My Morning Ritual

(This blog post was published while living in Houston, TX. It was updated and re-published on 12/12/23.)

Yes, yes I know what you’re thinking. The time has come for me to tell you all about how awesome I am because of what I accomplish every morning and that the main key to happiness and health is waking up early, specifically before 5 am.

Nope! Not at all. In fact, I hate those articles for the very reason that I always felt like a lazy 💩 after reading them. So let me first say that I absolutely do not wake up before 5 am (unless I’m catching a flight.) I would never call myself a "morning person." And the thought of having a morning routine/series of tasks to accomplish in the morning before work feels incredibly daunting . . . until now.

In November 2020, I started working from home and then the world shut down from the pandemic. My sense of day-to-day normalcy was completely derailed. Walk to work? Nope, don’t do that anymore. Eat a yummy salad for lunch every day from my favorite salad place? Nope, that place is closed for the foreseeable future. Wash my face and brush my teeth? What’s the point? I’m not seeing anybody. Put on pants? Ha, ridiculous that you even would suggest that! And so on and so forth. . .

It got to the point where my day looked a little like this: roll out of bed around 9 am after finally deciding that I needed to check my work email, stumble to the kitchen to make coffee, flop on the couch, turn on my laptop, and then promptly proceed to daydream about my bed, the weekend, my next trip, etc. Somewhere around 4 pm, I would realize how little I had accomplished. A feeling of dread would wash over me where I would then vow to be really productive tomorrow, knowing full well that wasn’t going to happen. Sound familiar?

I realized I needed to completely redesign my life, especially the weekday, as I couldn't continue living like a bored low-energy zombie. This was also the year I decided to work on becoming happier, healthier and free. Because of those goals, I was learning about nutrition through Noom, and I was working through the Science of Wellbeing to learn about happiness. From these resources, I identified certain habits that I wanted to incorporate into a morning routine.

According to Atomic Habits, not only can a habit itself make you healthier and happier e.g. eating a nutritious breakfast, working out, but I also learned that when you complete a task, even a small one, it provides you with a sense of accomplishment. This feeling of accomplishment can make you feel energized and happy which can then translate into motivation to accomplish other tasks. I wanted to harness this information to help me feel energized and motivated to start my work day.

Utilizing habit stacking and the desire to achieve multiple small wins in the morning, I designed a 2 hour morning ritual that makes me feel like a happy, healthy, accomplished badass, all before 9 am. For the first time in probably ever, I'm actually jazzed to get out of bed.

So here it is. The winning formula for me. I hope you read this and feel entertained. Maybe you even feel inspired! But please do not read this and think: "Ermahgerd! I can’t believe she is suggesting that I do that." I am not! Everyone is different. Everyone’s goals and schedules are different. This is just what works for me, right now.

7 am: Morning Walk

Me deciding to go on a walk in the morning was a gradual process. I loved the idea of working out in the morning for multiple reasons, however my normal go-to workouts like running or lifting weights was a wee bit intimidating for someone who just woke up. I realized that in order to focus on fat loss (and not muscle gain), fasted cardio was the best option. Although I have treadmills in the gym at my condo, the benefits of being outside and in nature cannot be understated, at least for me. And for someone who works from home, this might actually be the only time I encounter the outside world. Upon waking up, I put on workout clothes, slather sunscreen on my face and then walk roughly 60 minutes outside while I listen to my favorite podcasts i.e. Tim Ferris and The Happiness Lab.

8 am: Meditate and Eat

Immediately after my morning walk when I'm feeling the right amount of light-headed because I've just sprint-walked 60 minutes with no food in my system, I plop down on my living room couch by the window and meditate for at least 10 minutes. I currently use the Calm app which always has a daily 10 minute meditation. And as you can see from the picture below, I leave room for Gary Kitty who also likes to meditate with me.

