leave it until later in the day?

After I have woken up into my body and held my own thoughts in my own head for a few minutes, I invite others’ thoughts and agendas in. So, during breakfast I tend to check in with the world.

Do you use any apps or products to enhance your sleep or morning routine?

Not anymore. I used to use Natural Cycles, a period tracking app, and Gero, a timekeeping Pomadoro app, but now I’d rather not have any reasons to pick up my phone. Sometimes, as I’m being grateful, things pop into my head and I add them to my to-do list in Trello, which I run everything with!

I find listening to audiobooks on Kindle or Audible is the only way I can read for longer than ten minutes! Otherwise my eyes start to lul as they pendulum back and forth on a paper page. Or worse, my thoughts dart between multiple tangents and distract me from the narrative, and I put down the book to daydream a little while. I never get past a page!

And yet, when I listen to an audiobook my hands are free to move and I can focus superbly. I tend to do the washing up, household chores, or sand and finish wood in the workshop. I have fallen in love with all things mystic recently in the pursuit of the unknown. I’m currently listening to Circe by Madeline Miller. It’s the story of the mythological witch, inspired by Homer’s Odyssey, told from the point of view of a woman. It’s excellent.

How soon do you check your phone in the morning?

I have a beautiful 1950s wind-up wristwatch bought on eBay. I place it by my bedside so I can look at its unique handmade face to tell the time and avoid picking up my phone. I play a game with myself to see how long I can not look at my phone in the morning. On a really good day I’ve had my matcha tea, chanted, finished my breakfast, listened to an audiobook for thirty minutes… and then I check messages and emails.

What are your most important tasks in the morning?

Being present in my body, feeling positive and grateful, then creating an intention for the day.

It is easy to feel overwhelmed by the many different directions you could take your business or spend your daily twenty-four-hour ration, as we aren’t short on advice and resources online. However, I used to find I was often short on time to just listen to my own voice and body, so this is now my priority.

What and when is your first drink in the morning?

As soon as I am downstairs I drink a glass of filtered water with half a lemon to hydrate.

Then I heat my almond milk for my matcha tea ritual.

How does your partner fit into your morning routine?

My husband, Abi, usually wakes up thirty minutes after me. I often play a record from our vinyl selection—Tangerine Dream or Pink Floyd—to gently awaken him into some ethereal realm. And the smell of cinnamon from the porridge rises upstairs and lures him down.

Sometimes he is up before me to chop wood or open the farm gate, and then he makes breakfast for me. He gently kisses my head and places a plate before me as I am chanting or reading in my own world on the floor. He doesn’t interrupt me. He normally also has his own noise-cancelling headphones on as he listens to the news.

Silence is key for us in the morning—being physically next to each other in the same space but rising in our own rhythms.

Do you also follow this routine on weekends, or do you change some steps?

Saturdays are the same as weekdays for us as business owners, because many of our customers have only the weekend to think about their bespoke projects and would like to come and visit us in our studio then.

On Sundays we can lie in until 10:00am or so before having lunch with our family or an afternoon tea. It’s so good to check in with family every week.

On days you’re not settled in your home, are you able to adapt your routine to fit in with a different environment?

I find it more tricky to maintain when traveling, since my curiosity to explore my new environment always supersedes my desire to stay in my room and follow my rituals. I use objects, such as my gratitude crystal, as familiar prompts in an unfamiliar place.

What do you do if you fail to follow your morning routine, and how does this influence the rest of your day?

When I’m home and don’t have a slow morning, I run on adrenaline and feel irritable. On those days I require a longer lunch or an extra break in the forest to relax and reset.

Anything else you would like to add?

Once in the workshop, the way Abi and I start our working day is also a part of my morning ritual. Abi and I normally start with a ten-minute “stand up” (techie speak for a short meeting where you stand in a circle) where my husband and I recap what we achieved the day before, review our goals for today, and share any news or problems to resolve. Then we tidy up the workspace and go our separate ways to work on individual tasks. I like this emphasis on checking in to see how we each feel and to give us time to plan together but work apart. It’s very much inspired by the poem “On Marriage” by Kahlil Gibran.

Wilf Richards’ Morning Routine

Wed, 03 Jul 2019 15:05:00 +0200

Wilf Richards is a co-founder of Abundant Earth, a workers coop that manages a smallholding producing food crops, craft products, and running courses in a variety of land and people-based skills. He currently lives in Durham, UK.

What is your morning routine?

I have an alarm set for 7:00am, but I normally wake up before that and listen to some Radio 4 comedy in bed. In truth, the 7:00am alarm is really my “start meditation” alarm, which I do in bed.

I’ll ideally then get up at 7:30am, weigh myself, drink a glass of water, and use an app to do some stretches. If I feel like it I’ll then do a workout too. Then it’s on to breakfast and decaf coffee. I really like to watch a TED talk or do a puzzle or crossword during this time. Then work starts at 9:00am, which either involves staying in if it’s an admin day, or getting out on the smallholding for outdoor tasks.

How long have you stuck with this routine so far?

About the last 18 months now. I refer to it as a health routine as its primary focus is to keep me healthy and care for myself in a variety of ways first thing in the morning.

It started with the meditation app, and I started using that because I carried out an assessment and design of my time and energy. I am a permaculture designer and this was an unusual application that led to dramatic changes in my life patterns. It really moved me towards a very healthy space.

How has your morning routine changed over recent years?

The whole concept of a morning routine is relatively new to me. I still can’t quite believe that I do have one. It feels very different from what most of my friends would do. My routine is checked and tweaked on a regular basis, for example I recently added in “Kiss Beth” (my partner) after reading something similar in your book. I keep a note of my current ideal routine in Evernote.

What time do you go to sleep?

I have an alarm set for 9:00pm to get myself ready for bed, and another alarm set for 9:30 to get into bed. Usually, a bit of reading and then lights out by 10:00pm is ideal.

