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Morning Routines

8 years ago by

Morning Routines

It’s winter. The sun is hiding (currently) behind the snow that is coming down in the East Village. The weather app says its raining – but this is thick snow. There’s no denying it,  it’s winter and it’s becoming harder and harder to get up in the morning. 

When I lived in LA for a year, I woke up with the bright sun shining, ready to embrace the day ahead of me.  And now I just want to get that back to that routine – sans sunshine. Believe me, I have the best of intentions, setting my alarm for 6:15am, 6:30am, and 6:45am meanwhile continuing to snooze until 7:15am.  My goal is to start doing some yoga sequences, journal writing and reading for pleasure during that extra morning time before I open my email. 

But I can’t seem to make it as routine as I would like.

Does this happen to you? What do you do to get up earlier? 

40 comments

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  • Moi j’ai deux secrets qui m’aident à me réveiller tôt. Le premier n’est pas trop un secret en fait : mon fils qui décide parfois de se réveiller à 6h30 et même 6h. Et l’autre c’est les insomnies et en général, au bout d’une heure à tourner je me lève. Dans les deux cas je lis ou si je suis extra motivée (ça arrive) je me fait un coup de ballet beautiful. Au moins comme ça je mets ce temps à profit et je suis moins dégoûtée de n’avoir pas pu dormir autant que j’aurais voulu !

  • Moi j’ai essayé toutes les alarmes de réveil possibles. Rien à faire.
    J’ai abandonné. Et puis le sommeil c’est bien pour la peau!!!

  • What a gorgeous picture ! Who shoots your photographs ?

  • I have a similar routine, keep it up! x

    http://www.wonkylauren.com

  • I hate to be a ‘Ted Moseby’ on this, but I just noticed the title says ‘Mourning’ instead of ‘Morning’! As there is an important difference between the two, I felt I had to point it out.

    To answer the question however, I am now getting up earlier due to having to take my little girl to school, sadly I’m not quite getting up early to exercise or anything, hopefully I’ll get there someday ;)

  • Hi! Thank you so much for your feedback, we have updated the title as it was a misspelling. The tips from everyone on this thread will certainly help you wake up earlier if you ever feel the need!!
    xx Amanda

  • Mettre le réveil loin du lit pour se forcer à se lever!

    Sinon… C’est morning, pas mourning non? Lapsus révélateur :)

  • Hi Laurelas, Thank you so much for the tip! That is a very good idea that I can do tomorrow morning. And thanks for calling out the misspelling – we have changed it :)
    xx Amanda

  • Deeply, painfully in the middle of the same morning slump. Thanks for sharing; glad to hear it isn’t just me. XO

  • Hi Hilary, Great to hear we are in this together! :) There are some great tips on this thread that will help us! Would be great to hear if anything ends up helping you!
    xx Amanda

  • I am not naturally an early morning riser but LOVE getting an early start on the day, so I force myself. I’ve recently realized it takes practice. Schedule something early you HAVE to get up for, like an exercise class you paid $35 for or an important doctor’s appointment. The more you wake up early the easier it becomes to just do it. I am back in school and have early morning classes and it’s always really tough to wake up early at the start of the semester, but towards the middle/end it’s like I’m a robot and snap out of bed.

  • Hi Alexandra, Thanks so much for your tips! The first few times will be hard but it will be worth it! I will try this tomorrow morning!
    xx Amanda

  • I don’t eat before 7-8 pm and preparing or just thinking that a nice breakfast is waiting me in the morning:) I am starving so I can’t sleep anymore:)
    Also, the most important rule is to sleep at 10-11 pm. Otherwise you can’t wake up at 6.

  • Hi Mada, Thank you so much for the tips! I will consider this tonight as I love a good breakfast and love going to be early!
    xx Amanda

  • I am a morning person anyway so I get up early even on days off.

    I love mornings. Well, dark winter mornings not so much. :)

    https://sofaundermapletree.wordpress.com

  • Hi! Thank you so much for the feedback. Happy to hear I am not alone on this one! :)
    xx Amanda

  • il paraît que les simulateurs d’aube permettent de se réveiller en douceur en hiver. je n’ai jamais essayé, car je n’ai pas trop de mal à me lever le matin, mais ce serait peut être une piste à explorer.

  • Hi Caroline, Thank you so much for the tip! I will be sure to check this out!
    xx Amanda

  • First thing I do after I open my eyes is one cup of coffee, then a shower and after this I start reading y emails and get ready for gym
    http://loving-evelyn.blogspot.ro/

  • Hi Lavinia, Thank you so much for the tip! Coffee first thing in the morning sounds like a good idea!
    xx Amanda

  • Very funny. I do the exact same thing, even down to the exact times. I set my alarm for 6:15 and keep hitting snooze until I finally am awake around 6:50 but can’t get out of bed until around 7:10. No matter how hard I want to wake up early and sort of ease into the day, I physically can’t do it! I think it is naturally difficult to wake up so early (when it’s still dark) because we’re biologically wired to wake up with the sunrise and fall asleep with the sunset.

    I’ve seen some alarm clocks by Phillips on Amazon that are designed to look like a sunrise and wake you up gradually. Maybe that’s something you could try!

