My Morning Routine
In my last blog post, I talked about the importance of morning routines, and I’ve alluded to some things I do each morning. So this week, I want to delve a little deeper into my personal practice.
I get up between 6 am and 7 am every morning. (Yes, every morning, including the weekend). I am an early bird and insomniac, so not hard for me. If you feel you need to sleep longer, that is fine. A morning routine can be done at 6 am or 10 am; it doesn’t matter. The importance is that you do one.
After getting up, I usually empty and fill the dishwasher and drink a glass of water.
I then jump into the shower and wash. Next, I combine water temperatures going from cold to hot and cold again. Cold water boosts my energy and helps me wake up.
After showering I dress, sometimes in a T-Shirt and Jeans, sometimes in more fancy clothes. I keep my clothes variation to a minimum to prevent decision fatigue and to ensure the process is quick and frictionless. However, I do dress every day rather than stay in my pyjamas as being dressed tells my mind that it’s now time to start the day, start work.
Once I am dressed, I go into the lounge, with a tea table by the window. I sit there for the next half hour or so. I start off by drinking several cups of Japanese green tea in silence. In the winter, I might light a candle and some incense. But, of course, you are not required to drink green tea; it divides people; coffee, black tea or anything else is perfectly fine. The act of quiet reflection is essential, the act of being fully present with your drink.
After tea, I read a daily poem, currently reading William Morris. I vary what I read, anything from contemporary black female writers to 16th Century poets.
Meditation is an integral part of my morning ritual. I use Headspace, which provides me with my daily dose of guided meditation. There are other apps and YouTube channels out there. I used Calm for a while but have settled on Headspace. Sometimes I work through meditation courses, and sometimes I do one-off guided exercises. Most days, I meditate for 5 – 10 minutes, but sometimes I meditate for longer.
I finish off this part of my morning by journaling. I have experimented with both analogue and digital journaling. Currently, I am using an app called Diarium. Day One is another popular app. It really doesn’t matter which you use; find an analogue or digital system that suits you. I have a set of predetermined questions and prompts that help me get pen to paper, but sometimes I ignore them and just free flow whatever springs to mind
After journaling, I go for my daily walk. On days with nice weather, I go out for an hour. On rainy days I muster 5 minutes. I live in London but am fortunate enough to have large green spaces near my house.
At around 8 o’clock, I have completed my morning routine and start work.