It is 2:04 PM on Thursday, December 27. I got up at 6 AM, as scheduled, and completed a morning routine! Let’s go over it step-by-step:
HAVE 1/2 LITER OF WATER.
Mission Accomplished! I had to chug it a little, but the point was to drink it all. I managed to, between 6:50 and 8AM. I’m terrible at drinking water, and it will probably always be a New Years’ Resolution. I can always drink more!
STRETCH/YOGA.
Completed! Did a simple flow to wake up my lil’ muscles. It felt very good to just move. I want to up my flexibility. I want to do a handstand dangit! New Years’ Resolution number 2, I guess? This time it took me about 15 minutes.
MEDITATE.
Yes! Swear on my life: Meditation Minis is a LIFESAVER. In less than ten minutes I got my zen on and approached my morning with absolute clari-T. It was all about breathing in confidence, breathing out self doubt. At some point, I began seeing a blue dusting of galaxies in my brain (my mind’s eye? I’m no spiritual guru, I’m just trying to be), and decided blue would be my color for today. I changed into a shirt with blue on it and put on a blue zip-up hoodie. I am not great at turning off my brain. Gosh, I’m so brilliant and smart, I never stop thinking! Just kidding.
JOURNAL
Done and done, but only a little bit! I got an Elephant Journal for Christmas, so I went in and put two affirmations and labeled the calendar months. For me, it’s about writing SOMETHING, whether it’s a reflection, a poem, or even something simple like a to-do list. Five to ten minutes a day, and I’m set!
COMPLETE A SKIN ROUTINE
I am JUST now starting to take care of my skin. I’m lucky that my skin isn’t terrible, but I have acne scars and hormonal acne that flares once a month, not noticeably to anyone but me probably. Along with that, I see these older celebrities, former models, who all say the same thing: take care of your skin NOW. So serums and eye creams for me! It didn’t take me as long as I think it does when I’m rushing through the morning. It really comes down to the evening skin routine, when I want to exfoliate AND do a mask. Morning skin routine is easy (breezy, beautiful… Trader Joe’s tea tree oil cleanser!).
READ
Yes, finally! Currently reading Michelle Obama’s book, “Becoming.” You can really hear her voice come through in this memoir! I only just started the book, but I’m recognizing where she come from and how different her upbringing was from mine. At the same time, I can see our similarities, too. Is it no coincidence that awesome ladies tend to have awesome mothers?
PREPARE A HEALTHY BREAKFAST
Ish? My breakfast was prepared in good time. I had a breakfast sandwich with one fried egg and some Cabot cheddar on Genesis bread. It was fine, except I added way more Earth Balance than I should have. I need to find healthier breakfasts that are low carb, filling, and low-calorie that are plant based. I need to eat more plants and detox from the holiday fun, ASAP.
EAT A HEALTHY BREAKFAST
I felt no sense of rush eating my sandwich. Deep breaths, well paced, even browsed Pinterest between bites! It was totally doable.
Overall, I got logged into my computer at 8:03. My biggest downfall, I think, was the fact that I cleaned up after myself while browsing my phone. It always comes down to my phone! I browse Twitter and Instagram FIRST thing every morning, and before I know it, my 5AM wakeup turns into a 5:20 RUSH into gym clothes. I was able to restore my old iPhone to partial usage. I think that now I’m going to use that as my alarm clock, and put my actual phone in a charger by the door. That way, it’s the last thing I see before I start my morning at the gym! That’ll help me save time in my morning “primping” too, if I plug it back in by the door so I can only grab it on my way out to the office.
This morning was missing:
20 minute drive to work
45 minute hair and makeup
25 minute drive to and from the gym
90 minute workout
If I take out the three minutes of phone usage (give or take), and add in that extra time needed to have a true, established morning routine, you get: a five hour morning routine. Which means, if I start at 8 AM, I gotta wake up at 3 AM.
I mean, that’s insane, right? I know some of the most brilliant people wake up at 4 AM, and Mark Wahlberg wakes up at 2:45 AM, but come on, people! I got eight hours of sleep last night and I still fell asleep at my desk today! Where on this list can I make compromises?
WATER. That doesn’t take time.
STRETCH/YOGA.That took me, total, about 15 minutes. I can shave off five minutes there.
MEDITATE. I can keep this to ten minutes.
JOURNAL. Ten minutes here. That’s all I need, but I’ll give myself fifteen for that “ONE MORE THING” thought.
SKIN ROUTINE. This doesn’t take more than five minutes. There’s no need to compromise five minutes for long term rewards.
READ. I probably don’t need to read AND journal in the morning. Getting to work and being my own inspiration should be all I need. I’ll leave reading to being a post-work (or lunch break) activity. That way, I won’t be too entrapped by a schedule. I’m not good at reading one chapter at a time, anyway!
PREPARE A HEALTHY BREAKFAST.This should not take me more than twenty minutes.
EAT A HEALTHY BREAKFAST. This should be fifteen minutes, MAX.
Altogether, that morning routine is 10+10+10+5+35= An hour and ten minutes. With the original time, that’s a four hour, ten minute morning routine. A 3:50 wake-up time. YIKES. I guess I can try that for a month. But wow, so don’t want to.
On a more positive note, my meditation this morning got me to think about the colors I want to be prominent in my future. I want lighter shades of blue, and pastels. Maybe it’s time I give yellow a fair shot, too! I feel like my aesthetic has been very New York chic… as in, I wear black too much. I need a little more color in my life. It’s time to be bold… in very light, friendly colors.