Photo by Wes Hicks on Unsplash
- Are you a morning person? or a night owl? Is your partner the same?
- Do you wake up with an alarm? What time do you get up?
- What’s your morning routine?
- Do you keep the same general routine on the weekends? when you travel?
- What’s your favorite thing about the morning?
Morning person or night owl?
I am definitely a morning person now, although I’m not sure I always was. I think early on when I was in school I was good at staying up late studying (I was/is a terrible procrastinator), but then in college I went to work early (5:30AM) at Starbucks or teaching pre-school and took classes at night, so I got better about getting up early and it stuck.
Now, honestly, I’m useless after 7 PM. I’m grouchy and lazy and can be a real bitch. I’d like to work on that though, because it’s very frustrating for me, and for Leo. I need a jolt, a change in routine I think, which I am trying to figure out now. It’s so hard though…messing with a routine! But it’s not really working for me anymore, I’m not happy with how I feel in the evenings.
Leo is definitely more of a night owl, he goes to bed hours after I do, usually around 1 or 2 in the morning.
How do you wake up?
Before my accident I was getting up to an alarm at 5:30 AM, but would generally wake up around that time anyway. Now, I wake up and get up when I’m ready. I usually wake up between 5:30 and 6 but in the winter it’s hard to get out of bed so I hang out there for a while and get up closer to 7. Sometimes I fall back asleep, which I don’t like, because that’s when I have the CRAZIEST dreams.
Morning routine
Lay in bed for a couple minutes, I check email, read some news, etc., and then get up. Pee immediately (I love that I’m not getting up in the middle of the night anymore to pee, I was doing that for a while and it was a real pain! I’ve really tried to avoid drinking much an hour before I go to bed, and that helps).
I throw my sweater on top of my pajamas now, and get up to let Dagny outside. I usually empty the dishwasher while she’s outside, and then feed her when she comes back in. I start working on my coffee: I use a chemex, so I grind my beans, and set the water in my electric kettle to heat up to 200 degrees and stay there while I go and use the foam roller upstairs.
(I used to meditate for 20 minutes in the mornings but haven’t done that in FOREVER)
I roll for about 10 minutes or so, then I go back downstairs to prepare my coffee. I fiddle around a bit in the kitchen while it brews; I open the blinds in the living room, wander around a bit straightening up, etc. When the coffee’s done, I pour some in a thermos and some in my mug and go upstairs to work. I like to be upstairs working by no later than 7:30.
I work until I leave for Pure Barre at around 9:30 or earlier if I have packages to drop off at the post office. Class is at 10 and I get home around 11:15, which is when I prepare my vitamin/protein smoothie for “breakfast” – or at least my first meal of the day. I take a probiotic right before I drink my smoothie.
(I’ve been “fasting” for 16 hours the last several months – I restrict my eating to 8 hours a day between 11:30 and 7:30 roughly. There are supposed to be tremendous long-term benefits to your body doing this, and I do notice it helps keep my weight in check, but I think it might also be why I tend to eat more in the evenings. I’m working on tweaking my routine, like I said…)
Weekend/travel variation
I don’t vary my routine much at all, except on the weekends instead of going upstairs to work, I sit in the kitchen area and read with my coffee. I don’t normally attend Pure Barre on the weekends either, so it’s a more leisurely morning. I’m still up early though, and doing stuff!
I DO NOT like to lay around in bed at all, either in the mornings or at night. I have been uncomfortable (waking up with an aching back) when I wake up lately, so that’s a big impetus to just get up, but I’ve never liked lounging in bed anyway. Probably because we were definitely NOT allowed to do that as kids. Up and at ’em was the rule at my house. Beds made, and don’t get in them or sit on them again until bedtime 😉
Sometimes when Leo and I travel together I’ll allow myself to lounge around a bit in bed, because he LOVES to do that…
Favorite thing about the morning?
There’s a sense of promise and hope about a new day that I love. And also, COFFEE. I look forward to my two (very large) cups of strong black coffee EVERY.SINGLE.MORNING. I really only drink coffee in the early morning; I can’t drink it all day or after noon because then I don’t sleep. It’s just a really enjoyable routine by now, although I have gone through periods where I try to quit coffee. I did that a while ago, and was able to wean myself off of coffee for a month or so, but I couldn’t tell any significant benefit. I don’t like being addicted to something, and I am addicted, but there are worse things. I think.
