15 Minutes in the Morning
Adding to my morning routine, in small increments.
If there’s one thing that I’ve confirmed about myself during the pandemic, it is that I like routine. Of course, the pandemic was often the opposite of this, with constant changes to the remote school schedule and days that felt like a free-for-all.
But as we’re emerging on the other side, I have found that I can recapture some of that routine I crave. My kids are back in school so there is more regularity to the days. I have long been a morning person but recently have tried to add a bit more to my morning routine.
I have set a goal to get better at yoga inversions. I have a FeetUp trainer, but it has been sitting in my closet for some time. Along with that, I’m going to need to build some arm strength.
I used the app HabitList to create a new morning routine of four things:
- Listen to the podcast The Writer’s Almanac
- Practice my inversions with my FeetUp Trainer
- Lift arm weights
- Do two Spanish lessons in Duolingo
I listen to The Writer’s Almanac while practicing my inversions. The podcast is only five minutes long. I’d like to work my way up to keeping my balance for the entire duration, but so far I’m at only about three-and-a-half minutes.
Then I lift 8-lb arm weights while listening to the song “My Shot” from Hamilton. It’s a great motivational song for the morning.
Finally — tired from the inversions and the lifting — I sit and practice my Spanish. Then shower. The entire routine is under 15 minutes long and I feel like I’ve gotten a lot accomplished in that time.