I aim to get 10 hours in bed every night, and within that eight hours of sleep. So being in bed between 9:30pm and 7:30am is amazing and fully recharges me for the day. No afternoon naps are required. It has always taken me a while to get to sleep, so a long time ago I started listening to radio comedy (I always look forward to anything by John Finnemore) or audio stories in bed to get me to sleep. The most important characteristic of something I listen to before going to bed is that it must be something that I have listened to before, but that my brain will still enjoy listening to one more time.

Do you do anything before going to bed to make your morning easier?

I have learnt to avoid anything stimulating to the brain after 9:00pm, and even before that in some cases. So this means no television or puzzles after 9:00, and no emails or Facebook after 7:00.

Ideally the kitchen would also be tidy, but that is near impossible with teenagers in the house that stay up late eating snacks and making a mess. Nevertheless, sometimes I am treated to a tidy space when I wake up.

Do you use an alarm to wake you up in the morning, and if so do you ever hit the snooze button?

I do use an alarm but as previously mentioned I aim to wake up before it, so snoozing is very unlikely, but lying around in bed is normal. Sometimes I have to get up before my ten hours in bed ideal, like when I am running a course and have some travelling to do. In that scenario I typically set two alarms, ten minutes apart. This still might allow me a brief meditation before I get up.

How soon after waking up do you have breakfast, and what do you typically have?

Breakfast is typically at 8:30am, so about an hour after I get up and maybe two hours after I wake up. I will have at least one glass of water when I wake up, maybe two. My favorite breakfast is definitely fruit with granola, milk, and yogurt. A couple of years ago I started using the My Fitness Pal app, which really helped with getting portions right and an increase in my protein intake. Ideally I’ll have blackcurrants or some other seasonal organic fruit from our smallholding, but I also love bananas and needless to say they don’t grow up here.

Do you have a morning workout routine?

Yes, though I don’t do it every day. The meditation is really important for me to do every day, but the workout varies.

My default workout is using the 7 Minute Workout app, which has a few options on it. I start with their stretches/yoga moves, and then if I’m up for it I move on to their 30 day challenge programme, or a full body workout programme. Sometimes I have had a full-on physical day on the smallholding the day before, so the morning after might be stretches only. If I have an admin day then I am more likely to include the full body workout. It’s only about ten minutes but it gets the heart going and hurts a bit. I also do some aspect of the workout for five minutes after every 45-50 minutes of laptop work if it’s an admin day. That keeps the brain and body balanced.

Do you have a morning meditation routine?

I downloaded the Headspace app about 18 months ago now, and I have stuck with it almost every day since. I love it. They have lots of packs covering a range of topics; they also have a one-off meditation every day, and lovely little animations. It is really informative.

I started meditating on an informal basis when I was about 16. I had occasional training, but for the most part I had a very random practice. Now, 30 years later, I am truly recognising the importance and usefulness of daily meditation. It is transformative. I call it beditation, as I find the best place for me to keep the daily practice is while I’m still in bed.

Do you answer email first thing in the morning or leave it until later in the day?

Ooh, no don’t go there. First thing in the morning is time for me, my family, and domestic duties. I might have a quick glance at emails about 9:00am, but generally I won’t go near them until 10:00.

Smartphones are so addictive, so putting boundaries on their use is really important to me. Facebook gets ten minutes a day maximum, and all notifications are switched off. To be honest, I rarely answer my phone.

What are your most important tasks in the morning?

Looking after myself, waking up gently, checking in with my brain and slowly bringing myself into the world. Once that is achieved everything else seems possible and tends to happen with ease.

If I get that wrong then the day can go pear-shaped. I use my diary to keep a note of tasks and appointments. If I decide to commit to a task then I also decide when that task will be carried out, and that goes on the appropriate day in the diary. I have a regular pattern of work, so certain responsibilities happen on certain days of the week. I can build up a suitably sized list for a day that way, and if I see I already have enough tasks planned for that day, then any additions will be added in for the following week.

What and when is your first drink in the morning?

Water, as soon as I wake up, then decaf coffee after breakfast. I have always had a touchy relationship with caffeine as I have a history of a type of migraine called cluster headache, and one of the triggers and cures for those severe pain episodes is caffeine, so I keep my intake of it to a minimum.

How does your partner fit into your morning routine?

Sometimes we clash on our needs and timing, and historically I have been a night owl and she an early bird. A few years ago, however, we became more aligned, which is really nice. If Beth goes downstairs to meditate just before I want to get up and do some stretches, this can be disturbing for her. We sync together pretty well now though, and we sometimes do a workout together, which is really supportive and motivating.

Do you also follow this routine on weekends, or do you change some steps?

I try to keep to the same routine on weekends, including my wake up time, meditation, and workout. There is a bit of flexibility as I might have more time for a workout, but equally I may have stayed up late the night before, and that ten hours in bed is really important to me.

On days you’re not settled in your home, are you able to adapt your routine to fit in with a different environment?

That is really difficult as the food changes. Maybe there is no decaf coffee, or no time or space for a little workout. One thing I try to keep consistent no matter where I am is listening to comedy before going to bed, and meditating in the morning.

What do you do if you fail to follow your morning routine, and how does this influence the rest of your day?

I go with the flow as best I can, knowing that if I am far from the ideal routine that I will get back towards it as soon as possible in a day or two.

As long as I get the sleep and rest I need I can normally still function okay. If I don’t get enough sleep, however, then I can get grumpy, irritable, and angry. Those are my warning signs and motivations for regaining balance and knowing the importance of having a healthy routine.

Photo of Wilf by Marc Perry.

Our recommended sleep accessory this week is the LectroFan White Noise Machine. We only recommend three things a week that we believe will be of interest to our readers. Please take a moment to check it out.