I also like to watch the sunrise from my office window if it’s sunny, and I am up in time.
I especially love Monday mornings – I really like my weekday routine! And my work gives me purpose…I sometimes feel a little lost on the weekends, although I do work quite a bit still. More stuff I need to work on haha! I’d like to cultivate more hobbies and interests to do on the weekends.
Your turn!!
Hi- I enjoy your blog. One question : do you socialize ? I never see you mention friends . Is that by choice or by circumstance?
Are you a morning person? or a night owl? Is your partner the same?
I used to be a confirmed night owl however now I pretty much have to be a morning person. I look forward to the day I can revert back! My husband usually stays up later than me.
Do you wake up with an alarm? What time do you get up?
My alarm goes off at 5:10 AM on weekdays. I usually wake up around 7 AM on weekends unless my son decides I need to wake up earlier.
What’s your morning routine?
I get up early so I can exercise before my husband and son get up. Usually yoga, maybe some body weight training (NYT 7 minute workout) or sometimes just a walk. After that I have my ACV & lemon in hot water, take a shower, get dressed, start getting my son up, make breakfast, finish packing lunches, and then out the door to school/work.
Do you keep the same general routine on the weekends? when you travel?
I still try to do some yoga on weekends but rarely when I travel. No lunch packing or getting people to work and school though!
What’s your favorite thing about the morning?
Time to myself (and coffee).
Are you a morning person? or a night owl? Is your partner the same?
Morning person, always. Didn’t like to sleep as a kid – now I wish I could get all those nap-times back! Husband is on the same schedule, which is super awesome (we’ve seen in my mom and my sister how disruptive it can be when it’s not the case…)
Do you wake up with an alarm? What time do you get up?
Coffee is on a timer so it wakes me up at 6am. I’m pretty much always awake anyway. Only use an alarm when I need to get to a VERY important early meeting or the airport.
What’s your morning routine?
Wake up when coffee goes off, take shower. Get coffee while brushing teeth, dry & style hair while drinking coffee & reading a magazine. Get dressed, get lunch (mine and husband) feed the cat (while I get ready, my husband – who showers at night – drinks his coffee & eats breakfast while watching tv) and head to work, 30 mile commute, so 45-60 minutes, eat breakfast when I get to work. I drink a 2nd cup of coffee during my commute and that’s it for coffee for me – I can’t drink it after I eat food, which I know is the opposite of most people’s coffee/tummy issue….
Do you keep the same general routine on the weekends? when you travel?
We’re almost always up early, though we try to sleep in until 7 on the weekends and when we travel. Travel schedules are completely different depending on where & what we’re doing – work, pleasure, staying in a hotel or renting an apartment, etc.
What’s your favorite thing about the morning?
My commute, ironically. I have learned to appreciate the “me” time – I always listen to music (listening to audio books or podcasts during my commute annoys me – I’ve tried it repeatedly) I sing & dance in my car (my commute is almost all back country roads) think about my to-do list, my job, my life. Make plans, dream. On the way home, it’s time to decompress after work so I’m not grumpy with my husband when I get home.
Before I met my husband, I was a “read paper, drink coffee & have a bagel in bed” person. He is not. So I’ve adapted – we still relax on the weekends, drink coffee & watch HGTV – but in the living room chairs, not bed….
1. I don’t consider myself a morning person or a night owl. I’m not extreme in either spectrum. My BF is definitely a night owl who has to get up early for work (he just doesn’t sleep very much but IMO he needs more sleep).
2. I naturally wake up between 5 & 6 AM but don’t get out of bed until my alarm goes off between 6 & 7 AM (depends on my calendar that day and what time I went to sleep the night before).
