Breaking Routines

Slow commute - stopping for a cup of coffee on the way to the office

I have a routine. I wakeup, I do my morning stuff, eat breakfast, and head to the office. Generally the faster I manage to go through this process the happier I am. I have been effective! I am already in the office!

This morning I thought that I’d do some work on other stuff before heading to office. However, trying to break from the pattern seemed to be surprisingly difficult. It was confusing. I worked in a few extra hours yesterday, and was in no hurry to the office. Still, when I diverted my steps from the normal commute route and came to the cafe, I felt almost a bit guilty for not following my dull pattern. The excitement was close to the feeling of stepping on a stage and giving a presentation. And it’s definitely not the place that is exciting (although it’s very comfy and I got some good thinking done).

I really like the idea of a slow morning. So far early evening has been victorious.

Is this excitement due to doing what I really like, as opposed to what I expect I should be doing?

Early Mornings

Ever dreamed you could have longer days?

How about just waking up early? Yeah, I know, it does make you go to bed earlier and lose some precious YouTube watching time from the evening. I haven’t yet been completely converted to the idea either. But quite many people claim that days feel longer if you wakeup early, so let’s give it a shot.

Actually, I have been waking up rather early during the whole past year. Mostly around 06:20, which allows me to be at the office around 07:30. That seems to work for me. I get the benefit of quiet morning hours at the office to be productive, while also being able to leave reasonably early and use the evening for something else.

When I spotted this lifehack campaign for learning to wake up early, I decided to push the bar a bit. How about trying to wake up around 05:30 and do some morning exercise? I’ll give it a shot. If you wish to take part, see the campaign and join in!

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UPDATES

Record of my success for the campaign is updated here:

Monday, March 22nd: Alarm set to 06:00; Got up at 05:50

Out of courtesy to my wife, I only set the alarm to 06:00. I still managed to get up before the alarm went off! So even if missed my target time by 20 minutes, I’d consider this a great start.

Stretching had to for the exercise part. As I replied to Seth in the comments, the snowy / icy / slushy pavement does not really encourage jogging in the morning. Maybe later. For now, getting in some stretching and still managing to arrive at the office by 07:30 is, as said, a good start.

The weirdest thing? I don’t generally remember by dreams, but this time I woke up while being sworn at with the words “son of a mother duck!”

Tuesday, March 23rd: Alarm set to 06:00, Got up at 06:00.

Second day of challenge was not so glorious. The alarm rang. Then it rang a bit louder. And it probably rang a few times more before I actually woke up. Not nearly as nice as waking up without the alarm.

Anyway, managed to jump right out of bed and got in some good stretching before heading for the office. It is definitely worth it – even the commute time feels better as you are more awake.

Wednesday, March 24th: Alarm set to 06:00, Got up at 06:00

Third day of the challenge. Managed to wakeup, although tucking in for another half an hour seemed like a great option. However, as I had persuaded my wife to get up at the same time, which she did, I couldn’t just snooze away. I think I will have to consider getting one of the vibrating alarms suggested in the comments

This time the morning exercise felt a bit more forced, and didn’t have that much enthusiasm for it. But pushing through was definitely worth it. The commute time has gotten so much more energetic, that I even stopped by a bakery to buy a bunch of croissants to share around the office . I have to admit that the sun finally shining after a long winter probably has some part in this, but I’m placing most of the credit on starting my morning with new routines.

Yesterday I really felt that perhaps just sleeping in and taking enough time for yourself in the morning before coming to the office would result in just the same effect. After this morning I can’t agree with myself anymore. There is something great about being awake early.

Thursday, March 25th: Alarm set to 06:00; Got up at 06:00

This feels like a normal routine by now. And it seems to really work. The morning exercise really gives the day a faster start. I’m definitely going to keep to this new morning routine, even if the actual wake up time changes.

That being said, now it’s time to be productive rather than write these updates.

Friday, March 26th: Alarm set to 06:00; Got up at 06:00

Waking up poses no problems at all. Although there is a downside – I fall asleep at 22:00 in the evening. That’s when my social life with my friends (=irc) generally begins. Oh well, one thing at a time I suppose.

Before I go on to sketch together a full post on my thoughts about the campaign, I’ll end this by saying that I’m definitely going to keep on the habit of exercising in the mornings, even if my wake up time starts to slide.

Thanks and good luck to all other participants of the challenge!