My morning routine as of February 2016
It’s 7AM, and it’s still pitch black in the room which I sleep. I find that even the smallest light source can be disturbing to my sleep. I do not appreciate audible alarms, not only due to their terribly disruptive nature but I’ve been known to turn an alarm off in my dreams just to wake up to a disabled alarm. Instead I use a light alarm clock, one that slowly gets brighter over the course of ~30 minutes. Simulating the actual sunrise.
I set my alarm based on the time which I went to bed, if I need to be awake at a certain hour. I do this to ensure at least 8 hours of sleep. I’ve read both sides of the argument when it comes to sleep, be it “5 hours is all you need” or “We actually require 10 hours of sleep”. I find that 8 works fairly well, though 9 or 10 has done well for me in the past. Currently, due to my daily schedule, 8 hours of sleep works well.
I have Arianna Huffington’s new book The Sleep Revolution: Transforming Your Life One Night at a Time on my Audible wishlist for listening as soon as its released. I’ve attacked many other habits so far this year, and sleep is coming up on my list of priorities. Whenever I wish to work on an aspect of myself, I educate myself until I find my own path to where I wish that aspect to be. Arianna has spoken of the importance of sleep in the past, and I’m sure she has pooled together some amazing insights.
Back to my room at 7AM. I’ve woken up automatically at this time, because for reasons I am unsure of my body has decided this is the time I will awaken no matter when I get to sleep. It looks like I have some work to do in order to naturally wake up at 5AM! I’m sure I have much negotiating to do between my current and future sleep habits in order to find an appropriate compromise, but I’m sure both sides have me in their best interests.
After waking up I first do my best to recall my dreams from the night before, as I will soon be recording them in my journal. Most days, when I get proper sleep, my dreams are clear as crystal and can be recalled like vivid memories. After noting a few keys points in my mind so I will be sure not to forget the dreams, I make my way upstairs.
On my way upstairs I grab my dream journal and whatever book I am reading that day. I start brewing some coffee, and drink two large glasses of water briskly. I am very thirsty most mornings, and I find that those two glasses of water stave of hunger and help wake me up.
I will then pour myself a cup of coffee and head over to the nearest place to write. Sipping on my coffee I record my dreams from the night, complete with sketches of any notable visuals I saw. Its very interesting recalling my dreams. There is much insight to be found in ones dreams, whether you believe there to be spiritual implications or not. Its empowering at times to be dreaming about the projects you are most passionate about in real life. Solutions to your problems may lay in your dreams even.
After my coffee and dream journal I head back to the kitchen for breakfast. Breakfast for me consists of a high fat meal with a substantial amount of protein. Usually 20 to 30 grams of protein. As opportunity would have it, my current startup Mobius Nutrition has a product which we call Mobius Breakfast that fits the bill nicely.
Mobius Breakfast is a coconut milk based powdered drink mix containing 20g of protein, 100mg caffeine (about as much as a cup of coffee), a multivitamin, electrolytes, and nootropics. Think Soylent meets Bulletproof Coffee meets Shakeology. At 380 calories this drink keeps me full until my post workout lunch.
My morning is capped by at least an hour of reading. I have a love for learning and starting each day by learning puts my mind into a growth mindset. I have heard before many times that we should give to ourselves first. With money this comes in the form of saving before spending, and with time in my opinion this means starting your day with something that is important to you. For me this is learning, and recently the learning has taken place in the form of books.
That’s my current routine, but life is change and I’m sure that changes will come to my routine. I assure you that any changes will be for the better, as why else would we wish to change?