3. Bathroom, drink water & feed kitty. Wash face with exfoliating wash (currently use Philosophy’s but I’m almost out so am open to recommendations for semi dry middle aged skin). Brush teeth (sonicare) and get ready. I get ready standing up in a vanity niche in our apartment. It has a set of drawers/shelves and a counter so I keep jewelry/accessories/cosmetics in the drawers with skin/hair stuff on top. This niche alleviates the fact that we only have one bathroom for the two of us. I put face moisturizer/spf lotion on face/neck, body lotion on arms/legs and flat iron my hair. Typical makeup is BB cream/cream blush (stowaway), brow shaping/fill in (Anastasia) and a trio set of highlighting powder from Hourglass (mid all over, light on eyelids/jawbone/down the middle, dark on cheekbones). I then decide what I’ll wear and what bag/jewelry/shoes I’ll use after checking my calendar for the day and whether it’s raining hard or sunny (weather outside affects whether my office will be cold or super cold). Sometimes this takes too long, I want to start the habit of having a prelim plan for the whole week and then adjusting for weather. Adjusting for weather for me is a change of shoes or grabbing a sweater for the office as I live in a tropical climate. Drive to work parking, grab coffee/egg white delight from McDs and then walk a block to the office ( I need to get out of this fast food brekkie habit, not good!). Eat breakfast, read the news and look at task plan for the day (I lay out a plan for the whole week on Monday’s). Do a quick email respond but not on everything, just the items I can knock off quickly and then get right on the most critical task for that day.
Same general routine on the weekends for the day I go to work (new job so I usually work at least one day on projects). On the non-working day BF and I go for a run/walk at the beach park then out to breakfast after that.
I like the morning affection between BF, kitty and I. All the family feels… I also like planning out my day as weird as that may sound. I like organizing/checklists, etc.
1. Are you a morning person? or a night owl? Is your partner the same?
I’m definitely a morning person and always have been. I don’t know if it’s genetic (mum and dad have always been early risers) or it is a symptom of my environment during my formative years (I lived on a farm where there were always before school/work chores then I started riding racehorses where we usually started at 5.30am).
My partner is a bit more of a night owl. If I didn’t bug him to head to bed by 10pm, he’d probably stay up til midnight. He’s definitely better at sleeping-in than me too!
2. Do you wake up with an alarm? What time do you get up?
We used have a clock radio that went turned on at 6am. We got rid of it at some point and found that we naturally wake just after 6am anyway. We also have a little furry terrorist that doesn’t let us sleep past about 6.20am so that helps too.
3. What’s your morning routine?
Wake ~6.15am, get up to feed the cat and let her out. While I do that, my partner gets in the shower. We then swap and I shower while he starts the coffee. We usually sit down to eat breakfast and watch the news together by about 6.45am. Then we faff about doing dishes, making lunch, folding laundry, just general household stuff til we both head for work around 7.30am.
4. Do you keep the same general routine on the weekends? when you travel?
The routine is the same in the weekends. I don’t seem to be able to just lie around in bed!
Travelling is a pickle for me. I try to stay in the same routine cos when it’s disrupted, my sleep turns to custard. Italy is always a challenge for me because we eat later so stay up later but I still end up waking at the same time. Thank goodness for siesta (which still happens in the small town we stay in).
5. What’s your favorite thing about the morning?
The sunrise. I love the “freshness” it gives.
When I used to ride racehorses, I used to see the sunrise 6 mornings a week. But every so often there’d be a really special one. Like, in the middle of winter, minus six degrees, and the sunrise reflecting of the fresh snow on the Alps. Just gorgeous (this memory is 11 years old now but it still feels fresh in my mind).
Are you a morning person? or a night owl? Is your partner the same? I am *so* a morning person. Even as an adolescent I was charged with making sure everyone was up. It’s somewhat embarrassing. My partner is almost the same. We go to bed at the same time nearly every night although sleep is challenging for him and I sleep like a baby (a ‘sleep through the night’ baby). I love mornings!
Do you wake up with an alarm? What time do you get up? I set an alarm but usually wake up before hand and it’s set for 5am! This morning I as up at 4:30 and AWAKE; doing things, fussing about, etc.
What’s your morning routine? I love my boring morning routine. My partner and I both get up at 5, unless I’m up earlier, and while he makes coffee (he is a real coffee genius and roasts our beans in a converted hot air popcorn popper!) I sort the dishwasher and drink 1.5 quarts of water. First thing, every day. I used to be an athlete and have super low blood pressure and the water helps keep me regular and gets my blood pressure going (TMI?). It’s more important to me than coffee and, like you, I like coffee in the morning (1.5 cups) and I use half and half!!!!!!! I’ve tried getting off of half and half, but can’t. And now, won’t:) After we settle in with our coffee I read the news, etc. for an hour and get ready for work and life.
Do you keep the same general routine on the weekends? when you travel? I am so boring. My weekends are the same but after my coffee and news, I either go for a ride/run/ etc. and get on with the day.
What’s your favorite thing about the morning? Sitting and drinking coffee with my partner. Sharing news. Agreeing. Disagreeing. Watching the sun come up. The way everything smells. The possibilities. My life:)
Are you a morning person? or a night owl? Is your partner the same?
I am a morning person now…after 23 years as a high school teacher I am just used to being up early, and now I feel like a bum if I stay in bed past 7:00. My SO and I do not live together, but he is a night owl and restless sleeper. When we travel together we compromise and go to bed when I cannot stay awake any longer but before he is really ready to sleep.
Do you wake up with an alarm? What time do you get up?
I set an alarm every day, but rarely sleep until it goes off. This week has been different because I have been staying up later than usual to watch the Olympics. I get up at 5:30 every week day and wake up at that time on weekend, but usually manage to go back to sleep until 6:30 or 7.
What’s your morning routine?
Up right away and into the shower. Then I putter around reading blogs, drinking a pint glass of water with a splash of OJ, sitting with the cats, and getting ready until 7 when I need to leave for work. I do not like to have to rush around in the morning.
Do you keep the same general routine on the weekends? when you travel?
Weekend are 7 am if I am lucky but I do sit to read for a while before getting ready unless I have some place to be, which is rare. Travel depends…I do like to experience night time activities in places I visit and therefore stay up and out later than at home. Sometimes this means sleeping later, but usually not.
What’s your favorite thing about the morning?
What I like about the early morning is the same thing I liked about very late night when I was young: the quiet. I like to be up when everyone else is asleep.
Grechen, have you listened to Forever35, the new podcast about wellness and skincare (mostly skincare), by these two writers in L.A.? They talk about morning routines and it’s so interesting.
1. I’m a morning person, though I like to stay up late sometimes, usually over a long break. My husband is basically the opposite, though he has a good morning routine now.
2. During the week, my alarm goes off at 5:15 and I take a shower before my husband and kids wake up.
3. I take a shower and get dressed while everyone is sleeping, which I really like. After I get dressed, I wake my husband up and our boys wake up at 6:15 for school. My husband makes their breakfast (I pack their lunches the night before), and I take the dog out and supervise the morning routine while also putting on my makeup. My husband takes the boys to school at 7:15 (I pick them up after school), and then I unload the dishwasher, open the blinds, make the beds and straighten up for the day. After that, I eat breakfast while reading news online. My husband goes for a morning run, comes home to shower and eat breakfast, and starts working from home by 9. If I have an appointment, I usually leave by 9, and if not, I try to start my work (household chores, blogging, emails, bills, etc.) by 9, too.
4. On the weekends, I totally sleep late. But with two young children and a dog, it’s mostly waking and napping until 8 or 9. Our boys are early risers, and we ask them to stay in their own rooms until 6 am. Sometimes I have to ask them to be quiet or stop wrestling, ha ha. My husband usually gets up a little after they do and will play video games or watch a cartoon with them so I can rest a little longer. I’m very relaxed on the weekends, but will get up early and get ready if we have plans to be somewhere. Also, if I fall back asleep after waking up, I will also have weird dreams that I struggle to wake from. It’s like I’m getting my REM sleep then. So weird.
5. If I don’t have to be somewhere really early, I love having the entire morning to do whatever I need to complete. Even though my husband works from home, he’s in his office and totally in his work zone, so I feel like I have the house to myself.