Josh Gross’ Morning Routine

Wed, 26 Jun 2019 15:05:00 +0200

Josh Gross is a founding partner at Planetary, a digital product studio that has worked with clients including Univison, Blue Diamond, and Google’s non-profit arm. He currently lives in Brooklyn, New York.

What is your morning routine?

Does “get smacked in the face repeatedly by the dog until I get out of bed” qualify as a complete morning routine? No? Well, in that case…

I wake up at approximately 7:00am every morning. I try to be as consistent as possible with this because it helps set the pace for the rest of the day. Once I’m up, the first thing I do is put on the kettle and prep my coffee—I use a French press because I really enjoy the zen-ness of the process. My personal favorite is the GROSCHE Madrid French Press. Easy to wash and high quality.

Once the kettle is on, I feed the dog (Lady) and then check my email, take a shower, and pull up the news (typically Curbed, Reddit, and Google News). I take note of any emails that need an urgent response, but I don’t respond until after at least the first sip of coffee; mornings are “my time” and I try to keep it that way.

The last thing I do before starting work for the day is take the dog out for a walk, if my partner hasn’t. Then I’m out the door! …Or at my desk, if I’m working from home. (As part of a distributed team, I keep an office but don’t always go in.)

How long have you stuck with this routine so far?

I’ve stuck with this routine and have been pretty consistent about it since at least 2014, when I started Planetary. I think the routine has really helped balance the chaos of my days.

How has your morning routine changed over recent years?

It hasn’t varied too much in the past few years. The biggest change has been getting a dog, which means that I’ve had to add feeding and walking the dog into my mornings. I walk the dog right before beginning my workday, which has been a nice way to transition my mindset from whatever I was reading in the morning to my focus for the rest of the day.

That being said, I’ve experimented a bit with introducing some variation into the routine. Last year I added 6:30am spin classes on Fridays, meaning I’d wake up at 6:00am and—before coffee or anything else—walk to class. I recently took a break from this but intend to pick it up again; it was a nice way to end the week and add some variation to my mornings.

What time do you go to sleep?

Midnight. It’s terrible. I really should go to bed a bit earlier because I typically wake up feeling a bit tired, but I have trouble convincing myself to go to bed sooner. Really, I’ve tried.

Do you do anything before going to bed to make your morning easier?

Usually, I’ll clean the French press (if I didn’t do it in the morning) and my house a bit (put away clothes, straighten up). A clean house means I wake up feeling less stressed; I’ve found that physical clutter and messes have a negative effect on my well-being.

Do you use an alarm to wake you up in the morning, and if so do you ever hit the snooze button?

I use an alarm six or seven days a week—even on the weekends. I try not to hit the snooze button, but if I’ve gone to bed past midnight I may try to catch an extra fifteen minutes.

How soon after waking up do you have breakfast, and what do you typically have?

Coffee.

I’ve tried to be better about eating actual food in recent years, but I usually won’t eat anything until I get to the office (or, if working from home, until after I start work). Most of the time it’s a pastry (like a croissant) or oatmeal, if I feel like preparing it.

Do you have a morning workout routine?

Not really, beyond the spin class on Friday mornings that I introduced last year.

Since trying that, though, I’ve found it was actually a great way to start the day. I’m probably going to pick up some variation of that again. I’m also considering taking an early morning run with the dog, which would get both her and me out for some early exercise.

Do you have a morning meditation routine?

I wish! I’ve tried doing meditation on and off over the years, but it has never stuck. I used to have a consistent yoga routine, which was the closest to meditation I can get, but I always did it at the end of my day, not at the beginning.

Do you answer email first thing in the morning or leave it until later in the day?

Not until the first sip of coffee… I might have a bit of a coffee addiction. I’ve found that if I try to answer email before that, most of my replies have some pretty egregious grammar!

Do you use any apps or products to enhance your sleep or morning routine?

I don’t track the quality of my sleep or have anything special for my morning routine. In fact, I just use the alarm app on iOS.

How soon do you check your phone in the morning?

Since my phone is also my alarm, it’s difficult—but I really try not to fall into the pattern of checking my messages first thing. I put my phone as far across the room as possible the night before to force me out of bed when the alarm goes off, which helps quite a bit. I can more easily convince myself to turn off the alarm, put the phone down, and head into the kitchen once I’m already standing up.

What are your most important tasks in the morning?

Beyond getting some form of caffeine, definitely feeding and walking the dog. Everything else in my morning routine is interchangeable, which is helpful when traveling.

What and when is your first drink in the morning?

Coffee. Coffee? Coffee! Usually about twenty minutes after I wake up. If I’m making it myself, a dark roast with a small bit of half-and-half—I don’t purchase any particular brand, just whatever looks good, though I’m a fan of anything from Brooklyn Roasting Company. Otherwise, I typically go for a cappuccino or latte when at a coffee shop.

How does your partner fit into your morning routine?

We pretty much just do our own things and give each other space in the morning; my partner usually leaves earlier than I do, so she is typically up and out of bed earlier than I am.

Do you also follow this routine on weekends, or do you change some steps?

My weekend routine is actually pretty much the same. I do wake up a bit later, usually at 8:00-9:00am, depending on whether or not I have something to do in the morning.

On days you’re not settled in your home, are you able to adapt your routine to fit in with a different environment?

That’s the nice thing about having a fairly simple morning routine: it’s easily adapted. When traveling, I either make coffee in my hotel room or step out for it, and I often get an actual breakfast. The rest of my routine pretty much stays the same!

What do you do if you fail to follow your morning routine, and how does this influence the rest of your day?

Honestly, it’s awful. This routine, as simple as it is, really helps me get my day started right. If I wake up and have to immediately deal with work, check email, respond to messages, or otherwise disrupt this schedule, it throws off my focus and productivity for the whole day. I need to be able to maintain at least the core of this routine for my own mental health.

Anything else you would like to add?

