So I threw out my morning routine. It’s worth considering whether it’s helping vs hurting you as a remote working person.
(I know a bunch of productivity wizards who are going to be mad about this!!!)
I used to try and fit in all this stuff before I got into work, calling it a “morning routine”. But I’ve never been convinced that I feel better or am more productive as a result of these things. Especially given that I live with a neurodivergent spouse and a highly sensitive 4-year-old (both of whom I love very much and this is not at all their faults 😅😅😅)
So now I just:
- Wake up
- Start a pitcher of coffee
- Sit right down to work
I’ve found that taking time to do the routine just gets me thinking about other things and distracts me from getting into work. Jumping right in allows me to
👤 focus into work before other distractors set in
🛋️ calmly get a sense of what’s going on before I set a goal or focus area for the day, and not feel rushed doing it (the lack of coffee helps, as it bizarrely forces me to re-read things a few times and ensure I internalize things)
✍️ get in some creative time before the family wakes up, which is quite helpful for content creation and strategic thinking
🐕 turn walking my dog into a mid-morning screen break
🕜 end my day a bit earlier, or allow for some (natural) distraction later in the day
Disclaimers: I am absolutely a morning person, and I don’t like eating breakfast for a while after I wake up, which helps with this. If you’re hungry as soon as you wake up, this probably doesn’t work 😬