What do you do with an hour of morning?
May 25, 2011 12:16 PM Subscribe
What is a productive way to spend the first hour after I wake up?
I have become somewhat better at waking up since I posted this question, through a combination of going to bed a bit earlier, dropping coffee (much to my chagrin), and really trying to get up when I wake up instead of rolling over and going back to sleep.
Getting up when I wake up means that I'm up and about approximately half an hour before my alarm clock; combined with the time I already build in to get ready, this means that I have a whole hour before I really need to leave for work. What are some meaningful activities I could do in this hour? Some mornings I take the bus then walk across the Brooklyn Bridge to work, and I really enjoy that, but I'd like to switch it up. Any suggestions appreciated.
I have become somewhat better at waking up since I posted this question, through a combination of going to bed a bit earlier, dropping coffee (much to my chagrin), and really trying to get up when I wake up instead of rolling over and going back to sleep.
Getting up when I wake up means that I'm up and about approximately half an hour before my alarm clock; combined with the time I already build in to get ready, this means that I have a whole hour before I really need to leave for work. What are some meaningful activities I could do in this hour? Some mornings I take the bus then walk across the Brooklyn Bridge to work, and I really enjoy that, but I'd like to switch it up. Any suggestions appreciated.
Best answer: I do 15 minutes of stretching and exercises (pushups, situps, stuff like that) every morning. It started out as PT for my back, but I'm past the need for that and I still do it, because it yanks me out of my morning fog in a fairly pleasant but useful way.
posted by gurple at 12:19 PM on May 25, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by gurple at 12:19 PM on May 25, 2011 [2 favorites]
Clean something. 15-20 minutes of house cleaning a day (put stuff away, scrub just the bathroom sink really well... you know, something small) and your place will look great.
posted by brainmouse at 12:21 PM on May 25, 2011 [4 favorites]
posted by brainmouse at 12:21 PM on May 25, 2011 [4 favorites]
Jillian Michaels' yoga meltdown.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 12:22 PM on May 25, 2011
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 12:22 PM on May 25, 2011
Any kind of exercise!
If not exercise, then you could maybe prepare the evening meal?
posted by krilli at 12:29 PM on May 25, 2011
If not exercise, then you could maybe prepare the evening meal?
posted by krilli at 12:29 PM on May 25, 2011
Write.
Eat breakfast if you are not already.
Household chores: Pay bills, laundry, clean
Read Metafilter and Ask
Get to work area early and explore the local stores near work.
Exercise is a good thing
Do whatever it is you were doing that last hour when you stayed up too late.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 12:34 PM on May 25, 2011
Eat breakfast if you are not already.
Household chores: Pay bills, laundry, clean
Read Metafilter and Ask
Get to work area early and explore the local stores near work.
Exercise is a good thing
Do whatever it is you were doing that last hour when you stayed up too late.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 12:34 PM on May 25, 2011
1. Go for a run (or run/walk).
2. Do a yoga practice
3. Meditate
4. Read a book or magazine
5. Clear your emails.
posted by bearwife at 12:59 PM on May 25, 2011
2. Do a yoga practice
3. Meditate
4. Read a book or magazine
5. Clear your emails.
posted by bearwife at 12:59 PM on May 25, 2011
Also suggesting some form of exercise, even just a little stretching/yoga right in the morning. Or write a list of things you need to think about for the day, just to get it down on paper and out of your head. And then eat a super yummy breakfast, like steel-cut oats with milk, walnuts, strawberries or bananas, and agave. You can make steel-cut oats Sunday night and eat them all week for breakfast. YUM.
posted by sucre at 1:04 PM on May 25, 2011
posted by sucre at 1:04 PM on May 25, 2011
Meditate.
posted by dfan at 1:45 PM on May 25, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by dfan at 1:45 PM on May 25, 2011 [2 favorites]
Write. Sit down at a notebook and don't stop writing until you've filled 2 pages. This is straight out of The Artist's Way. I'm terrible at getting out of bed, but when I get up early enough to write, I'm much more mentally clear the rest of the day.
