MORNINGS ARE MY JAM
I truly love to wake up early in the mornings and take that time to myself. There is something so peaceful about waking up to the smell of coffee brewing; watching the sunrise; hearing Lucy snoring by my feet; and being able to do about 2 hours of work with no interruptions. It is a magical and creative time for me, that I try to take full advantage of, because once the rest of the country wakes up, it is time for me to manage everyone else and I go into full work mode. I never know what each day will throw at me, so it is important for me to take full advantage of this time, and I definitely do.
Monday through Friday my schedule is pretty consistent, but on the weekends, I make sure to sleep in just a little bit more (depending on what kind of shenanigans I got into the night before), disconnect, relax and spend a decent amount of time on the couch with Shannon. Sundays involve A LOT of couch time (during the winter and the pool during the summer). He has definitely helped me SLOW DOWN on the weekends. Enjoying those slower days are good for both of us. But once Monday morning arrives, we are both ready to go and tackle the week and it is time to go back into crazy work mode.
6:00 - 6:30 AM: Coffee is brewing...And as soon as I smell it, I slowly start to get my butt out of bed. It is still dark and the sun hasn’t even started to rise. Lucy is passed out cold on her bed and Shannon rolls back over to sleep hiding under the covers. I brush my teeth, wash my face, and turn on Fox Business and wait for the coffee to be ready for that first delicious sip.
6:30 - 7:30 AM: First cup of coffee in hand. The computer is on. My planner, notebooks, phone, post its, and pencil surround me and I am ready to dive in. I check my Instagram, Twitter feed, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and HootSuite. After that, I dive into the six different email accounts and respond to all of them. Then I can check the Instagram accounts that I manage and respond to all of those as well.
During this hour, I am typically on cup number two. The sun is up! I have a beautiful view from my apartment and I love being able to look over my shoulder and see it rise, see the walkers and runners on the sidewalks, and weather permitting, I will open the porch door and let Lucy sit out there and soak it all up. If I left that door open all day, she would be out there all day.
7:30 - 8:00 AM: Depending on the day, I may or may not be on cup number 3. This last half hour, I double check everything. I take some time to sit on the porch, enjoy the view, give Lucy some love, send Shannon on his way...always with a kiss, no matter what is going on. I also take that time outside, to remind myself what I am capable of doing with my life, my relationships, and how grateful I am for ALL OF IT. It is the perfect time to reflect before I set out to tackle the rest of the day.
And after all of that is done, it is time to workout. I like to get that sweat session in before 11:00 AM, because once I start getting into the afternoon hours, the time to train can disappear FAST. I am fully caffeinated. I am full of my daily goals. I hopefully have my “Positive Patty” pants on. I am ready to tackle the day. And that is that…
Do you have a morning ritual?
Early riser or sleep as long as you possibly can?
