My Morning Routine
Published in
6 min readApr 15, 2024
- I usually wake up around 6, though my dream is to join the 5 am club.
- I have stopped the practice of keeping an alarm to force myself out of sleep. I prefer the awakening to be a natural process
- It takes me at least 15 minutes to get out of bed after I wake up. I check WhatsApp messages, emails, Teams notifications, and LinkedIn feeds with squinted eyes, until they get weary and start burning (the eyes, i.e.).
- There are days when the bowel takes the role of the alarm clock.
- Whatever the trigger for waking up, the first visit is to the washroom. I remember to carry a book and my phone while entering. Should I call them my toilet essentials?
- Clearing my bowels is my top priority in life. It sets the mood for the rest of the day. Constipation or an incomplete job makes me a grumpy bear, frowning and fretting all day.
- The process takes 30 minutes to an hour depending on the input and output frequency. The input is from the book or social media feed, in case that was not evident.
- I write articles (like this one), poetry, stories, and screenplays while seated on the throne. It’s my creative niche.
- Sometimes, I carry a notebook to capture my creative energy. I use the laundry basket as the writing pad. Some day, I will build a humongous bathroom with a library, couches, and writing desks, like the king of Bollywood. Not to forget the sea view.
- On days that the kid has to go to school, morning time is rationed. I delay the start of my morning routine until the kid steps out. I do not like to rush through the routine; every moment of the morning needs to be savored (even if it means getting late for office)
- On such occasions, I carry out breakfast and lunch preparations with my lips tightly sealed.
- Cooking before brushing one’s teeth is a practice I have imbibed from my mom and something that I am not proud of. I thought this would help save time and keep people at bay. But, I am wrong. My daughter still pesters me with a million questions. So does my husband. A stare, a nod, or rolling eyes are my typical responses. Heck! Even bad breath doesn’t keep family away?!!
- I hate interacting with people in the mornings. It takes at least 2 hours for the social side of my brain to wake up, after my body is up and about. I, me, myself is my morning mantra.
- Cleansing the teeth makes me feel I have accomplished everything needed in life. It makes me beam like a politician who has fulfilled all the promises he/she has made to the vote bank.
- I gulp down half a liter of water, right after brushing. For no reason.
- I join my online workout classes, on days that the growing tummy signals me in this direction.
- I steal away time from every high-priority activity (including critical project submissions at work) to spend on writing. My mornings feel incomplete if I don’t put the pen down on paper.
- Most often, I write on a physical medium with a gel pen. The flow of ink gives me a high. I sit down at my favorite spot by the window to write.
- I wish I could prolong this moment and not go to the office. The very reason to pursue a corporate job is to accumulate a corpus so that one day it will fund my writing pursuit.
- There is an array of trees outside the window with birds, butterflies, and squirrels darting around, that cheer me to write every day. They are my sole and soul companions.
- Sometimes, I am hit by writer’s block and sit still looking out of the window.
- However busy or preoccupied I may be, I wait for my favorite green birds to arrive on the tree trunk. We share a deep bond, through the window.
- The mind is never at peace even when the creative juices are flowing. There are a million thoughts making noise inside the cranium.
- All the pending items in the to-do list make a cameo appearance now and then, reminding me that I have other things to prioritize.
- Work is worship (until I have other means to pay my bills). Duty beckons and interrupts my reverie.
- Who will go to the office today and who will stay at home to pick up the kid in the evening? This is the million-dollar question we debate over every morning. Both of us need to be in the office at least 3 days a week. Hybrid work can break marriages, I tell you.
- I get ready for work in the most somber way. I don’t get much time for it, as I have whiled away ample time already.
- I browse through the wardrobe and on most days, choose a black outfit to suit the morning blues.
- I apply light or no makeup depending on the quantum of acne on my face. There are times when the acne is so widespread that there is no space left for primer or concealer. My pimples keep me simple.
- I apply eyeliner on the forehead instead of the eyes. I sketch a short vertical line between the brows and call it a bindi. Sometimes, the line becomes a downward arrow, an exclamation, or a question mark.
- I comb whatever strands are available on the head. Hair has always been a cause of concern. It loves gracing the floor more than my head.
- I make a mental note that I must exercise from the next day, as the pants don’t fit anymore.
- There is hardly any time for breakfast. I love smoothies on most days, but who will make it? I am one of the rarest species in Bangalore that doesn’t have a cook. So, I manage with whatever can be made and consumed in less than 5 minutes.
- Dosas are the default option. I am the reason for Mustafa’s organization, ID, to break even.
- On some days, I pack breakfast and eat it in the car, on the way to the office.
- A bite of dark chocolate is a must after breakfast and every other meal. It keeps me sane.
- I listen to “Mad mornings with Prithvi” on the radio, en route office.
- If there are outstanding tasks at work, I make phone calls and try to sort out those, while heading towards the office.
- The husband drops me at my office gate. It’s hardly 8 minutes drive from my home. But, traffic ensures that it takes a good 20 minutes to reach.
- When I am not on talking terms with my husband, I walk to work. It takes the same 20 minutes.
- His office is 20 kilometers away. That is a good one hour and 30 minutes drive from our home.
- At least once a week, my husband’s colleague tags along. I utter my customary “Hi” to him and then recede into my world. Let them do the talking.
- My office is on the 16th floor of the building that houses many more corporates like us. In the mornings, the lift stops at almost every floor and makes my BP go high. It feels like traveling in a small town bus.
- I swipe the access card mechanically and enter the office. This is the point where life stops and work begins.
- The first thing I do after entering is, wash my hands because I have touched the buttons in the lift. Most of the time, I use the ID card to press buttons. Still, I wash my hands.
- If I manage to enter the office before 10 am, I walk around and socialize with the team. If not, I silently go to my desk.
- I look out of the window from the 16th floor and observe the life outside. There are no trees or birds around. Only towering buildings and man-made gardens.
- I browse through the crowded calendar on Outlook and brace myself for the day ahead.
- I secretly wish for these meetings to be canceled.
- I start counting the hours that lead to my departure for the day. The desire for early retirement is at an all-time high in the mornings.
