Comments on: Podcast: Sun’s up, what’s your morning routine?

By: Shana Bull

Shana Bull — Wed, 06 Dec 2017 15:12:28 +0000

I also work from home, have a two-year-old and a husband who sometimes has to go into work at five sometimes has to go into work at nine so her morning routines are never the same.

When my husband is at home usually we take turns waking up early with the toddler, drinking coffee while he watches Sesame Street and planning out our day (via our iPhones).

I have definitely found that planning out my day before I get into the inevitable time suck of social media allows me to feel more productive in the AM.

By: lauravanderkam

lauravanderkam — Mon, 20 Nov 2017 14:21:06 +0000

In reply to Marcia (OrganisingQueen).

@Marcia – there’s nothing magical about mornings. It’s just that for most people, it’s the best time to do those personally important things that life has a way of crowding out: exercise, meditation, creative projects, big picture thinking. If you are already doing those things, then no reason to wake up earlier!

By: Marcia (OrganisingQueen)

Marcia (OrganisingQueen) — Mon, 20 Nov 2017 13:22:44 +0000

I found this podcast so interesting given that I’m definitely a night owl and I literally do nothing in the mornings except get dressed and leave for work. I’m up at 6.45 and leave at 7.15 🙂 Our South African schools start a lot earlier than yours, it seems. My kids’ school starts at 7:45 M – T, and 7:35 on Fridays.

BUT….. all those things Sarah does in the morning I do in the evening 🙂

By: Amy Laski

Amy Laski — Fri, 17 Nov 2017 17:46:04 +0000

I am an early bird but my husband is the opposite. To wake myself up for a run before the crack of dawn I have for years been using a Shake Awake alarm clock, clipped to the underside of my pillow. It’s been a marriage-saver! https://www.amazon.com/Shake-Awake-Vibrating-Portable-Travel/dp/B003DQWOBQ

By: Riley

Riley — Fri, 17 Nov 2017 11:42:51 +0000

In reply to Amanda. I totally agree! I'm also a physician (maybe it's that we're so used to getting up early for rounds??) and getting up early and working out puts me in such a better mental state as compared to getting an extra 45 minutes of sleep and being woken up by the kids. I start my day already having something accomplished!

By: Margot

Margot — Wed, 15 Nov 2017 23:22:37 +0000

It’s interesting, I had just been explaining to my husband why I opt to go to the gym at 5 AM even on days when I have more flexibility and do not “have” to. This episode really got me thinking about how I can better allocate time usage and work on more projects that I would like to do. I also need to get a noise machine for my almost four year-old’s room. She has a fan that is basically used for white noise, but it’s November!

By: Kt

Kt — Wed, 15 Nov 2017 21:29:31 +0000

I’ve found the Fitbit’s “silent” vibration alarms useful for not waking up my husband when our wakeup times are significantly different.

By: lauravanderkam

lauravanderkam — Wed, 15 Nov 2017 20:56:40 +0000

In reply to Amanda.

@Amanda- interesting – I guess my kid’s wake-ups have been so widely spread that it’s hard to know when I’d have to wake up to get up before him, and I have no idea what I’d be able to accomplish before then. I am looking forward to the days when I know that I won’t have to deal with kid stuff before, say, 6:45.

By: lauravanderkam

lauravanderkam — Wed, 15 Nov 2017 20:55:45 +0000

In reply to Ruth.

@Ruth – a brutal commute strikes me as a good reason to get up early. You literally have made more time in your day by doing this – since that time would be lost if you worked different hours.

By: Ruth

Ruth — Wed, 15 Nov 2017 19:43:02 +0000

I get up at 4:00a, take my shower and all that, leave the house at 5:00a, so I can get to work by 6:00. We have flexible hours and alternative work schedules. I leave work no later than 3:15p so I get home no later than 4:20p. Then I TRY to go to bed around 9:00p. This way, I avoid most of the rush hour traffic (at its peak, it can take up to 2 hours each way instead of 1), plus I get every other Monday off because most days I work an extra hour. I am NOT a lark by any stretch of the imagination. These are the choices I’ve made to give myself as much time of my own as possible. Starting work as late as possible doesn’t help – I’ve tried it and it still takes 2 hours to get there, plus, when we had kids at home it just wasn’t possible.

You can all hate me in 4 weeks – I’m retiring, and I’ll have a LOT of control over my time for the first time since I was nearly 5 years old. What a concept!!!