Changing up my morning routine
Here in Oregon, we went from summer to winter in about a week. My garden loved the extra warm days of October, and it eeked out a few more tomatoes and green beans, but all the fall planted lettuce quickly went to seed. But we are solidly into the colder, rainy days (shhhh, don’t tell anyone I really love this time of year… blustery winds and rain outside, cozy blankets, hot tea, and books inside.) and that means another opportunity to think through my morning routine.
I’ve done a lot of morning routines over the years, someday I’ll pull out all my old bullet journals and maybe do a blog post on how they’ve changed over the years. (This year it will be 9 years of bullet journaling!) One thing morning routines have taught me is that if I absolutely need to get to something that I usually procrastinate on, it’s got to be done the first hour or two after waking up. If I can get to it before I’m fully into my day, it will almost certainly get done. Quite a few years ago, I was working through the couch to 5k running plan and after many, many starts and stops and much procrastination I moved it to the first of my day, and was finally able to complete it. The same for reading hard books (or as I call them THICK books, written in ye olde english). Or in those years with toddlers and young children, I had to put Bible reading in that top spot or there was no way it would get done.
So in this new season of life (the one that I thought I’d have all this extra time without homeschooling or young children) I find myself yet again, at the mercy of “I’ll do it later Kari.” She’s the worst. She thinks that it’s probably better to tackle that project after coffee, or after a string of YouTube videos for motivation, or after she scrubs the gross window railing… or sometime next month. She always turns into “I stink at this Kari” and avoids looking at her goals or planning anything because she knows she stinks at it and will never do it. Eventually she rolls around to “Try again Kari” and here we are. Me, writing a blog post at 6am, with coffee, because I need to rework that top spot to match this season of life.
So all of that to say, this is my current morning routine. If I stay faithful to it, you’ll know because you’ll see more regular blog posts and I’ll actually start making progress again on the new Bible study through 1 Peter. The times listed are variable. I don’t always get up at 5, but the routine is the important thing. Each line is a half hour time chunk, more or less-ish. (And I get up at 5 because I go to bed really early, like an old lady, which my friends often tease me about. Their evening is just getting started at 9pm, I’m in jammies and looking forward to reading a sleepy page or so of my nightstand book by then.)
5am – up, make bed, empty dishwasher, coffee
The first rule is: I DO NOT take my phone with me. I leave it charging and on silent, otherwise, I’ll never get anything done. The bed is made right after I get up because Corey is already headed to work by then. And emptying the dishwasher takes 2 1/2 minutes on a regular day, 3-4 minutes on a very full day. That’s how long the coffee takes to brew.
5:30 – heart prep questions, Bible memory
The heart prep questions are daily questions I work through in the morning, then review in the evening. I’m still working out the kinks –they are paraphrased from an ODG (Old Dead Guy). When I get them worked out well, I’ll share them in a blog post. Remind me if I forget!
Bible memory– I’m still plodding along through 2 Peter. I’m currently rocking it at 7 verses in <–[sarcasm font] I was hoping to memorize the whole book by the end of the year, but hey, 7 verses is 7 verses more than in January.
6am – Writing Pomodoro 1
This is Bible study writing/studying session one. Before I write a Journal and Doodle study, I study through the book myself. I’ve dropped off with this new one because I’ve reached a hard part and thought I’d ignore it and question my whole life first. Ugh. But, that is a normal part of writing for me and I have to get back at actually writing. I don’t want to bury what the Lord has given me in a field… so this is now first on my morning routine. I’ll work for 25 minutes and then take a 5 minute break. The 5 minute break is doing something “up” like putting in a load of laundry, or putting away the dishes that were still wet and set out on the mat to dry when I emptied the dishwasher.
6:30 – Writing Pomodoro 2
Same as above, round 2. This 5 minute break will be either switching the laundry, or doing a swish and shine in the bathroom, or tidy somewhere for a couple minutes.
7am – Work Pomodoro 1
This pomodoro is either to work on a blog post or some behind-the-scenes blog stuff that I need to get to. 25 minutes of work, then 5 minutes (or a bit longer) to put on my mucking boots and let the chickens out of the pen for the morning. I say hi to each of them and tell them what good girls they are as I check their food and water and bring them any kitchen scraps.
7:30 – Work Pomodoro 2
Same as above, but with less chickens.
8am – Workout
By this time, I’m ready to move my body from sitting for a couple hours. I pull up a Pahla B workout and get moving.
8:30ish – Shower, dress, breakfast
That’s my set in stone part of my morning routine. After this part, I can check my phone for missed calls, texts, etc. But from here on out, I’m usually just working through a list. This will hopefully allow for normal life interruptions as they happen. I’ll work through my Bible read through, reading my Well Educated Mind book, reading the chapter of the Sermon on the Mount for Bible study group, etc.
So that’s it for this season’s morning routine. Do you have a routine? I’d love to see what yours looks like, leave me a comment below and share for other women who want ideas!