A morning routine doesn’t need to be intricate to be meaningful and hold high personal value. I consider mornings prior to starting work as my own personal, uninterruptible time to do a bit of self-care. Missing my routine doesn’t ruin my day by any stretch, but I find that my routine is valuable in helping me center myself. During the day, I don’t often get much time to pay attention to my own needs, so the mornings really provide that opportunity.

I imagine my routine is actually fairly common but, for me, it provides structure and—even if the rest of the day is going to be long, tough, difficult, or unpleasant—having these few consistent elements first thing in the morning grounds me for the rest of the day and sets me off on the best possible foot.

Melissa Clark’s Morning Routine

Wed, 19 Jun 2019 15:05:00 +0200

Melissa Clark is a food writer for the New York Times, and the author of numerous cookbooks including Dinner: Changing the Game, and her most recent, Comfort in an Instant. She currently lives in Brooklyn.

What is your morning routine?

The phone alarm goes off at 6:16am; I meant to set it for 6:15 but am too lazy to adjust it, and it really doesn’t matter. Bach cello suites to quietly lull me out of bed. The goal is to not wake my husband, who sleeps for another half hour. I keep quiet in the bathroom, too, trying not to clang around with my toothbrush and neti pot and nail brush and all the other morning ablutions. Then I throw on leggings and a sweatshirt, the mom uniform of Park Slope. It takes me fifteen minutes to get downstairs. Then I’ve got thirty minutes to myself before I have to wake up the kid (Dahlia, who’s ten) at 7:00am.

I drink a full twelve-ounce glass of water, spiked with lemon. The rule is that I can’t have tea until I drink up the water, and since I really want tea, I do it. Then I have tea, well-steeped Assam with whole milk.

I have twenty-five minutes left for early morning emails and planning my day. What do I need to get done? I make a mental list and organize myself, checking the calendar, checking my list of due dates for recipes I’m working on. Do I have enough orzo for the pasta salad I need to make today, or should I stop at the store on the way home from walking the kid to school?

Then there is yoga. Every morning I think about doing twenty minutes of restorative yoga from Glo before I wake the kid. I’ve done that exactly three times in the last year. But maybe today will be the day I make it four times!

At 7:00am I wake the kid and empty the dishwasher while making her a smoothie (I slip in an egg white if there’s one left over in the fridge or add yogurt). Then she gets buttered whole grain toast and honey. While she eats breakfast I make her lunch—she just started eating sandwiches, thank the sandwich gods. In years past, I’d poach a chicken breast some mornings because she’s spoiled and I’m a food writer, so it’s actually no big deal for me to poach a little chicken breast and there’s always fresh thyme in the fridge. But I’m glad those days are over. Sometimes she just gets a container of salami, plus fruit and cut up cucumbers. Depends on how tired I am.

At about 7:15am my husband comes downstairs, and he makes me more tea while I make him a jammy egg with soft butter and salt and pepper, and toast cut thickly and spread with so much butter it leaks out the other side. It’s nice to do these things for each other; it makes us both feel taken care of.

Two and a half days a week (Tuesday, Thursday, and every other Friday) I walk the kiddo 1.2 miles to school and back. On those days we rush out the door (homework, lunch, knitting for her elective all in the bookbag—check, check, check). We are out the door by 8:07am to get her there by 8:22 or 8:23, depending on how many dogs we stop to talk to. School starts at 8:25am and she hates being late. I could use some of that.

Then I walk home, arriving by 8:40am or so. Then I sit down at my computer and get to work.

At this point, I have not eaten anything yet. I don’t get hungry until around 10:00-11:00am, and my rule is don’t eat if you’re not hungry. Unless there are cookies.

How long have you stuck with this routine so far?

For the past five years, since Dahlia started kindergarten. It all revolves around her.

How has your morning routine changed over recent years?

The lemon-water drinking is a recent addition—I started it about a year ago. And I am going to start doing that twenty minutes of yoga.

What time do you go to sleep?

Between 10:30pm and midnight.

Do you do anything before going to bed to make your morning easier?

Start the dishwasher so I can unload it while the tea brews the next morning.

Do you use an alarm to wake you up in the morning, and if so do you ever hit the snooze button?

I use an alarm but I never hit the snooze because I don’t want to wake my husband.

How soon after waking up do you have breakfast, and what do you typically have?

I don’t eat breakfast until around 10:00-11:00am. On a good day I have a bowl of fruit with homemade yogurt and granola, or toast with lots of butter and a jammy egg with more butter. Or I’ll eat cookies, if there are cookies. Cookies > fruit and yogurt.

Do you have a morning workout routine?

Yoga! I do twenty minutes of restorative yoga three times a year. And on days when I don’t walk my daughter to school (Mondays, Wednesdays, and either Fridays or Saturdays) I go running. Sometimes I take a mat pilates class, but that’s not part of the morning routine.

Do you have a morning meditation routine?

No meditation at all. When I do yoga, I avoid Savasana.

Do you answer email first thing in the morning or leave it until later in the day?

First thing.

Do you use any apps or products to enhance your sleep or morning routine?

I listen to the radio every morning—WFMU’s Wake and Bake with Clay Pigeon. I love that show.

How soon do you check your phone in the morning?

6:17am.

What are your most important tasks in the morning?

Getting the kid fed, lunched, and off to school.

What and when is your first drink in the morning?

Around 6:30am, lemon water and then tea. I only do coffee when I really need it. Then it works!

How does your partner fit into your morning routine?

See above for tea/egg-making interaction. But my husband doesn’t talk much in the morning. He’s a night owl. I’m a morning person. The rule is that I can talk to him in the mornings and he will listen, but he won’t answer me until after 11:00am.

Do you also follow this routine on weekends, or do you change some steps?

NO SCHOOL ON WEEKENDS! So it’s totally different. I sleep in until 7:00 or 7:30am. It’s marvelous.

