Quarantine Routine - My Productive Morning

I have learned a lot about myself since moving to New Hampshire in January, one of them being I am a person who enjoys a productive morning routine. While there can be some small deviations, there are things that must be done before I start my workday in order to set myself up for success for the rest of the day.

Before the COVID-19 crisis, my productive morning routine used to look like this:

• 6:00 am: Wake up and enjoy the first 30 minutes to myself while Jordan goes to the gym. This sometimes consists of me sleeping in a few extra minutes with our dog, Ziggy, or lying in bed thinking about what I have to look forward to in the day and making plans.

• 6:30 am: Gym time! I have to admit, since moving to New Hampshire, I sometimes workout twice a day. I recently learned about Orange Theory and fell in love with it, so gal pal, Christina, and I attend classes together. I always workout first thing in the morning though, it wakes me up and makes me feel great the rest of the day (also, I get the torturing done nice and early).

• 7:00 am: Pick up the house. This can vary from day to day, sometimes it’s washing dishes, or tidying up a room I’m planning on working in that day. I enjoy a clean workspace and since my workspace is usually my living room it’s nice to know everything is picked up and not staring or waiting for me to clean once I finish my workday.

• 7:15 am: Greens drink and protein shake and snack prep

  • I love my morning greens drink, it smells funky, and tastes a little earthy BUT I notice a difference when I don’t drink it. Plus, it helps ensure that the first thing in my body is healthy by providing me a blend of fruits, veggies and pre- and pro-biotics.

  • I also prep my protein shake for late in the morning and my snacks for the day. Although I work from home and grabbing a snack should be easy, it’s easier to grab chips or some other snack that is full of sugar. So instead, I prep my bowl of fruit and veggies so that I can snack on them throughout the day.

• 7:30 am: Get ready for the day. I’m more productive if I get ready like I’m going ‘into’ an office.

• 8:00 am: Start my workday

My routine seems like a lot but I sometimes prep my snacks, protein shake, and lunch the night before. Prepping the night before allows me to not feel as stressed in the morning and if I go to bed late it allows me extra time to sleep in. I do want to mention that getting a good night’s sleep is important, I enjoy falling asleep at 9:30 pm and getting a full 8 to 8 and a half hours of sleep. (Yes, I’m a grandma.)

When the stay at home order came into effect, gyms closed, even the gym in our apartment complex :(. I stayed on top of waking up early and doing video/home workouts. I didn’t let it impact my morning routine. But when the stay at home order was extended through April, I lost my motivation. I found myself staying up later, waking up later, not sticking to my typical morning routine. All the bad habits I had in college came back and it was starting to affect the way I felt about myself and the situation. Eventually, I realized I was being negative or had negative responses (which isn’t the normal Alex). I’m usually a positive person who tries to see the good in a situation or I work to make it better (no one has time to be negative.. way too much energy is wasted that way). So, after three weeks of wondering why I was being so negative and not feeling like my normal self, I decided enough was enough. I put the chips down, did my research on workout equipment, found some new healthy recipes to try, and started to train my body to go to bed at a decent time and wake up early.

It took a solid two weeks before going to bed by 10:00 pm and waking up at 6:30 am felt good. While I’m not quite at 6:00 am, I’m getting there. One might ask, “Why get up so early?” Well, my routine is very mind over matter. Do I really want to wake up at 6:00 am? The answer is a flat out NO. BUT do I want to set myself up for success? The answer is a HECK YES. Don’t think about what time it is and instead stay focused on why you’re doing something. For me, my why is because taking care of my body and mind is important to be able to function at my best. Everyone deserves to feel their best and produce the best work but it all starts with you and how you take care of yourself. I made the decision to start, continue, and finish something that makes me happy. I can come up with a million excuses not to do a lot of things but eventually, it limits me from feeling my best and doing my best.

There are two things I recommend you do in the morning and they can be done simultaneously, exercise, and set goals for the day. You don’t need to do an intense workout, it could be a walk around your block or maybe a nice dance session in the kitchen (que your Echo or Alexa to play your favorite station on Pandora). The point is to get your body moving and get the blood flowing. Research has shown over and over again that exercise has many positive benefits for not only the body but also the mind. I might grumble about my morning workouts but I never regret doing it. I also recommend setting goals for the day. Your goals should be small and realistic. The point is to help keep you on track and feeling accomplished. These recommendations are what works for me, you have to find what works best for you so that when you’re lying in bed, about to drift off into a deep sleep, you can smile and be proud of yourself, knowing you accomplished what you wanted that day.

If you’re worried you’ll fail on day one, take baby steps to get to your ideal morning routine. Try going to bed a half hour earlier and instead of hitting snooze five times, make it a goal to only hit it once. Instead of tackling everything you want to accomplish in the morning try focusing on one thing to get done and then add from there. You’ll be amazed at how good it makes you feel and how much more productive you’ll be the rest of the day. If you happen to have a morning that isn’t productive, it’s okay. You’re not perfect, every day isn’t perfect, and sometimes rest is more important, what matters is you’re trying.

What’s your current productive morning routine? How have you had to modify it to fit the current circumstances?

XOXO, Alex