Morning Routines. Creativity booster or Nah?
I’m fascinated with how people work, especially writers and creatives. When I was younger, I felt like that kind of information would be a guide for how I might evolve my everyday life into that of a writer or whatever occupation I was pursuing at the time. As I moved into adulthood, that fascination with how people work is still present, but now less as a guide and more as a topic of constant exploration and learning. How do people create work they’re proud of while also adulting? How does anyone? How important is being proud of your work to your overall wellbeing?
A while back, I became unabashedly enamored with morning routine videos on TikTok. I’m a typical INTJ, Leo/Fire sign, Enneagram 1, and Type A. I check all the boxes of the ritual-obsessed. But lately, I’ve been thinking more about habits, how they become routine, and when the nauseating feeling of being a beginner goes away. (This is probably a side effect for anyone who’s read James Clear’s Atomic Habits) In that thinking, I’ve been exploring ideas on what I’d like to become habits, what I want to avoid, what a daily schedule might look like (for a freelancer - ha!), and how I’d like work, life, and creativity to balance out. My goal is to share what I’m trying and how well its working in my life.
Here’s where we’re at today:
6:00am - Wake up. I change into gym clothes, brush my teeth, and feed and water Alley, my elderbull.
6:30-8:00am - Gym or long walk - listening to audiobook or podcasts. This week, I’ve been listening to Ibram X. Kendi’s Stamped from the Beginning, as well as trying out podcasts from Jay Shetty, Suneera Madhani, and Amy Porterfield. Do you have any regular listens?
8:00-8:45am - Shower / Morning skincare / Get dressed. I’ve been wearing this linen shorts/top combo from Quince ALL SUMMER.
8:45-9:00am - Make breakfast + coffee. This week’s coffee is Stumptown’s Hair Bender.
9:00-10:00am - Check-in on all current professional and personal projects. Make a to-do list with priorities + get to work.
1:00 - 2:00pm - I leave my office and go downstairs for lunch. It’s funny, I think the topic of lunch can be surprisingly controversial - what to eat, where to eat, where and what not to eat. That said, in trying to create a more effective routine for myself, I’ve found that stepping away from my desk is an incredible and kind of obvious way to indulge the benefits of working from home and freelancing in general.
2:00 - 5:00pm - My typical working hours are filled by spending dedicated time on whatever project needs my attention first. I usually have several tabs open so I can immediately satisfy whatever completely crazy thing may pop into my head. I also like to keep notes tabs open so I can write things down and pursue creative trails. Ideally, I am drinking water and not coffee at this point but, no promises.
My “Life Hub” set-up on Notion HQ.
I’m not going to say I was motivated to get better grades in high school because one was awarded a free planner if you did, but… I may have been. I loved that thing. College was a hot mess without it. You know who makes good planners? Everyone. (Rifle Paper Co. Poi and Hun, Wit & Delight, for just a few) They make great gifts, they’re pretty, in fact, all planners are theoretically great because someone will find them useful and start to plan their days better. Theoretically.
For the past several years, I’ve used Moleskin notebooks - which are essentially just hardcover, lined paper journals. I never really got into the work of a bullet journal, but I have drawn a calendar and found that helpful as I slowly discovered the best ways for me to stay organized. My latest attempt is a digital version, which I’ve started on Notion. If you don’t mindlessly scroll through the content of TikTok and YouTube like a totally normal person, you may not have heard of Notion —I certainly hadn’t—but there is a huge collection of videos, tutorials, and enthusiasts ready to take its relatively blank page start screen to what may become your new desktop dashboard, or as mine is generically called, the life hub.
This morning, Oliver Burkeman’s The Imperfectionist newsletter popped into my inbox and included the following insight I thought was especially directed at mine, and so many others’ attempts at a regular schedule and/or routine. While it is definitely something that motivates and organizes me, it’s not true for everyone - despite how put-together looking a fancy planner can be.
“As it happens, I’m not personally convinced that literally everyone needs a schedule in order to make progress in writing or similar work. [Paul Silvia] knows that for a huge proportion of people, “you need a schedule” is precisely the right advice, yet they’ll still invest a massive amount of energy coming up with reasons why they shouldn’t make one. They want him to unveil some productivity technique that’s newer and shinier, and preferably easier to implement – one that doesn’t seem to condemn them to month after month of plodding, incremental forward motion.”
Social media is filled with people documenting their 5-9s (that’s AM, folks) with workouts, healthy breakfasts (mostly chia pudding + overnight oats), and Amazon gadgets galore - but to what end? Is it a good start to more effective but non-stressful working habits for that work/life balance? Or is it a daily checklist that’s impossible to even near completion? I’m here for the ideas, I’m here to do the work, and I’m here to try what all those “highly successful people” are trying.
TL;DR Morning routines - they’re all the rage. Our social media is filled with people documenting their 5-9s (that’s AM, folks) with workouts, healthy breakfasts, and Amazon gadgets galore - but to what end? Is it a good start to good working habits for that work/life balance or a daily checklist that’s impossible to even near completion? I’m here for the ideas, I’m here to do the work, and I’m here to try what all those “highly successful people” are trying. I’m a natural morning person with night owl tendencies (is it possible for a healthy version of this person to actually exist?), and I’m exploring different ways to dig into habits that work for me. This could all be a big marketing scheme by the stationery and planner industry, but if you’ve been habit-curious and want to see what’s out there, join me.