    Briana
    http://www.youngsophisticate.com

  • Hi Briana, Thank you so much for the tips! I will check out that alarm clock you mentioned as it sounds perfect!
    xx Amanda

  • I’m struggling with this as well. Climate is pretty similar here. I started doing yoga and felt so great afterwards, so now I just think about that feeling I will have after my great morning routine. But you literally have to force yourself those first times. Another way how to think about it for me is – not to think at all about excuses or why not to do it, just write down in your calendar – yoga 7:00am, and think about it as a meeting you have to show up for, or flight you have to catch.

  • Hi Sabine, Thank you so much for the tip! I will try that tomorrow morning!
    xx Amanda

  • I am rubbish at setting the alarm early and actually getting up to do a home routine but I have found that if I book a course of fitness training sessions and schedule them at 6.30am twice a week – outside of my home I will actually get up and do them. If I set the alarm to do them at home-No chance

  • Thank you so much for your tip!
    xx Amanda

  • This is a major problem for me as well during the NYC winters! I too have much trouble getting out of bed and am happy that I am not alone. I’ve recently acquired a very inspirational stack of independent magazines. They are so good that I try to stay awake to read them at night; however when I get too tired, I tell myself that I can allow myself to continue reading with a cup of coffee once I get up in the morning :) It helps a bit knowing that I’m going to have a great dose of inspiration in the morning; but still…when that alarm goes off and the day is so grey…it is so hard! :)

  • Hi Sharon, Thank you so much for your comment. It’s so nice to know we are not alone. :) I completely understand the feeling of wanting to stay up and read for pleasure as I am so guilty of this as well! The other tips on this thread really can help us though :) Best of luck!!
    xx Amanda

  • I’ve just given up. I don’t try to change it. Because hitting that snooze bottom is one of those small pleasures in life. That moment when you think 5 more minutes, just five more mintes… and feel the warmth of your bed… that is priceless.
    So, here’s my tip: embrace it! ;)
    xx,
    E.
    http://www.theslowpace.com

  • Hi E! Thanks so much for your feedback! I appreciate your tip and will be sure to embrace it a little more! Thank you :)
    xx Amanda

  • 5 second rule from Mel Robbins, “The 5 Second Rule.

    When you have an impulse, you will need to take action within 5 seconds or the emergency brake will jump into action and it will kill the impulse. This happens and you will not take action, you will not make the changes that you need to take to succeed, and you won’t get what you want.”

    I tried it this week and it works! Get up within 5 seconds and the snooze button is history!

  • D Laughton February, 11 2016, 10:03 / Reply

    Girl I get you! Somedays I can pop right out of bed, others days not so much, and what’s missing is a ROUTINE! Little steps!

  • Je ne suis pas une personne matinale. Cependant pendant ces deux dernières semaines je vais au gym très très tôt. La raison est simple, je me rends compte que je fais mes exercises tellement mieux lorsque le gym est vide tout en attayant mes résultats physique. Je me lêve donc tôt au moins 3 fois semaines et les weekend je travaille à 10h. Malgré que je ne suis pas matinale, je constate qu’il est mieux de se lever tôt. On réalise plus de choses que lorsqu’on se lève pour midi ou 1PM.

  • Je me reveille soit a 6h pour aller au yoga a 6h30 avant le travail, et dans ce cas la, je prepare toutes mes affaires la veille pour ne plus avoir qu’a sauter dans mes leggings; soit a 7h et la je fais qqes postures de yoga chez moi, et j’ai le temps de preparer un gros petit dej, ecouter la radio etc. Je trouve que c’est plus facile de me lever a 6h maintenant que je me leve aussi un peu plus tot les jours ou je ne vais pas au cours de yoga. En fait, il faut une routine. Les jours qui se rallongent en ce moment aident beaucoup! Et savoir que j’ai un super petit dej qui m’attend me fais sauter du lit sans probleme :) Et j’adore ces moments calmes ou tout le monde dors encore!

  • J’ai un enfant en bas âge. Le meilleur des réveils aux aurores ,-)

  • Benedicte February, 14 2016, 3:20 / Reply

    I just DON’T want to get up early !

  • The Philips Energy light, you have to sit behind it for half an hour every morning.

    Else, to get out of bed, the Wakeup Light from Philips. Other than that, I have a cat who is always hungry and as soon as the alarm goes off (sometimes earlier), he’ll start making noise and asking for cuddles until I feed him!

  • Really enjoyed your post. My problem with maintaining a consistent morning routine is struggling with insomnia. I’m often awake until 3am when most people are in the depths of their most beneficial sleep. On those mornings it’s difficult to pop out of bed and get going.

    Well…we continue to try to do our best.

  • The winter is the best time to be planting the seeds that will grow the rest of the year. It is just like the seasons around us.
    Seed the routine deep into your bones and it will stick.
    I have to leave for work around 7:30am so that means if I want any kind of morning routine I am up at 5. I used to wine about it and then just did it, as I wanted to have the practice more then the complaints. Everything comes down to a simple choice. I give myself one hour of time for meditation and yoga, washing my face, oiling having tea watching the sunrise. Its now my most beloved time of the day. Quiet and mine.
    Though I will say, I am in my cozy bed by 9:30 getting ready to drift off. Good news, I love being cozy. My man is supportive and practices also.

  • I used to be that annoying person that used to wake up at 5:30am with no alarm needed! I then moved from sunny South Africa to London, and over the years I have progressively gotten worse at waking up early. Even with the best intentions I just can’t get my ass up on time! I put it down to my body clock changing and not forcing the issue, if my body wants to sleep in for now so be it :) May be I will go back to normal when the sun starts to shine again!

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