posted by mollymayhem at 3:07 PM on May 25, 2011
posted by mollymayhem at 3:07 PM on May 25, 2011
If you've got a pet, first thing in the morning is a good time to train them. They are so happy to see you that it makes them extra attentive. I've been clicker training my cat for 15 minutes first thing (and then rubbing her belly for the next 30 minutes or so while writing...)
posted by lollusc at 3:48 PM on May 25, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by lollusc at 3:48 PM on May 25, 2011 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Go for a run or a brisk walk, no matter what the weather. Also, if you don't have any downstairs neighbors, pick the most ridiculous looking youtube dance tutorial and flail your way through it giddily.
posted by elizardbits at 4:21 PM on May 25, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by elizardbits at 4:21 PM on May 25, 2011 [3 favorites]
Work your way up to 100 pushups, over time, of course.
posted by shortyJBot at 7:23 PM on May 25, 2011
posted by shortyJBot at 7:23 PM on May 25, 2011
I like mindless tasks - putting away dishes, filling paperwork etc. that need to be done but don't really require brainpower.
posted by cestmoi15 at 8:21 PM on May 25, 2011
posted by cestmoi15 at 8:21 PM on May 25, 2011
Coffee/Cigarette, read news. Work out. Shower.
Haha, the 100 pushups thing is *great* - I just managed 50/45/40 in under 5 minutes now (that third rep really helped me to get up to those numbers), want to get to 50/50 before changing strategy to working up to 100 straight.
/(re)installing chin-up bar when I can motivate myself into it, I need my shoulders to catch up
posted by porpoise at 8:42 PM on May 25, 2011
Haha, the 100 pushups thing is *great* - I just managed 50/45/40 in under 5 minutes now (that third rep really helped me to get up to those numbers), want to get to 50/50 before changing strategy to working up to 100 straight.
/(re)installing chin-up bar when I can motivate myself into it, I need my shoulders to catch up
posted by porpoise at 8:42 PM on May 25, 2011
hmm. Here's what I do most mornings.
a) hit the snooze button for my alarm clock.
b) catch some more Zzzz...
c) Goto step (a), repeat until your hour is up.
posted by jchaw at 10:25 PM on May 25, 2011
a) hit the snooze button for my alarm clock.
b) catch some more Zzzz...
c) Goto step (a), repeat until your hour is up.
posted by jchaw at 10:25 PM on May 25, 2011
As mentioned above, adopt a pet.
Up until very recently my morning routine mirrored jchaw's. The dog I recently adopted, has forced a new morning routine on me. I now get up an hour earlier than usual to walk and feed the dog.
This is good 'cause I feel productive again. Ever since I gave up bike racing a couple years ago, and started sleeping in instead of using the early morning hours to train, I've felt kinda like a slob.
Now I have a little more purpose and structure to my mornings, and hanging out with the puppy first thing is a really great way to start the day.
Another option is to use that time for a bicycle-commute. I used to do this, before my office changed to a location that's too far away to do so. I felt great arriving at work after a brisk hour-long ride. Contrary to popular belief there *are* ways to cope w/o a shower at work, and be presentable at the office.
posted by zen_spider at 10:38 PM on May 25, 2011
Up until very recently my morning routine mirrored jchaw's. The dog I recently adopted, has forced a new morning routine on me. I now get up an hour earlier than usual to walk and feed the dog.
This is good 'cause I feel productive again. Ever since I gave up bike racing a couple years ago, and started sleeping in instead of using the early morning hours to train, I've felt kinda like a slob.
Now I have a little more purpose and structure to my mornings, and hanging out with the puppy first thing is a really great way to start the day.
