There’s no question about it, I’m a morning person. For many years, I have had a morning routine. It started back in my school days. I believe by the time I got to 6th grade was when I really started to create my own morning routine. Fun fact: I asked for an alarm clock for Christmas when I was in 5th grade because I knew for middle school I would need to take the bus and the school started an hour earlier. During the summer between 5th and 6th grade, I practiced getting up at 6am.
In 6th grade my morning routine included eating breakfast first thing. I was always starving for breakfast. Then getting dressed, brushing my teeth, making my lunch and calling up my friend and telling her parents I would be over in about 10 minutes. [Back in the days before cell phones.] My friend was NOT a morning person and there were times I called and she wouldn’t even be out of bed yet, so my call was like a wake up call. I would head over a block to her house and if she wasn’t ready I would play look out for the bus and yes I would totally ditch her so I wouldn’t miss the bus, but luckily we always made it, somehow.
Fast forward 16 years (wow I’m feeling old now), my morning routine varies on whether I am going to the gym in the morning or not. If I am going to the gym, I have a 4:45am alarm (I know, it’s early!). I usually sleep in my workout top, immediately put on my pants, drink about half of a smoothie I prepped the night before and head out the door to the gym.
I return shortly after 6 and then make breakfast part 2, cooking up some bacon and finishing my smoothie. If I am really hungry, I will also make some oatmeal. While I eat, I catch up on Youtube videos, Netflix or read blogs. Usually I do this for about a half hour and then Brian’s brother heads to work. I then clean up my dishes, brush my teeth, pick out my clothes and get dressed and then have some chill time. I usually have about 20 extra minutes in the morning. While some people might want to sleep 20 minutes longer, I use the time to write, pay bills online or just continue to watch Netflix. Being a morning person, I like to take my time and not feel rushed.
What changes if I am not going to the gym is I get to “sleep in” until 6am and then make bacon and oatmeal for breakfast and everything else the same follows.
I pack up my lunch the night before so I grab it from the fridge and put some salad dressing on my salad and then I’m ready to go. On a regular day, I arrive to work between 7:40 and 8am. I like to be early and my current job, the parking lot fills up quickly between 7:50 and 8am. If you are too close to 8am, you have to park in the far far away lot. OK it’s not that bad with our current weather, but in winter, I wouldn’t want to walk the extra half mile or so.
On the weekend, my morning routine is pretty laid back. I usually wake up between 7 and 8 unless I have to be somewhere early. I make breakfast. This is when I try to switch up my breakfast and make protein pancakes. After eating, I pretty much get dressed into workout clothes and head to the gym or yoga. I just like getting out first thing in the morning. Then while I am out, I can run all my errands. Saturdays are for grocery shopping and any other stores I need to stop at. That way, Sunday is for cooking and relaxing at home.
I feel like by having a morning routine, I can better tackle the day. It helps me feel organized. I always work better in the morning too. Once lunch hits, I seem to work slower, especially if I don’t have a specific project I am working on. Honestly if I had the option, I would love to work like 6-2:30 and then do my workouts mid afternoon and be home for the evening. Maybe one day I will get my optimal schedule. I also just like that the morning is my “me time.” I don’t like to have conversations in the morning and I especially don’t like to talk before getting food in my belly. I am a bit better at it now, but I like peace and quiet mornings.
When Brian is home, he usually sleeps in and I kind of like that we have different schedules so that I can have my peace and quiet. Even when we traveled, since I was the morning person, I would start breakfast or go workout while Brian slept. We realized that it helped our sanity because otherwise I’m a little kid jumping on Brian to get up so we can do something. I realized it’s better if I go do something for me while he sleeps and then when I return, he is ready to go.
Now I just need to get better at having an evening routine and putting my phone or computer away at least 30 minutes before sleeping.
Do you have a morning routine?
Are you a morning or night person?
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I used to be a coffee fiend, but have been (coffee) sober for about 3 months now. Every morning, I nurse a hot cup of black tea with a splash of unsweetened almond milk. It’s my ritual. (: I definitely agree with your weekend mantra. Do the errands on Saturday, relax on Sunday. A Sunday well-spent brings a week of content!
That’s a great ritual Nicole.