On days you’re not settled in your home, are you able to adapt your routine to fit in with a different environment?

When I’m on the road at a hotel, it’s totally different. No breakfast or lunch to make, no school to get to on time. If there’s a kettle in the room, I’ll drink my tea right away, in bed with my computer, and I don’t even think about yoga. I get so much work done in hotels.

What do you do if you fail to follow your morning routine, and how does this influence the rest of your day?

I’m pretty flexible. As long as I have my tea, I’m good.

Anything else you would like to add?

As soon as my kid is in college, everything will change but I don’t know in what ways. But I hope it involves more yoga.

Photo of Melissa by Eric Wolfinger.

Paul Murphy’s Morning Routine

Wed, 12 Jun 2019 15:05:00 +0200

Paul Murphy is a third grade teacher of nineteen years who writes on how to help teachers inside the classroom and out at Teacher Habits. He currently lives in Mason, Michigan with his wife and daughter.

What is your morning routine?

I teach in an elementary school where the students don’t arrive until 8:30am, so I take advantage of the relatively late start to steal some extra sleep. I like sleep. I like it better than toast, and toast ain’t bad.

My phone’s alarm is set for 7:00am. Once it goes off, I hit the snooze, which buys me five more minutes. Then I hit the snooze again for another five minutes. I almost always hit it a third time because I like things in threes.

Then I get up and limp to the bathroom because I’m old, and there’s just about always some lower body part that aches. I pee. After that, I head to the kitchen. My daughter, who’s twelve, is usually perched at the kitchen table eating a Pop Tart. I grunt a good morning. She grunts one back. Then I make her lunch. It is invariably a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on white bread (because we’re old school) and a bag of Cheez-Its (because she loves edible squares). I amble into our garage (which is the worst part of my morning during winter) and pull a Capri Sun out of the beer fridge. Then I put those three items in her lunch box.

At this point, I have a decision to make: I can either crawl back into bed and delay adulting for fifteen more minutes by playing on my phone, or I can get in the shower and start my day. Depending on what I need to do at work, I make that choice. At some point, I run across my wife, who is also getting ready to teach. We say pleasant things, give each other a kiss, and she takes my daughter to school. Eventually, I end up in the shower. As soon as that’s done, it’s off to work. I have a six-minute commute, eight if there’s a tractor up ahead. I show up at school sometime between 7:45am and 8:15am, depending on whether I snuck back under the covers after making the PB&J. I eat nothing. Once I get to work, I usually fill my insulated tumbler for the morning and start in on my to-do list, so I’m prepared when the students arrive.

How long have you stuck with this routine so far?

I’ve been teaching for nineteen years now, always in an elementary school and always with a relatively late start. The routine, if you can call it that, has basically stayed the same for most of those years. I’m in a new district this school year and my commute is much shorter, which allows me to laze around and delay the start to my day, but the steps I take—sleep as late as possible, make lunch for the kid, take a quick shower, and then get out the door—have remained unchanged for the past seven or eight years.

How has your morning routine changed over recent years?

I hear about people who get up and exercise, or they write for an hour, or they meditate, or they do some other productive thing first thing in the morning, and I have no desire to emulate them.

I can’t say a lot for myself, but I can say one thing: I know me. And I know that I prefer nights to mornings. I know that I need seven hours of sleep. I know I have zero appetite until about 10:00am. And I know I’d find little joy in working out before the sun is up. The changes I’ve made have come about as a result of having a child and changing school districts. Unless some other big changes are on the horizon, I don’t anticipate altering my routine.

What time do you go to sleep?

I love the night life. I got to boogie. Well, not so much boogie, but I do like staying up late and sitting on things.

When I’m being productive, I stay up too late reading and writing. Teacher Habits requires a fair amount of effort, and I write books for teachers. Those keep me busy, and I tend to be at my most creative late at night. When I’m not productive, I squander time staring at my phone and getting angry at idiots on Twitter or Facebook. Or I sit in the basement and watch Netflix or YouTube on the big screen. I’m usually in bed between 11:00pm and midnight.

Do you do anything before going to bed to make your morning easier?

The only thing I do that makes my morning easier is go to bed early enough that I’ll get about seven hours of sleep. That seems to be my optimal amount, and judging by the record my Fitbit keeps, I’m pretty consistent.

The other thing I do is sleep well. Teaching is exhausting (I wrote a book about why), so I’m always tired. And I rarely suffer from anxiety, which means I can turn my brain off (some might argue that’s its default position) when my head hits the pillow. My wife marvels at how fast I fall asleep. It’s usually within five minutes.

Do you use an alarm to wake you up in the morning, and if so do you ever hit the snooze button?

I have an alarm set on my phone for 7:00am. It’s an annoying jingle. I used to have it set to a song I liked, but two things happened: First, I wanted to listen to the song instead of get out of bed. Second, I eventually hated the song. I was like Bill Murray’s character in Groundhog Day with that dumb Sonny and Cher tune. So, now I have an annoying ringtone that I immediately want to silence, which means I grab the phone off the floor as quickly as I can and hit the snooze. I usually hit the snooze three times, which is planned; my alarm is set fifteen minutes earlier than it needs to be because, for some reason, those fifteen minutes of semi-sleep are almost more enjoyable than the seven hours of actual sleep that came before.

How soon after waking up do you have breakfast, and what do you typically have?

I don’t eat breakfast. I’m not militant about it or anything, and if you want to eat a big breakfast, go for it, man. I’m also not trying to lose weight by skipping a meal (although I wouldn’t mind if it worked). I just don’t have an appetite for a few hours after getting up.

Since I’m not going to try to talk you into skipping the “most important meal of the day,” I’d appreciate it if you did me the same courtesy. I know other people eat breakfast and swear by it. I’ve heard about the studies that show how important breakfast is. But I’m not hungry, so I don’t eat. Also, if I did eat, I’d have to get up earlier, and did I mention that I really like sleeping?

