Dear Thursday: The Ideal Morning Routine
So, despite being full of plans, including grocery shopping, cooking, returning phone calls, and working on my novel, I was suddenly gripped by a terrible exhaustion around 7:15pm, crawled into bed for a nap at 7:30pm and just woke up at 4:30 am this morning.
Now, let’s get this straight — going to be at 7pm is NOT COOL. My grandma goes to bed later than that, and after 8 days away from CH, I really value our quality (read TV) time together. But I’ve been waking at 4:30 ever since I returned from Europe, and I’m wondering now if I can magically convert myself into a morning person.
I’ve always wanted to be a morning person, writing in the darkest hour right before dawn, eating as the sun peaked over the horizon. That’s why I find this Jezebel item re: the Michael Agger Slate item about “ideal morning routines” so very intriguing:
Agger outlines the routine of Leo Babauta of Zen Habits: “1. Wake at 4:30 a.m. 2. Drink water. 3. Set 3 Most Important Things (MITs) for today. 4. Fix lunches for kids and myself. 5. Eat breakfast, read. 6. Exercise (run, bike, swim, strength, or yardwork) or meditate. 7. Shower. 8. Wake wife & kids at 6:30 a.m.”
Intimidating, right? But since I’m working on complaining less this week, I’m thinking of spinning my new jet lag/first trimester sleeping into next week’s weekly habit by deciding on an ideal morning routine and sticking to it. More on Monday, but just so I can get prepared, let me know what your Ideal Morning Routine would be, if you could drag your butt out of bed earlier in the comments.
Also, if you actually already have and stick to an Ideal Morning Routine, pray tell the rest of us how you do it.
Oh and the Jezebel take on this idea is hilarious, so definitely take a second to read it when you have a chance.
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Why would anyone WANT to become a morning person?!?!
Why would anyone WANT to become a morning person?!?!
hahaha — well I heard somewhere that the early bird gets the worm and I’m definitely chasing that worm these days, knowhattamean…
Worms are not awake at that hour, ya’ll!
Worms are not awake at that hour, ya’ll!
Not too long ago (a couple of months) I was trying to figure out how to build regular writing time into my schedule. I finally decided to get up a half hour earlier in the morning and write for thirty minutes. So I moved my alarm from 6:30 to 6:00 a.m. and it became a magical time. In fact, I loved the extra time so much that I cheated, and added reading in there, and did it until 7:00 or 7:30.
Then of course election work intervened and the whole thing went to hell, because I was working seven day weeks and twelve hour days, but now that the election is over I’m getting back to it and I love it.
Left to my own devices I become a night person real fast. Favorite time to write is about 2 am. It’s dark and quiet. Alone and productive.
But morning can be that way too, if you’re the only one stirring in the house…
Not too long ago (a couple of months) I was trying to figure out how to build regular writing time into my schedule. I finally decided to get up a half hour earlier in the morning and write for thirty minutes. So I moved my alarm from 6:30 to 6:00 a.m. and it became a magical time. In fact, I loved the extra time so much that I cheated, and added reading in there, and did it until 7:00 or 7:30.
Then of course election work intervened and the whole thing went to hell, because I was working seven day weeks and twelve hour days, but now that the election is over I’m getting back to it and I love it.
Left to my own devices I become a night person real fast. Favorite time to write is about 2 am. It’s dark and quiet. Alone and productive.
But morning can be that way too, if you’re the only one stirring in the house…