I love your posts. I wish I lived where I could actually get together with you. I need some accountability in my life and I’m struggling to find it. So, taking into account that I have an 11 yr old and a 6 yr old and we homeschool, and I have a strange love-hate relationship with sleep…. things usually get started somewhere between 7 and 730 am. If I’m doing good, before the boys get up, if I’m not, when the boys get up.
1. up, hygiene, make bed, get dressed, start coffee (about 10 minutes)
2. Pour coffee, get food, and bible (and getting everyone else fed and dressed and brushed)
3. Deal with clean dishes, daily card review and clean off the table for school
4. School time (9 am start time)
And now we are to lunch time.
That sounds a lot like my days when I was homeschooling that age. I always tried to start actual school at 9. What is your daily card?
small post it on my weekly dashboard that has my top 3 items for the day. Usually its 1. school, 2 paid work, and 3. (something else). I learned this and the dashboard from Mystie Winkler at simplyconvivial.com
I LOVE Mystie! Okay, now I want to know what your weekly dashboard is and looks like!
Well, I tried to paste a screenshot of the front of my dashboard, but it won’t paste. Its a one page layout that keeps me organized for the week. I’ve got a spot for my regular sized post it for my daily card, plus my week’s top 3. Then I have a box for each day to note activities or major to dos. I keep a running list in my google tasks. I’ve got a spot for notes. I have a nice dinner plan scheduler on the back, but I usually forget to look on the back, dinner plans go in the box for each day. I keep it on a clip board with a few other pages. This one page keeps me organized. I did use a bujo for a while but drawing out the pages was too much for me and I didn’t like the just-a-list.
I love and appreciate your posts, too, Kari! I enjoy reading what your life has been like post-homeschooling. I’ll be in that stage before I know it, although I have a few years left, with one having graduated, a high school senior, and a 7th grader this year.
My morning routine starts at 6:30 with a shower.
Then Bible time and a cup of coffee.
After that, start laundry, catch up on grading I didn’t do the previous day, eat breakfast.
Start school around 9:30 and work until lunchtime.
Wow, you’re real close to being done too! Hopefully that 7th grader will be a blessing like mine was. He enjoyed school and it made for a fun final few years of homeschooling. I totally hear you on “catch up on grading” ugh. That was the worst part of homeschool for me!
I work as a substitute teacher, not every day but 3-4 days a week. My routine stays the same most days whether or not I’m heading out the door.
5:00 ~ up n at ’em Madame: make bed, brush teeth, turn it n OnePlace to listen to John MacArthur then: get coffee water going in microwave, put away clean dishes, mix up cappuccino & have a good slug, pack lunch & breakfast (I fast til around 9-9:30), fill water bottle, take morning vitamins, feed kitten
5:15-ish ~ hair, face, dress
5:45-ish ~ open curtains, water plants (on Wed)
5:55 ~ open curtains & sit down at desk in living room; turn on YouTube to a crackling fireplace video, convince kitten that my pen or bookmark is NOT with playing with (!!), check planner calendar (make sure I have the afternoon return trip & supper noted), jot priorities in my planner “sub @ ____ [school], double check which school I’m at today & make sure my departure time is in mind !!!
6am ~ pray, start with my morning quiet time (devotionals, Bible reading, prayer), a reminder pops up at 6:55 with my daily rotation book (I have a different extra book each day or a M/W/F or T/The rotation–set in an alarm on my phone; those books are stacked next to my other ones).
also trying to get in the habit of sending my mom and daughter a daily picture (I’ve taken) with a Bible verse –they both struggle with anxiety & I’m the encourager, so I usually use a verse from my morning reading, …. it’s fun!!!
7am ~ check in with my hub (he’s paralyzed, so I bring him a glass of juice & half-banana to take his vitamins), any reminders for our “after school” (when I get home) plans for the afternoon or evening, hug & kiss ….
7:15-7:30 ~ out the door
Weekends are a bit looser. Summer, too.
This is great! Thanks for sharing. I love how thoughtful and intentional you are!
You all are amazing! I am in a different season of life. I am retired. I have lots of physical limitations ( immune deficiency, lung issues, back issues, knee arthritis, memory challenges) so I find my self in a new normal.
8:00 alarm – clean cpap, make bed, let dogs out, turn on Christian radio, bathroom, pet dogs, feed dogs, hygiene, breathing treatments and chai latte while I read a couple chapters from the Bible and then read email. Love listening to Alistair Begg 1/2 hour teaching on Truth for Life.
9:30 or so breakfast with my husband and we discuss the menu for today/week. Also our plans for the day.
10:00 back upstairs to get dressed and write 3 pages and exercise bike 3 days a week – 7-9 miles in 26 minutes including warmup and cool down
11:00 downstairs for water and a shower then dress for the day
11:30-12:00 morning routine done on exercise days / 10:30 non exercise days
Write goals during breakfast time and leave them on table, check off as I complete them over the next few days
Wow! You are amazing! I love how you make your situation work! Thanks for sharing!