A few weeks ago, I woke up and checked social media within ten minutes like the idiot I am. There was some news story criticizing some celebrity I don’t even like. Still pissed me off. My heart rate threatened my life as I thought, “Why does the news have to be so negative all the time? Did they ever just report the news without needing to—“
I’ll spare you the torture of my internal tirade. Screwed up my whole morning, though. I was pissy with my husband. The dog I call Blindey (she’s old, blonde and blind) kept getting in my way so I pushed her after she tripped me, and I couldn’t even finish NYT Connections because I apparently broke my brain.
That’s when I realized how I spend my mornings shapes my whole day. Intellectually, I know certain social media is a “fuck no” before lunch. But some days I want to feel “plugged into pop culture” so I hit those sites before I even get out of bed.
Think about how you feel when you wake up to another tiresome article about some politician you hate doing something you disapprove of. Compare that to how you feel when you wake up slow to the sounds of nature and don’t even think to check your devices until someone asks you when Paul Newman died (2008, age 83).
Now I’m trying to develop a morning ritual that is more inspiring than draining. A ritual that makes me happy to be alive, not annoyed that some irrelevant asshole is. When I start the day right, I walk around with butterflies fluttering around my head and a rainbow lighting my path. Get it wrong and I get nothing done and am a bitch to everyone I see.
I’ve been collecting ideas about how to improve my mornings. Plus, I want to know what you do to elevate your day.
Waking Up
Method
I’ve never woken up loud clang of a horrifying alarm. I’ve known people who placed the alarm clock across the room so they’d actually get out of bed for work or school. When I need an alarm, I set up nature sounds. If I had to wake up every day at a certain time every day, I’d be miserable company. I’d also get a light that wakes me up gradually.
Sunrise Alarm Clock
I don’t have this clock yet, but I want it. It does all the things. It’s attractive and wakes you up with light or nature sounds. This is the one!
Time
I wake up with 2-3 hours to spare before I get to work. But this is partly because I work for myself and make my own schedule. Such a luxury isn’t possible for everyone, but I bet even an extra 30 minutes of breathing room can improve the whole day.
Planning The Day
This doesn’t take much time. I just like to think about what I want to get done every day in the morning so I’m less inclined to waste the day. I try to include things that inspire me, something that feeds my life goals, any household chores, and whatever work I want to get done that day. I just make a simple list that I try not to ignore, but usually do.
Food & Drink
Breakfast
Some people insist breakfast is “the most important meal of the day”. Fine, if you have more energy from it or just enjoy breakfast. Try to make it healthy with whole foods — protein, produce and whole grains. But if you don’t like eating breakfast or just don’t want to, don’t bother. You know your body better than any nutritionist.
Caffeine
I recently learned I don’t need caffeine to wake up. I need time. But I do enjoy coffee and tea, so I have one or the other most mornings. However, I no longer drink the crappy stuff from a crappy machine. I get the best I can afford so my morning liquid is enjoyable and luxurious. I recommend you do the same.
A few things I recommend to elevate your mornings (click for details):
Water
I loved Cameron Diaz’s Body Book. One of my favorite tips is keeping a filled water bottle by the bed to drink from the minute you wake up. I got one of those double-walled water bottles from Camelback for this purpose. With ice, the water stays cold for days. It’s not like my skin glows or my wrinkles disappear, but it is refreshing.
Connecting
My husband, Leo, and I taught ourselves how to play Cribbage during Covid. Before work, we play a few hands nearly every day to turn our brains on and engage in a little smack talk (that’s mostly me, though). I also give my favorite dog a hug and snuggle him until he squirms away.
Leo knows not to talk to me in the morning, but bonding over cribbage keeps us connected all day.
Fitness
I don’t typically work out in morning (except maybe to walk before the sun comes up when it’s 342°F in the summer). Since I work from home, I save it for late morning or early afternoon. But you totally should if all the bloggers are to be believed. Even five minutes of stretching, ten minutes of body weight strength training, or fifteen minutes of running can start a lifelong habit to carry you to 100.
If you work for yourself, your schedule may be more flexible so fitness in the morning isn’t required. If not, you probably know how easy it is to skip fitness altogether when everyone goes out for drinks or some client pisses you off and you just want a gallon of ice cream and a weighted blanket.
Peace
For me, peace means doing guided meditation every morning. Leo and I started the habit during Covid and I’ve kept it up. I’m pretty sure my Catholic mother prays every morning. Someone else might journal in their garden. Even five minutes of reflection on life, gratitude or deep thoughts helps calm any anxiety and focus attention where it counts.
Spirit
This one’s unusual, I know. Think of it as mental health support. I spend maybe 10-20 minutes doing something that feeds my soul. I might read a chapter of a personal development book, watch an inspiring TED talk, or listen to an empowering podcast. Just something uplifting that reminds me who I am, who I want to be, and what I need to do to get there.
Learning
Possibly my favorite part of the morning is learning. I like to a few minutes learning something new. For a while, I was learning French. Sometimes, I’ll read an article in The New Yorker or Wired or watch an educational TED talk. It sets my brain up for better function than celebrity gossip ever could.
Combined Strategies
I know it seems like a lot of tasks are a luxury since I work for myself, but I combine a lot of them to make the most of my time. For instance, I often stretch or walk while reading or watching TED talks. I always read when I eat. Often times, Leo and I take our early morning walks together.
If I had just 30 extra minutes, I’d probably break it down like this:
- Meditate – 5 minutes
- Fitness – 15 minutes of walking with Leo
- Spirit – 10 minutes eating while reading something that’s good for my spirit
- Commute – Listening to educational or inspiring podcasts (see, the commute is bonus time you didn’t even know you had!)
For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: ‘If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?’ And whenever the answer has been ‘No’ for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.
Steve Jobs
Morning Activities to Avoid
“Popular” Social Media
This means anything in your feeds that you didn’t choose to see from people you don’t follow. It’s inevitable on any platform, but the worst offenders are things like TikTok home, Reddit’s “Popular”, and floating through “Search” on Instagram.
Work Email & Texts, Teams, Etc.
Unless you’re on a serious deadline, wait until you get to work. Few things are that important. Don’t let someone else’s demands derail your you time.
News
News is rarely uplifting, unless it comes from curated joyful sources. I don’t even know any. If you do, let me know what they are in the comments below. For now, I get my news on my lunch break.