NANCY CHEN

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how to build your ideal morning routine (COVID edition)

Nancy Chen

I’ve always been obsessed with routines, especially morning ones.

I’m a weirdo, I know.

but I think they’re so essential to setting up your day properly. I’ve had mornings when I wake up, roll over, pull my laptop out and start working before even brushing my teeth or properly blinking sleep from my eyes. and let me tell you — those days are the shittiest ones I have. not because of work, but because I start my whole day by running on someone else’s hamster wheel.

throughout the years, my morning routine has definitely changed as my life has changed (going through different jobs, living spaces, energy levels, etc.), but there are some fundamentals that remain the same.

and during these times of lockdown, it’s more important than ever to have a routine that helps you build the foundation of your day and allows you to feel some semblance of normalcy in these unprecedented times.

so I’ve put together some tips, along with what my routine looks like.

ultimately, your morning routine should be a source of self-care. it should be something you want to do, not something you force yourself to do.

and no two morning routines are the same. don’t try to copy what I or anyone else does to the dot, because the goal is to find something that works for you.

last note: don’t fall into the comparison trap either! whether your morning routine is 2 minutes or 2 hours, as long as it makes you feel like the awesome badass you are, it’s perfect for you. ;)

let’s get into it.

a few disclaimers here:

  • I am NOT a parent (other than being a dog mom), so I can’t say how having a kid affects this all (I can’t even imagine, lol.)

  • I AM a morning person. I naturally have the most energy in the morning and do my best work before noon.

tips for building your own morning routine

  1. envision what your ideal morning looks like, free of time constraints. is it getting a workout in? spending time reading? sipping a mug of coffee? making a luxurious breakfast? whatever it is, make a list.

  2. prioritize what matters. obviously, we do have time constraints. that’s life. so take the list and begin arranging it in order of priority.

  3. train yourself not to react first. reacting first = putting your time into other peoples’ hands. right when we wake up is a magical time. so if you change anything about your morning routine, make it NOT checking email/texts/scrolling on social media.

  4. do something reflective, grounding, and awakening. those 3 tenets are my pillars of my morning routine. for example — reflective can be journaling, writing/speaking/thinking things you’re grateful for, meditating, reading something and reflecting on it, simply being quiet on your walk. grounding can be literally grounding outside, breathwork, laying in bed for a moment when you wake up to center yourself, writing down anything that’s your mind and getting it out on paper (brain dumping — I’ve found this helps with anxiety for me). awakening can be drinking lots of water (or ACV — that wakes me up!), taking a cold shower, doing a cold plunge, any type of movement. try not to rely on coffee solely for awakening purposes, though it can be an amazing ritual in your morning routine.

  5. test it out. like with everything, you’ll arrive at the optimal solution once you go through a few rounds of testing. if you’re going through this ideal routine you’ve built and not feeling it, take something out or add something in. no need for rigidity!

my (current) morning routine

wake up. (duh)

I’ve been waking up without an alarm most days and allowing my body to wake up naturally and get the sleep it needs. that being said, I do naturally wake up from 6am-7:30am.

I’ve been putting my phone on airplane mode as soon as I get into the bed at night and playing the Calm app soundtracks (or Harry Styles sleep story, lol) that I’ve downloaded offline. that way, I don’t get bombarded with notifications when I check my phone for the time in the AM.

I’ll hop out of bed pretty much right away, drink the water that’s leftover in my bottle/mason jar by my bed, and turn on the Snacks Daily podcast while I get ready.

the first thing I do is make my bed.

then I head into the bathroom to clear out my system (my mom has trained me to do this since I was a kid), dry brush, put my contacts in, and take a cold shower (I like to sprinkle a few drops of cedar or peppermint essential oil before running the water so it’s like a whole experience).

the essentials for me (even when I travel) are these:

  • drinking water

  • making my bed

  • going to the bathroom

  • cold shower!!

the cold shower is my fav thing for waking up. I’m not going to go into details of why here, but these articles do a great job of explaining it:

get moving.

after my shower, I brush my teeth + put SPF on.

I take my doggo for a walk — I’ve been really loving these 1-2 mile morning walks since I have more time in the AMs. I’ve been walking her to get coffee because I have a lot of trouble walking with no purpose (I know, I know). plus, it’s a nice ritual and I enjoy supporting local coffee shops!

I usually listen to a podcast during this time, but sometimes I’ll leave the airpods out and simply enjoy the sounds of nature.

if I have time, I typically try and get a workout done after this as well. (or before the walk, depending on the timing of it all).

outdoor workouts have been amazing during these times. the feel of the sun on my skin is so lovely, and it really wakes me up. if it’s somewhere like my parents’ backyard, I’ll do the workout without shoes on so I can get some grounding in too.

some workouts I’ve been loving:

  • zoom/youtube boxing workouts via my local gyms (I like Prevail Boxing + Box ‘n Burn)

  • outdoor, socially distanced workouts local gyms have been holding (here are some for LA)

  • yoga (zoom or on my own, though I’ve been doing this mainly in the evenings)

  • Barry’s classes (I prefer their at-home RUN classes for interval training)

  • going on runs myself (longer distance, slower pace)

if I’m feeling really exhausted or if it’s a rest day, I’ll do my walk and leave it at that.

before opening my laptop.

after my workout, I take some time to unwind (eyes closed, slowed breathing), shower (another cold shower) and make breakfast/brunch (usually eggs + avocado), then get down to work.

(if I’m doing a 16-18 hr intermittent fast, I’ll usually delay this meal until later in the day, but it’s typically the same meal because I’m a creature of habit)

before I even open my laptop, I do my Daily Stoic reflection. it’s a short reading on philosophy (listen to this episode of The Skinny Confidential Him & Her Show podcast for more deets!); I do some highlighting and write my own reflection on the reading below.

if I have any thoughts that I need to get out of my head, I journal in my Passion Planner or notebook.

then I look at my calendar, Asana (for work), and to-do list (I keep a running one on my Notes app on my iPhone for whenever things pop up) and write everything on a post-it note for the day. I take the time to set up my Passion Planner with to-do’s and my schedule at the beginning of each week too, so all meetings should be in there first.

tip: this is how I set up my planner each month

then, I turn on Slack, check email, etc. and get working!

more morning routine resources: