I am a huge advocate for morning routines. My day, mood, energy, and productivity are just better when I stick to my routine. Currently my mornings look a little like this...
6:30-7am I'm definitely a morning bird. It's when I'm most productive and have the most energy. Naturally I wake up around 6-6:30 and get out of bed about 7. I know there's a lot of people out there that are against this, but I spend that 20-30mins before getting out of bed going through my phone and scrolling through instagram. I'm aware that it's a bit of a nasty habit, but ya know, I do it.
7-7:45am Once I'm out of bed, it's time to make it and open up the blinds before feeding the pups and letting them out side. While the dogs are outside, I get myself a big glass of water to drink before making coffee. Hydrate, dehydrate, and rehydrate, am I right!? While I have my morning coffee, I like to write out my day (I'm a very visual person) and three things I'm grateful for. This part of my day is monumental! Making a conscious choice to begin my day with a grateful heart and positive mindset makes all the difference. After that, it's time to get ready for a workout.
8-8:30am Since the gyms aren't open right now, short and sweet (20-30mins) home workouts are what I'm doing. Sometimes it's a low intensity ride on the bike, other times it's HIIT or bodyweight circuits. I'm beginning to really enjoy the convenience of home workouts and don't miss the gym very much anymore!
8:30-9:30am I'm one of those people that gets HANGRY after a good workout, so when I'm done its right to the kitchen for some food! I'm a creature of habit, so oatmeal is my go to breakfast. There are so many variations, it's hard to grow bored of it. After breakfast, I shower and get ready for the day. Even on days I'm working from home, getting ready is an important part of a productive workday for me.
9:30am (10am on nanny days) I start working! On days I have shoots or a wedding, my starting time for work obviously vary, and with the worlds current situation, my workload is minimal. I don't have shoots with deadlines to edit which takes up a lot of my "work from home time" typically. Right now it's a lot of working on projects, the blog, content creating, and emails and messages on all of my business platforms. I still like to get started on everything in the morning, and if I get done with a whole lot of day left, that just leaves more time to do other things!
I want to make clear that I'm not rigid by the minute to this routine of mine. Some mornings are slower and some are faster. I try to keep in mind that my days and the structure I place on them are not set in stone. I use it as an outline to keep myself on track and adjust as need be (I'm very fortunate to have the flexibility in my schedule to do this). Though I will be the first to admit that spontaneity is not my strong suit, so "loose structure" is not a natural concept to me, but it's important to allow yourself some grace, and respect what your body and mind need from you day to day. Anyways, how about you? Do you thrive on routine and structure like me, or are you more of a 'go with the flow' kinda gal (or guy)? What's something you do everyday that you notice really throws you off when you don't do it?