Do you have a morning workout routine?

Not during the school year’s workweek. I sometimes work out in the morning on weekends and during summer vacation, but I never set an alarm to do so. My morning workout consists of sleeping as late as I want, getting out of bed, and then, if I feel like it, going for a jog or heading to the treadmill at the gym. I think once I’m retired I’ll do this more often, but I’ll never sacrifice sleep for exercise. That seems like robbing Peter to pay Paul.

Do you have a morning meditation routine?

I don’t meditate. I’ve never felt the need or desire to.

Do you answer email first thing in the morning or leave it until later in the day?

While I’m lying in bed delaying the start of the day, I usually run through all of my notifications, which include comments and likes in response to Teacher Habits articles I shared on Facebook, replies to the previous night’s Twitter ramblings, and a few emails. I’ll read them but will only reply if they’re time-sensitive, which they rarely are. The whole process usually takes five minutes, giving me plenty of time to rewatch YouTube videos of Norm MacDonald on talk shows.

Do you use any apps or products to enhance your sleep or morning routine?

We have a sound machine that plays ambient noise to drown out whatever unpredictable sounds might interrupt our slumber. We take that thing everywhere we might sleep. On the few occasions we forget it, I download a white noise app, but they’re never as good.

How soon do you check your phone in the morning?

Usually before I say a word to my wife. How’s that for Husband-of-the-Year material? In my defense, I have to pick the thing up to hit snooze, and it’s hard not to notice the blinky light.

What are your most important tasks in the morning?

The most urgent task is the need to urinate. I don’t think the day would be off to a very good start if I didn’t attend to that one.

After that, making my daughter’s lunch is the most important for three reasons: First, if I failed to prepare her lunch, she would go hungry at school, and since I’ve seen my child hungry at home, I wouldn’t wish it on any one of her friends or teachers. Second, if I neglected to make her lunch, my wife would find out about it (probably from my snitch of a daughter) and then she’d make me feel bad about it, as she does literally everything else to get our daughter prepared for school every morning, and I have one job that takes about two minutes. Third, I would actually feel bad about it, and feeling bad about yourself is no way to start your day.

What and when is your first drink in the morning?

I take one of those insulated tumblers that everyone ripped off of Yeti to school and fill it up. We’ve got this ice machine in the office that is supposed to be used to fill baggies for all the kids who claim to be injured, but everyone just uses it for their water. Then I fill the tumbler in the One Good Drinking Fountain that all schools have; ours is by the gym, and it has one of those bottle filler spouts and a little display that tells you how many evil plastic bottles you just saved the Earth from. So that makes me feel like I’m doing my part, I guess. We also have a water cooler (which makes me wonder if there’s something toxic in the water the kids have to drink), but I don’t use that because we’re supposed to chip in ten bucks to use that water, and I’m too cheap and also not a big enough water snob to participate.

So, to answer the question, water at about 8:15am.

How does your partner fit into your morning routine?

I have a wife who gets up before me, partly because she has to leave the house earlier than me to take our daughter to school before she herself goes to work, and partly because she takes much longer to get ready to leave the house.

We built our current house four years ago; after living in a much smaller space with a much smaller bathroom, we had a double vanity installed so we can both be in there at the same time, which we usually are. She’s at the sink doing things with her face and hair that I don’t understand, while I’m behind a glass partition getting blasted with too-hot water and steaming up her mirror.

Do you also follow this routine on weekends, or do you change some steps?

My routine is completely different on the weekends. I probably get to bed at about the same time, but I sleep an extra hour or two if I can get away with it. I turn the alarm off the night before, so there’s no chance of interrupted sleep.

Once I’m up, I rarely shower until later. I usually head out to the living room and do something with the blog. Eventually, I might work out. I eat eggs and meat for brunch at about 11:00am. My wife and daughter also like their sleep, so lazy weekends are the norm unless we have responsibilities.

On days you’re not settled in your home, are you able to adapt your routine to fit in with a different environment?

Sure. Since my routine is basically to sleep as late as possible, shower quickly, not eat, and get out the door, I can do that anywhere. I’m low-maintenance.

What do you do if you fail to follow your morning routine, and how does this influence the rest of your day?

It’s pretty hard for me to fail at my morning routine, which, if I were writing a book on the subject, I might loftily claim is the secret of my success.

Admiral William McRaven has a book called Make Your Bed, which is partly based on a speech he gave somewhere about the importance of making your bed after getting up. He made the point that making your bed first thing in the morning was a good way to accomplish something right away. It was a nice little positive kickstart. If nothing else went right, at least you had that. So I’ll steal that idea. My routine is so simple anyone could do it, and executing something as soon as you get out of bed sets you on a path to success for the rest of the day. So my day is never ruined because I can’t get to the gym, or because my meditative trance is broken by a balky smoke alarm, or because I ran out of K-cups and can’t have my coffee. I can count on every day starting off the way I expect it to because it takes very little to execute my morning routine.

Denise Lee’s Morning Routine

Wed, 05 Jun 2019 15:05:00 +0200

Denise Lee is the founder of Alala, a high end women’s designer activewear and workout clothing brand. She currently lives in New York City.

What is your morning routine?

I’m naturally a night owl; however, after running my own business for the last six years, I’ve forced myself to be more of a morning person because I find mornings to be the most productive time of the day.

I wake up around 6:00-6:30am (before the alarm rings, most days) because my dog starts moving around in bed. After getting up, I take him out for a quick walk and then head to my workout. After getting my endorphins high, another thing I try to do every day is come up with one good idea in the shower; usually it hits me without my having to think too hard, and it’s honestly my favorite thing about the morning. I wrap up my morning with a smoothie and vitamins, then head into work.

How long have you stuck with this routine so far?

