Developing a morning routine as a traveler & at home
Starting the day off right in any location
The kettle started to bubble, and it was nearly time to make my daily pour-over coffee. I looked down at my bare feet and thought about how stiff I felt. I'd only been awake for five minutes, and I usually wait hours before I stretch. Today was different.
I bent down, touched my toes. Did some squats, a few pushups, and then my own bastardized version of a sun salutation yoga combo. This is how I stretch, often a few times per day, but sometimes only once or not at all.
I drank a big glass of water and felt like a new man. Only then I realized that I don't have a morning routine. A few components are regular members of my morning, like that can't-miss-cup-of-joe, but the rest come and go... when I feel like it.
Location is a big factor for if I have a morning routine and what it might look like. When I got home after a long stint in Europe last year, my body clock had me waking up at 5am for months afterward, and I loved it. I started writing online in January and tried to post one new blog post per day. I'd write for hours until I had to go to work. It became automatic. I'd wake up, and my mind would immediately jump into the writer's workshop.
A new morning routine developed during my four-month US road trip this summer:
Make the bed.
Get dressed - add layers for chilly temps, shed layers when the sun hits.
Drink water & wash my face.
Make coffee & breakfast.
Read or write, or both.
Brush my teeth.
Stretch!
Workout, or edit video, or drive if I was on a time crunch to be somewhere.
Yes, you read that right. Bathing was not a regular part of my mornings, but I squeezed it in there from time to time. Slightly stinky is a badge of honor for a man living in his pickup truck.
I went to Italy & Scotland in September, and another routine was born. I'd sneak out of my hostel bunk, take a shower and fix my contacts. Depending on what was available in the hostel kitchen, I'd make coffee there or walk to a cafe down the street.
My Italian mornings would often begin with a walk, something I never do at home in Tennessee. And they began with a bath, something I never do in the Tacoma.
My Euro 2024 morning routine was similar to my Euro 2023 mornings, but with a clearer head from little to no booze the night before.
In Portugal & Spain, I'd walk to get espresso, drink it at the cafe, then wander until I found a sidewalk fruit stand. Eating fruits as I go, I'd watch the locals open up restaurants, walk their dogs before work, go for a morning jog or sip coffee at a cafe patio. I love how the morning sun mimics that evening golden hour, so I'd snap photos of anything that caught my eye. Then I'd write in my travel journal, or go find a hostel friend to explore with me.
I'm a spontaneous person who struggles to develop discipline, routine and focus. Most ultra successful people are systematic, their days have a rhythm. I'm learning to lean into that, to uncover that structured side of me that's hiding beneath "work on what I want when I want to."
I don't obsess over "optimizing" my life. Google the morning routine of any notable person you admire, and you're sure to find articles and videos of how they optimize their day. While there's wisdom to pull from these people, it doesn't make sense for anyone to copy another person's morning routine.
Smart people design their days to complement the productive parts of their brains and combat the unproductive parts. My brain and yours are unique, just like theirs, so we have to test and tinker with our morning routine until we find something that clicks.
I like my slow mornings with a few hours of writing and reading. This is when I'm most productive. This sets me up for a good editing sesh, or a hard workout. I feel accomplished in the morning, which motivates me to keep it going throughout the day.
But the first step before that kettle whistles is to stretch. I won't forget to stretch anymore. Stretch before coffee, work out the kinks, and my morning routine falls into place. Or so I hope.
If you go to work early, and you're interested in buying more time for a slower morning, I wrote about that here. Life is a never-ending series of testing what works best for us and adapting to big life changes, so don't dismiss the possibility that you might love an earlier morning like I did in Dec-Jan-Feb.
What's your morning routine right now?
How does it compare to your routine five years ago?
What changes do you want to make, if any?
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What's your morning routine right now?
Since few years ago, my morning routine is the same : I wake up at 6.30am, get dressed, wash my face and apply a little make-up, have breakfast with a coffee, brush my teeth and head off to work with a thermos cup of coffee to get the day off to a good start.
I'd like to say that I don't have time to do other things, but in fact, I often like to take the time to wake up quietly.
If I had to add anything, it would be to take time to read, to awaken myself intellectually and spiritually.
This article is a pleasure to read and very captivating.