After meditation, I go to the kitchen and turn on some music (with headphones still in.) BBC 1Xtra is currently my go-to because the the DJ's always seem like they're in a good mood (and I love British accents idk why.) I then drink some Athletic Greens juice and take two mushroom immunity pills. Why? It was suggested in a book by Tim Ferriss, so I've tried it and haven't gotten sick since taking them, so now I'm afraid to stop.

Then I concoct my breakfast smoothie which is a bunch of baby spinach, one scoop of Onnit protein powder, 1/2 frozen banana, 1 tablespoon of turmeric powder, 1 tablespoon of chia seeds, and about 1/2 - 1 cup of almond milk. I also typically add 1 tablespoon of peanut butter because we all know peanut butter makes life better. Blend that and boom - if your shake doesn't look like suspicious baby food, you're doing it wrong. Yes, I drink it out of a pint glass from my favorite brewery.

8:30 Prepare Thyself

After I've finished the smoothie, washed the glass, cleaned the blender, I walk to the bedroom to initiate a sequence of events that can only be described as prepping to be a normal functioning human being. I first open my blackout shades, so my bedroom no longer resembles a cave, and I make my bed. This is mainly to make sure the top sheet is in the correct position for sleeping, as I've noticed I don't sleep well if I don't have it all the way to the pillows.

I then go to the bathroom, brush my teeth, wash my face, moisturize, etc. And then I change out of my workout/walking outfit. Notice, I didn't say put on pants. Rarely do I put on pants. Sometimes, I put on another workout outfit; sometimes it's spandex shorts and a t-shirt, depending on the weather. (I live in Houston, so it's probably above 80 degrees regardless.) Just change into your "day clothes." Some people need to actually put on business clothes to be productive. That is clearly not me. I am happy to leave those clothes collecting dust in my closet.

At this point, you might be thinking: "But what about the shower?" Okay, hear me out. I don't really sweat. Therefore, I find most showers unnecessary, unless I need to wash my hair. And apparently I'm not the only one who thinks "daily showers are dumb." And maybe this makes me a heathen, but when we run out of fresh water in the dystopian future that is hopefully only in my imagination, guess who's going to be fine. Me!

9 am: Coffee..

Ritual versus Routine

So why do I use the term ritual instead of routine? Firstly, routine makes me think of something I have to do. Like, "You need to learn this dance routine or you can’t participate in the Homecoming Step Show!!" . . . Sorry, college sorority trauma. For me, ritual is something that you choose to do; it’s intentional and more importantly it’s meaningful. I not only want to perform my morning ritual, I enjoy it, I look forward to it, and I plan around it. I know that it may be the only part of my day that brings me joy, and therefore I protect it. It is sacred "me" time.

I also like the word ritual because of its positive association with finding happiness and meaning through spiritual acts. Many religions utilize rituals to help their followers find connection to a higher power but also to each other. Rituals can be found in many religions, from the Jewish faith to Confucianism. In fact, Confucius was big on ritual. He thought that ritual behaviors can bring us and our communities peace and joy, which was really important, given that he lived in a society that was basically falling apart.

So there you have it. If you’re thinking of creating your own ritual, start small and gradually add to it. This morning ritual was created over a span of several months. And stay flexible. Travel happens. Stuff happens. Sometimes my morning walk happens at the airport, sometimes it's a walk with sprints at the end, sometimes it's a bike ride. And sometimes it doesn't happen at all. Don’t fret, and keep at it. Do as much as you can when you can. As cliche as it sounds, consistency is key. I can almost guarantee that designing a morning ritual that fits you and your needs will make your mornings much more bearable, perhaps even enjoyable. They definitely have for me! I'll leave you with a quote from Atomic Habits, Chapter 2, which might be my favorite chapter:

"Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become. . . When the votes mount up and the evidence begins to change, the story you tell yourself begins to change as well. Of course it works the opposite way, too. Every time you choose to perform a bad habit, it's a vote for that identity. The good news is that you don't need to be perfect. . . Your goal is simply to win the majority of the time." - James Clear