Like the sun, we set or sleep and rise or wake up every day. It is a cycle that lets us make most of our time. Hence, we make a routine to be productive, whether in work, school, adulthood, motherhood, etc. It acts as our guide for the day in attaining our daily goals.
There are two kinds of people in the world: people who love waking up as the sun rises and people who hate waking up as the sun rises.
Which one are you? An early riser or a late riser?
As for me, I am an early riser or morning person because the brightness of the sun reminds me to light up myself and start the day with positivity.
Waking up early in the morning is what I look forward to every day as I can do a lot of "me-time" before diving into my studies and other stuff. Allotting considerable time for myself has allowed me to be in the present, acknowledge my body and mind, and express my gratitude to God.
In addition, the tranquility of the morning paves the way to being productive as it enables me to pause for a couple of hours, take my time slowly, and motivate myself.
Here is the ideal morning routine I have been doing since January 2022. Some of my actions are new, and I am slowly learning to be consistent.
6:00 AM-6:30 AM: alarm goes off and prayer time
I set my alarm at night to wake up at 6 AM. I got used to my alarm, so hearing my alarm tone does not annoy me anymore. After turning it off, I read the Daily Gospel, reflect, and pray. I always thank God for the blessing of waking up in the morning.
My alarm tone is titled Sunny. What is yours?
My parents own it, so I borrow it from them. It enables me to live mindfully because of the teachings I read. It is easier said than done, but I do my best every day.
6:30 AM-7:10 AM: fix the bed, hydrate, and yoga time
First, I make the bed by folding my blanket and arranging my pillow and stuffed toy. It has a good influence on starting my day right because it reminds me to be organized. Next, I go out of the room and drink a cup of water to hydrate and wake myself. Then, I do yoga for 10-20 minutes. I follow Yoga with Bird or Yoga with Adriene on YouTube. These two are great yoga instructors. Yoga has helped me connect my mind and body through breathing, and it positively affected how I face my everyday life.
The dog stuffed toy was a gift from my mother on my 18th birthday. My cousin named it browny, so it is what I call it.
I disliked the taste of the water before, but the pandemic has taught me not to take it for granted as it is beneficial to my life. I cannot live without it.
It is not easy to do yoga, but I am learning and improving every day. I do not rush myself because it will take time. One of my favorites is the child's pose because it relaxes my upper back.
7:10 AM-7:30 AM: bath time
I take a bath for 15-20 minutes to awaken my mind and body and freshen up. The water is cold, but it does not hinder me because it feels refreshing. I can also free up my mind and think of new things. It is also my time to think of my to-do's for the day. I change into comfortable clothes since I stay at home.
In the Philippines, we call our outfits at home "pambahay na damit" in Filipino and "pangbalay" in Bisaya.
7:30 AM-8:00 AM: feed brain and tummy time
My usual breakfast is sunny side up egg, rice, and black tea. I cannot start my day without breakfast as it is my stimulant.
I also feed my brain with mind games such as Wordle, Scrabble, and Soduko.
Wordle is guessing the 5-letter word of the day in six tries. I have discovered this from Paano Ba 'To: The Podcast, and I gave it a try. Now, it has become a part of my day.
Scrabble is forming a word game in tiles. I play it on my phone, and my app is Scrabble Go. I play with random people.
Soduko is filling a 9x9 grid with digits from 1-9. It is a logic-based game, so my mind gets challenged. I have learned how to play this by watching Learn Something on YouTube.
These mind games are challenging, exciting, and fun!
8:00 AM-11:30 AM: prepare and study time
First, I prepare my needs, such as a water bottle and pencil case, and organize my computer desk. Then, I start learning and answering my modules. I am currently studying at home due to the pandemic. However, our limited face-to-face classes will begin soon, and I will join.
My pencil case was a gift from my aunt on Christmas, and my nickname is embedded in it. It is cool because it can stand.
You can see random stickers to give my workplace place a little bit of life. There were many before, but my cousin got them.
Let us smile and be optimistic, regardless of how hard our works are. Remember that we will reap what we sow. There will also be seasons of drought, but keep going. Everything will be better.
It has been my routine since the start of 2022, and it has helped me start my day right and be productive. However, I also break my pattern sometimes because it is also good to take a break from a fixed timeline to remind myself that it is okay to go with the flow.
There is no formula to making a routine; you only need to know and listen to yourself because it will always depend on you. We live our lives differently, so there is no need to compare.
I hope you enjoyed my morning routine and learned from it, Hive community!
How do you begin your day? Do you have a routine? You can share it in the comment section below.