Likes & Launch

If you asked me a few years ago about my morning routine, I’d smirk. It was more like a morning scramble. Wake up with just enough time to hop in the shower, get ready, and get out the door.

As an entrepreneur, it seemed practical. Maximize time at the office and sleep for 6-7 hours to get back into the office early the next morning. Hustle they say! I made morning multitasking an art: testing tips like brushing my teeth in the shower and dictating my to-do list in audio notes while getting ready. I was incredibly efficient, or so I thought.

I wasn’t efficient, I was running fire drills. And it burned me out over time. Snoozing more often than I wanted. Distracted the first hour at work after a hectic schedule. I got the hint, I needed to rethink my mornings, but made only minor adjustments until I learned a new way from my fiancé Neal.

His routine was solid. He woke up at 6am, made a cup of coffee, and enjoyed it while listening to the news. At 7am he headed out for an hour workout. He then returned home to get ready and arrive at work by 9.

This was crazy when I first learned of this routine. He had 3 hours before he even got to work! What about the sleep? Aren’t you tired? It’s still dark at 6am!

Skeptical, I accepted the challenge to try it. After a few days of “I’ll just reset the alarm for 7am instead..” I got the hang of it. Let me tell you, it was really pleasant! Quiet time is so rare that it was like finding hidden treasure. Calm, quiet and no obligations, even email is pretty slow at that hour.

Now I’m hooked. The best part about it is that no matter how hectic the day gets, there is always time that belongs to us.

Neal and I now use 6am - 7am as time together, to chat, share, and listen to the news. Although meetings or workouts sometimes conflict with the set schedule, we stay pretty true to it.

It has other perks. It’s nice arriving at the office with a fresh mind. And after work, there is no pressure to squeeze in a workout at the end of the day.

I’m still working on time to write more, and I’ve heard from many people that the morning is the best time to do it. Maybe it’s time to start dictating blogs to my phone. I’ll save that for another day.