I’m curious about the bed issue you mentioned. I basically use our bed as another couch, especially if my husband and boys are watching a loud movie in the living room. I can curl up on top of the duvet and read or watch a movie on my laptop. I love hanging out on my bed when I’m not sleeping, LOL. I want to get some sort of chaise or small loveseat for our dining/living room, but I haven’t found anything yet.
oh, thanks for the podcast recommendation! I’ll try it out…
the bed issue: my childhood sounds so harsh LOL – whether there were such strict rules around it i might be mis-remembering, but i don’t remember ever lounging around in my room, or on my bed growing up. at my grandmother’s house we were absolutely not allowed to be on the beds aside from sleeping, that was clear, but at home, it was more unspoken. we were not encouraged to just “sit around” much growing up haha…
now, i feel lazy if i’m in bed outside of sleeping. unless i’m sick, and even then, i prefer to be up and in the house. so many issues lol
Mornings & I have a love hate relationship haha…
Are you a morning person? or a night owl?
I guess a night owl? I mean, I’m in bed around 10-11 on weekdays, and not much later on the weekends, but I have an easier time staying up late than waking up early.
Do you wake up with an alarm? What time do you get up?
Yes, otherwise I’d never wake up haha. On weekdays my first alarm goes off around 6am, but I’m usually not out of bed til 6:45ish. It’s something I’m working on because I’m always rushed in the mornings because I lounge around for so long. On weekends, I aim to be up at 8 (again, that’s when the alarm goes off) but I usually lounge in bed until 9. I always end up regretting it, but I am SO BAD at the physical act of leaving my bed. I hate it, it’s the worst part of my day. I love bed.
What’s your morning routine?
Wake up, turn on my bedside lamp, usually scroll through my phone. I’m slow to wake, so the light really helps me, but the phone scrolling keeps me in bed longer. Then I go pee (I’m just like you, having to watch what I drink before bed). Take a shower, get ready, make a quick breakfast. Lately it’s scrambled eggs (paleo diet) plus I pack a smoothie or something else to eat after I get to work. Before this diet though it was toast or overnight oats. I drink water throughout the morning, too. Then I rush outside to the streetcar to the office, or if I plan ahead and have time, I walk (it’s about a mile). I have my first (large, strong) mug of tea when I get to the office.
Do you keep the same general routine on the weekends? when you travel?
Weekends are much slower. Wake up later, skip the immediate shower, make a big breakfast, eat while watching Youtube, or sometimes netflix, or sometimes reading a book. My breakfast/tea drinking usually lasts an hour or two until I finally force myself to get ready for the day.
What’s your favorite thing about the morning?
I love mornings, despite how bad I am at waking up. Seeing the sunrise is incredible (my apartment is east-facing and I can watch the sunrise over the buildings & Mt. Hood from my bed). Drinking tea, and having a fresh start.
1.Are you a morning person? or a night owl? Is your partner the same?
I am MOST definitely a night owl and always have been. Mornings are a struggle for me. My husband is an early to bed/early to rise type, so it takes more effort to find time to be together.
2.Do you wake up with an alarm? What time do you get up?
If I have to be somewhere, I set my iPhone to gentle harp music…there’s nothing worse than a harsh wake up! I’d be grumpy all day. I like to be up by 9:30 or 10am, but I’ve been known to sleep later if I had a rough night. (Migraines, dreams, restless leg syndrome, snoring husband…;-) )
3.What’s your morning routine?
Before I do anything, I put on loungy clothes so I’m dressed, splash my face with cold water and brush my hair, then go straight for the coffee (I love it strong, but with cream. 2 mugs full). I check my emails on my iPad, which takes awhile. I’m not working right now, so life is a bit boring.
4.Do you keep the same general routine on the weekends? when you travel?
I do on the weekends, except I get up for church at 9am on Sundays. I try and go to bed and wake up earlier when I travel because I realize that my schedule isn’t very host-friendly.
5.What’s your favorite thing about the morning?
I must admit, on the rare occasions I’m up before sunset, it is beautiful. I’m looking forward to our church’s sunrise worship celebration with the Catholics at the lighthouse on Easter Sunday. The seals have watched us the past few years!
What a cool job! (Or hobby, either one is pretty great!)
It was the same for me growing up, but it obviously backfired!
Thanks for indulging my curiosity! I sometimes “hide” in my bedroom when my husband and boys are watching a movie loudly or playing video games, since we have a one-story house. I think I did the same thing growing up with two younger sisters. My bedroom was my little sanctuary. 🙂