How Do You Start Your Day?

When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive — to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.

— Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

A few weeks ago I was on one of my regular video calls with Fran. It was seven o’clock in the morning for her. Midday for me, three thousand miles away on the opposite side of the Atlantic. Fran described her morning routine. Afterwards, I captured a few notes, knowing I’d want to explore the idea further.

Blog post: How I Start My Day. Inspired by Fran describing her early morning activities. Her start is gentle, flowing, all quiet movement. Plumping her pillows and making her bed when she gets up. Putting her coffee machine on. Turning on her fairy lights. A twenty second pause as she turns on her artificial fish tank and watches their dance. Collecting her coffee. Moving to the couch for our first call of the day. Mine is nowhere near as relaxed or contemplative.

I smile at that final line in my notes. I’d hesitate to describe myself as having a morning routine. It’s more a case of “get up and go.” There’s rarely more than fifteen minutes between me getting out of bed and starting whatever’s first on my schedule for the day, be that logging in for work or heading out to the office or my favourite coffee shop.

On Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays the alarm on my phone is set for 06:50. Those are the days I work from home and by 07:00 I’ll be sitting at the little table that serves me as a desk, logged in on my work laptop, first coffee of the day at my side. On Wednesdays and Thursdays my alarm is set for 05:40. Those are the days I’m in the office. Getting up at that time ensures I’ll catch my train and be at my desk around 06:45. On Saturdays I get up at 07:30 and head out for breakfast and my weekly blogging session at my local Costa Coffee. On Sunday mornings I lie in until 08:30. I’m sitting at my favourite table at Costa within half an hour.

All this might seem rushed but I don’t find it so. I lay my clothes out the night before and have my bag packed if I’m heading out. My backpack for the office, a smaller shoulder bag for writing sessions at Costa. I clear my little table of clutter for the days I’m working from home so all I have to do is open the laptop and log in.

I like to get up a few minutes before my alarm sounds. I go to the bathroom, dress myself, and leave the house or settle into my chair more or less on autopilot. Hmmm. A shift in perspective. Perhaps it’s not rushed at all. It’s efficient. Condensed. My start to the day isn’t as gentle or contemplative as Fran’s but it feels natural to me nonetheless. There’s a flow to my movements and activities as I transition from sleep into my day. It might even be called graceful.

Coffee is an important part of my morning routine. Whether at my desk at home, in the office, or at Costa, that first coffee enables the transition from resting Marty to active Marty. I drink that first coffee in half an hour or so. The second and subsequent cups are sipped as I move through my day. I hate reaching for an empty cup, so they’re refreshed as soon as I drain them. I’ll drink three or four throughout the day. Another in the evening.

I’ve focused on mornings but what about bedtime? I used to regularly stay up until one o’clock in the morning but midnight is more common nowadays. To save you the maths, that means I get between five and a half and eight and a half hours of sleep a night. Around seven hours averaged over a week.

My morning routine isn’t especially healthy. I rarely have breakfast, apart from Saturdays when I’ll have a toasted sandwich at Costa. I don’t meditate, stretch, or exercise. I also check my phone as soon as I’m dressed, which is another no-no according to articles I’ve seen on the subject. A quick search online suggests the following.

A healthy morning routine involves waking consistently, hydrating immediately, moving your body (stretch / walk / exercise), eating a protein-rich breakfast, and avoiding your phone to focus on self-care like meditating or setting goals, creating a positive, productive start by fueling your body and mind.

My routine works for me but here are three articles offering some arguably healthier approaches.

• Tips to help you build and maintain a healthy morning routine
• Best morning routine: 21 steps for a more productive day
• 6 Morning Rituals That Will Make You Productive All Day

No matter how we “rise and shine” it’s worth remembering that each day offers an opportunity to make a difference, to learn something new, to grow, or simply to experience more of the world. In the words of Karon Waddell, “You are never too old to start over. Every day is a chance to make changes to create the life we want.” Or, in a line that carries personal significance for me,

Each dawn is a new beginning.

 

Over to You

In this post I’ve described how Fran and I begin our days. How do you begin yours? Do you step gracefully into each morning as Fran does or is it more a case of “get up and go” like me? We’d love to hear from you, either in the comments below or via our contact page.

 

Photo by Jonathan Mueller at Unsplash.