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20 November 2015
Friday Question NOT from the Book of Questions Do you have a morning routine? What is it?
Here's mine:
1. Hit the snooze button twice, then hang up the sleep mask, turn on the bedside light, pet my dog (who sleeps with me), turn on the TV news on the ABC affiliate, and get up.
2. Make the bed, lay out my clothes, and get in the shower.
3. Get dressed, put on makeup, jewelry and perfume and leave the bedroom.
4. Say good morning and see you later to my Bear, who gets up separately to do kitty and dog care.
5. Grab breakfast en route at Starbucks.
Get up.
If I showered the night before, I try to tame my hair. If not, I shower.
Dress.
Feed the bird.
Feed the inside cats.
Feed the outside cats.
Walk the dog.
Feed the dog.
Clean the litter boxes.
Wash hands.
Sometimes start the dishwasher, otherwise...
Hurry out the door for a 45 minute commute.
Get up.
Feed cat.
Make a double espresso.
Make toast, top with either Nutella or butter and honey.
Sit down at computer.
Have breakfast while getting up to date.
Say "good morning" to my wife via Adium once she gets to work.
Get a shower.
Get dressed.
Sit back down at computer.
Start work.
1st alarm goes off. Go back to sleep.
2nd alarm goes off. Get up.
Feed cats.
Put on gym clothes.
Exercise.
Eat breakfast while reading a book.
Fix snacks for work.
Scoop litterboxes.
Shower.
Dress.
Comb hair.
See if car needs defrosting.
Bag up stuff.
Go to work.
This does not include the whining about not wanting to do any of the above. Except possibly breakfast. I always want breakfast.
1. Make coffee
2. Bathroom while it's brewing
3. Drink coffee and ponder the infinite or just stare at the stove
4. Eat a Clif bar
5. Drink more coffee and read Metafilter for half an hour
7. Wake up wife
6. Shower, teeth, dress
7. Drink more coffee while she showers and dresses
8. Drive us both to work (we work for different companies but one floor apart in the same building).
My morning routine depends on my having done my night-time routine - setting out my clothes, making sure my bag is ready with keys, travel and work passes and a post-it on the door knob saying 'lunch'.
So my morning routine is:
- shower, brush teeth
- heat coffee up in microwave
- while coffee is heating, apply body lotion, moisturiser, deodorant and lip balm
- get coffee
- top up Lucy's food and water
- get dressed and put on my wristwatch
- apply makeup (minimal amount usually)
- straighten hair
- final bathroom visit
- add Kindle and phone to bag
- remember to get lunch out of the fridge
- feed the birds
- put coat on, which is the signal for Lucy to have her 'bye bye' treats
- check the back door is locked
- pop some gum into my mouth as I leave for the station
On my homeworking days my routine is
- bathroom, coffee maker ON, sweatpants ON, computer ON, then straight to my desk.
Amro, most days I wake at 6am; one day a week I need to be up by 5am. For years it was 5am every day (so I could get myself ready before waking my two sons and getting them ready for the daycare/school etc. It's so much easier now they're grown!)
Mine goes off at 5.15. I have a backup wind-up clock set for 6am, just in case of a power cut in the night that knocks out my electric one (which is an old-fashioned clock-radio-alarm-telephone, I am very old-school).
My phone's alarm is set for 6:00 and my wife's is set for 6:30. We both usually ignore them and I generally get out of bed around 6:45. We leave for work around 8:30 so there's no real rush, our commute's about 25 minutes.
I set my phone alarm for 6am, then reset it for 6:20, when I actually get up. Then it's bathroom, dress, back to the bathroom for hair and teeth before Jon gets up and needs the shower, then make my lunch and coffee (in a thermos), pack my bag (iPad, phone, lunch, papers for work) and get my personal items (ones I carry on me, like keys and wallet, watch and wedding ring, all of which I keep by my desk so I won't forget). Shoes are usually last. I try to shower at night, about once a week (my psoriosis breaks out if I shower more often). Sometimes Jon and I walk out together, around 7:15/7:20. He takes the bus/train, and I drive (about 40 min.).
When I feel like I just can't go one more day, my routine saves me. Go into autopilot and just show up, come what may. You can go years like that, until one morning when you wake up a giant cockroach (sorry, we're reading Kafka in my AP class).
On weekdays I do as much as possible at night (ablutions, choose clothes, pack bag) or at work (lipstick, coffee, breakfast) so that my mornings are utterly streamlined.
I get up and feed Crosbie the dog around 7. Then if I need to be at work early I put on the pre-selected clothes, brush my hair quickly, head out the door, and drive to work. That usually takes about half an hour. Otherwise I scoot back into bed until the very last second, then do the same.
Depending on day, I get up at 4:15, 4:35, or 5:15.
Get up go to pee and pet kitties as they visit.
Go to kitchen and make hot chocolate and turn on coffee pot that I got ready previous night.
Feed feline rulers.
Go back to bathroom and take pills, put in contacts, put up hair, dab on a little face paint. Feed Ms. Nibs a few treats. (She is in spare sink (supervising.)
Go put on clothes, the back to bathroom for earrings, watch and anything else.
Clean litter box.
Back to kitchen. Throw a few things in lunch tote. Sometimes, do something for an on-the-go breakfast.
Grab computer bag, lunch tote and whatever else and put in car; feed outside beasties.
Back inside to fill go cup and give kitties a wee bit of play. Toss them some treats and grab coffee and purse and head out door 60 to 90 mins after wakeup (depending on day and destination.)
(because I work from home I tend to shower in the middle of the day, after I've worked out. So I don't have a ton of bathroom time in the morning, which suits me fine.)