I’ve been doing a version of this for the past few years. When I adopted my dog, Rudy, I had to start waking up earlier to get all his needs taken care of, but before that I could just roll out of bed and head straight to class!

How has your morning routine changed over recent years?

I try to be very conscious of when my brain is the most productive and utilize that time to come up with the best ideas. I’m actually about to start experimenting with moving my workout to the evening in an effort to dedicate the entire early morning to my mental focus and the workday ahead of me.

What time do you go to sleep?

If I am in a good flow where I’m consciously protecting my time, I go to sleep at 10:00pm and wake up at 6:00am. Of course, there are some days where this doesn’t happen, but I try to get into bed before midnight every night.

Do you do anything before going to bed to make your morning easier?

I keep a notebook next to my bed so I can write down things that have the potential to get my mind racing before I fall asleep (e.g., “don’t forget to do this tomorrow”). Writing them down helps me “offload” those thoughts and prevents them from keeping me awake at night.

I also have the Night Shift feature set on my iPhone from 10:00pm to 7:00am. It reduces the blue light given off by your screen, which is what many sleep experts say keeps your mind awake. I also don’t watch TV in bed, and I cover the clock on my cable box so the light doesn’t shine through. I invested in blackout shades, so it’s nice and dark in the room, and I also make sure all the doors are fully shut. For some reason I sleep best when I know I’m fully shut into the room. It might be a feng shui thing?!

Do you use an alarm to wake you up in the morning, and if so do you ever hit the snooze button?

Yes, I do and yes, I am guilty of snoozing two or three times, especially after nights when I don’t get between seven and eight hours of sleep. I set my alarm for 5:30-5:45am most mornings to account for the snooze time; this is a habit I’d like to get rid of in the near future.

How soon after waking up do you have breakfast, and what do you typically have?

I have breakfast after walking my dog and working out, so probably ninety minutes to two hours after I’ve gotten out of bed.

My go-to breakfast is a coffee smoothie made with Four Sigmatic Mushroom Coffee, almond milk, frozen bananas, Vital Proteins’ collagen powder, and some type of superfood mix (I’m always trying new ones). I find that this keeps me full so much longer than eggs, oatmeal, or anything else that I might eat in the mornings.

Do you have a morning workout routine?

Yes. Recently I’ve been going to Liftonic, which is a weight-based workout. It’s kind of like going to see a personal trainer every day but in a group setting. I like how the class is challenging but sustainable enough for me to go almost every day.

I also love the sculpt and trampoline classes at The Ness.

Do you have a morning meditation routine?

Meditation is another thing I have been trying to do more often, but I have not been successful in turning it into a regular practice. When I do get in a routine, I meditate once or twice a week and use the Headspace app.

One practice that I stick to on a daily basis is repeating certain affirmations. The idea behind this is to put your positive thoughts out into the universe, so that the universe knows to return those things to you. Incorporating these practices into my mornings only happens occasionally right now, but they are both on my list of things to add to my daily routine.

Do you answer email first thing in the morning or leave it until later in the day?

No, I honestly hate answering emails any time of the day. I feel like doing so lulls you into a sense that you’re being productive—which you are, but at a low, hamster-wheel level. As I mentioned before, mornings are reserved for my most mentally challenging work, so no, emails will always wait until later in the day.

Do you use any apps or products to enhance your sleep or morning routine?

In the morning I use Headspace for meditation and Affirmation Reminder for my affirmations. When I can’t sleep in the middle of the night, I listen to rain playlists on Spotify to relax and try to get back to sleep!

How soon do you check your phone in the morning?

I check my phone first thing, as soon as my alarm goes off.

What are your most important tasks in the morning?

Making sure Rudy my dog is taken out for a good walk and gets fed. On my way to work, I also pick one work task that I want to accomplish that day, and then I make sure that it gets done.

What and when is your first drink in the morning?

I chug a glass of water as soon as I step out of the bedroom to rehydrate—nothing too complicated. I was recently on a celery juice kick but stopped because I didn’t really feel like it did much for me.

Do you also follow this routine on weekends, or do you change some steps?

Weekends are a precious time for me; I don’t schedule anything before 1:00pm, if I can help it. I let myself go to sleep whenever I want on Friday and Saturday nights and wake up whenever I want without an alarm. I’m a natural night owl, so I usually end up going to sleep at 2:00am and getting up at 10:00am. I much prefer to pack in my weeks with work, social commitments, and errands and leave the weekends unscheduled—free and easy to do whatever I want.

On days you’re not settled in your home, are you able to adapt your routine to fit in with a different environment?

Yes, but it is definitely more difficult, and I don’t give myself a hard time when I don’t follow it. When I’m traveling, my most important rule for a good morning routine is to get a good night’s rest—at least seven or eight hours—if possible.

What do you do if you fail to follow your morning routine, and how does this influence the rest of your day?

When I don’t get to follow my routine, I try to at least work out later that same day. If none of it happens, I remind myself that tomorrow is a new day and I’ll get back on track then. I don’t stress over it; there are too many other things to stress about!

I feel a bit out of sorts if I don’t get to do my normal morning routine. I notice this mostly with my appetite and how tired or unfocused I am throughout the day. If I don’t get to have my smoothie for breakfast, I tend to eat worse or more food than I usually would throughout the day. I also find myself getting tired at certain points in the day where I usually have energy and find it harder to focus. As I grow older, I am much more protective of my time, so my sleep and morning routine are high priorities.

Our recommended book this week is Daily Rituals by Mason Currey. We only recommend three things a week that we believe will be of interest to our readers. Please take a moment to check it out.

Amy Nelson’s Morning Routine

Wed, 29 May 2019 15:05:00 +0200

Amy Nelson is the founder and CEO of The Riveter, a community and co-working space company built by women, for everyone. She currently lives in Seattle, Washington with her husband and kids.

What is your morning routine?

It’s not easy to get a head start on the day when you’re competing with three small children. For me, this means 5:00am wake-up calls.

