I was recently thinking, how did I get into morning routines? I certainly didn't care about these kinds of things in high school or college, but for the last few years I've been intrigued and convinced that a morning routine works well for me.
Back when Josh and I lived in the Green Mountains of Vermont, I have memories of waking up before Josh, making some breakfast and tea, and sitting with my laptop to write blog posts. I enjoyed the early peace of the mornings, with a bit of alone time before the day began.
When we lived in New York City and I took on a full time position as a regional farmers' market coordinator for lower Manhattan, I loved having a morning routine. Getting up to be on call at 6am five days a week was hard, but having something to look forward to in those early morning hours at home made me happy. With my cell phone nearby and ready, but armed with my laptop for writing, a smoothie or overnight oats, and a cup of coffee, I was ready to take on the day, and those early phone calls. By the time I got to the farmers' markets or office I'd already done some writing, taken the dog on a walk, and had my coffee and breakfast.
Then I got pregnant. While I had a smooth and healthy pregnancy, I still had much insomnia and fatigue, so sleeping in until I absolutely had to get up was much more appealing than any type of morning routine. And once our daughter was born, there was definitely no time, or even a thought, about getting up early. I knew that one day I'd probably get back into it, but for a long time, our daughter was my alarm clock, and I was happy to get as much sleep as possible.
For the last month or two I've started to get back into a morning routine, waking up before the rest of the household and getting some things done.
It's magic. I find my mood is better all day long when I have these 30-60 minutes (sometimes more, sometimes less) to myself. I'm constantly making changes, and figuring out what feels good and what makes me happy. And it's just what I need. A charge up.