Another option is to use that time for a bicycle-commute. I used to do this, before my office changed to a location that's too far away to do so. I felt great arriving at work after a brisk hour-long ride. Contrary to popular belief there *are* ways to cope w/o a shower at work, and be presentable at the office.
posted by zen_spider at 10:38 PM on May 25, 2011
Best answer: Waking up before your alarm and having that block of time sounds like pure heaven. I'm going to try this myself this summer. Thank you for affirming my goal with your great question!
A couple of ideas for you--
1. Prepare and enjoy a healthy breakfast. Try a new recipe for a homecooked breakfast every day to develop your culinary skills. Linger over your favorite herbal tea, slowly savoring it while reading the paper. Or pack a delicious lunch for yourself, which you can look forward to throughout the morning grind.
2. Pray or meditate. I just bought a 365 day study Bible, which has great reviews on Amazon. If you don't want to read the Bible, chip away at another inspirational (or purely interesting) text that you've been meaning to read. Block out a set amount of time each morning for it. My friend who recommended this says it really improves her work performance and mood throughout the rest of the day to do her reflection time upon waking.
posted by sunnychef88 at 12:44 AM on May 26, 2011 [1 favorite]
A couple of ideas for you--
1. Prepare and enjoy a healthy breakfast. Try a new recipe for a homecooked breakfast every day to develop your culinary skills. Linger over your favorite herbal tea, slowly savoring it while reading the paper. Or pack a delicious lunch for yourself, which you can look forward to throughout the morning grind.
2. Pray or meditate. I just bought a 365 day study Bible, which has great reviews on Amazon. If you don't want to read the Bible, chip away at another inspirational (or purely interesting) text that you've been meaning to read. Block out a set amount of time each morning for it. My friend who recommended this says it really improves her work performance and mood throughout the rest of the day to do her reflection time upon waking.
posted by sunnychef88 at 12:44 AM on May 26, 2011 [1 favorite]
I have been trying to wake up an hour early in the morning to do the following:
-take an outfit of the day picture, upload to flickr, and note what I'm wearing (designer, size, where I got it; ah, vanity. Does help you put together future outfits and see if you look as awesome as you think you do, though.)
-write a letter and drop it in the mail on the way to work. I've always been terrible at keeping in touch with people, and I find that sending whomever a letter (today I wrote my Grandmother a two paragraph note and mailed it with a silk scarf I had that I thought she might like) results in A - return mail and B - people overlooking not emailing them back as much as I should.
I also do the (free) flylady organization/cleaning program, which adds a few steps to your morning routine.
As others mentioned, I'd love to make it to the gym in the morning, but this has yet to happen...
I feel really relaxed once I've accomplished these goals for the day.
posted by Acer_saccharum at 8:34 AM on May 26, 2011
-take an outfit of the day picture, upload to flickr, and note what I'm wearing (designer, size, where I got it; ah, vanity. Does help you put together future outfits and see if you look as awesome as you think you do, though.)
-write a letter and drop it in the mail on the way to work. I've always been terrible at keeping in touch with people, and I find that sending whomever a letter (today I wrote my Grandmother a two paragraph note and mailed it with a silk scarf I had that I thought she might like) results in A - return mail and B - people overlooking not emailing them back as much as I should.
I also do the (free) flylady organization/cleaning program, which adds a few steps to your morning routine.
As others mentioned, I'd love to make it to the gym in the morning, but this has yet to happen...
I feel really relaxed once I've accomplished these goals for the day.
posted by Acer_saccharum at 8:34 AM on May 26, 2011
This is totally boring, but honestly, that's when I like to unload and load the dishwasher. It gets a big chore out of the way when I'm not quite awake enough to do anything interesting yet.
posted by Eshkol at 10:09 AM on May 27, 2011
posted by Eshkol at 10:09 AM on May 27, 2011
Response by poster: Thanks, everyone. I marked as best the ones that are most likely to work for me, based on my habits and what I'm like in the morning, but they're all great!
posted by mlle valentine at 11:29 AM on May 28, 2011
posted by mlle valentine at 11:29 AM on May 28, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by JimmyJames at 12:19 PM on May 25, 2011 [4 favorites]