First item on the agenda is time for myself, which typically looks like running for 20-30 minutes on the treadmill in our garage and scrolling through news briefings (I’m loyal to the BroadSheet, Katie Couric’s Wake-Up Call, and theSkimm). The quiet quickly fades by 6:00am, and the house comes to life with the buzz of my girls (ages four, three, and one), our rescue dog, and the amazing team that makes all the pieces of our puzzle work (my husband, my mother, and my nanny, if she’s arrived).

After stumbling toward a cup of coffee, I head to the kitchen to prepare a very basic breakfast for everyone. (It’s definitely more on the bowl-of-cereal- or yogurt-cup-side of things; we aren’t winning any gourmet chef awards in my house!) It can be hard to align schedules in the evening, so we’ve swapped the dinner routine for some quality family time to start the day, and we sit down for “family breakfast” around the table.

As soon as everyone is on their way to preschool or morning activities, I drive to The Riveter’s HQ in southern Seattle. My commute varies from day to day, but this is generally a time to take phone calls, wrangle childcare, schedule personal appointments, and mentally review the day ahead. I also call my dad in Ohio, whom I miss and am constantly trying to convince to move to Seattle. It’s also time to brainstorm and find some “blue sky” (as blue as Seattle will allow) to reflect on larger priorities and goals for my company, and myself!

How long have you stuck with this routine so far?

This has been my routine for the past couple of years, when I’m not traveling. I’ve become a creature of habit!

How has your morning routine changed over recent years?

The one thing that’s really changed about my routine is where I work out. Before I welcomed my third baby, I was able to go to an incredible local gym for HIIT classes three or four times a week at 5:00am. When my third daughter arrived, I took some time off from exercising in the “fourth trimester,” and once we were through that period, both my and my husband’s travel schedules really ramped up. My husband and I were alternating “travel weeks,” so he was out of town when I was in town. I wasn’t able to slip out at 4:45am and leave the kids alone (of course!), so we decided to build a makeshift gym in our basement.

What time do you go to sleep?

By 10:00pm at the absolute latest. Often around 9:00 or 9:30pm.

Do you do anything before going to bed to make your morning easier?

I always turn on the dishwasher before I go to bed, so I can unload everything in the morning during breakfast prep. I also start a load of laundry that I can throw in the dryer first thing after I wake up. On good weeks, I pick out the kids clothes’ for preschool on Sunday night (but that’s not an every-week thing, although I aspire for it to be!).

Do you use an alarm to wake you up in the morning, and if so do you ever hit the snooze button?

I have an alarm, but on more days than not I wake up before the alarm on my own. I’m not a snooze-button person. I so value that quiet hour alone before my daughters are up and the day starts in earnest.

How soon after waking up do you have breakfast, and what do you typically have?

I have breakfast one or two hours after I wake up. I alternate between two standbys—an English muffin with almond butter and a banana or two eggs with a piece of toast. I also have coffee with soy milk and a large glass of ice water.

Do you have a morning workout routine?

Yep! We have a treadmill in our basement. I am currently in my third trimester of my fourth pregnancy and am solidly in the walking camp, but until six weeks ago I was still running. I spent a few months falling in love with the Peloton running app and decided over the holidays to invest in the new Peloton treadmill. I love that I can take classes that range from twenty to sixty minutes, so there’s always time for something.

Do you have a morning meditation routine?

I love the Headspace app. I use it once or twice a week, though I aspire to do so more.

Do you answer email first thing in the morning or leave it until later in the day?

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t look at my phone first thing in the morning. However, I only open something if it looks urgent. I try to work out before I start responding. Generally, I read newsletters while I’m blow-drying my hair after my shower.

Do you use any apps or products to enhance your sleep or morning routine?

We have an Amazon Echo at home, and I mostly use it to check the weather for the day.

How soon do you check your phone in the morning?

First thing. I’m terrible!

What are your most important tasks in the morning?

My most important task in the morning is spending time with my daughters. Nights are tricky, but our morning time together is sacred and I can really talk with them, play with them, and share a meal together. Also, dressing toddlers is a monumental feat, so it takes up a good chunk of morning time and energy.

What and when is your first drink in the morning?

I drink both coffee and water in the morning, usually at the same time.

How does your partner fit into your morning routine?

My husband and I often swap travel schedules, so we spend time together mostly on the weekends. When we are home together in the morning during the week, we try to split duties. One of us prepares breakfast while the other makes lunches for school days. One of us feeds the dog while the other unloads the dishwasher. It’s never as seamless as I’m making it sound, but we embrace the chaos of life with small children and careers.

Do you also follow this routine on weekends, or do you change some steps?

The thing I miss most about my pre-parenthood days is the ability to sleep in and join friends for long brunches on the weekends. These days we are up before 6:00am, given my kids’ sleep habits. The weekends are wonderful, though, in that we have time to spend together with no schedule. We tend to make real breakfasts on the weekends—pancakes, bacon, and more. We stay in our pajamas a lot longer. And we play in our backyard or in the kids’ playroom. We try not to schedule anything on Saturday mornings because we want to spend unstructured time together without any commitments. I know this will change as the girls get older and start playing sports, but for now we’re lucky to have this time.

On days you’re not settled in your home, are you able to adapt your routine to fit in with a different environment?

I’m still trying to figure this one out. When I travel, I manage to fit in a workout about 50 percent of the time. I tend to stay up a bit later when I’m traveling and maximize evening time for meetings, networking, and catching up on emails. I always grab breakfast on the go, and I have learned to stick with the basics—yogurt and coffee.

What do you do if you fail to follow your morning routine, and how does this influence the rest of your day?

When I don’t take time for myself in the morning, I feel incredibly rushed. Even just thirty minutes where I’m alone gives me fuel for a long day with my kids and with The Riveter.

Photo of Amy by Jane G Photography.