Becoming a morning person has been one of my goals for as long as I can remember. From the moment I lived alone and could decide when to wake up, I became a snoozer. There’s a whole mystique around this getting up early thing. All successful people – apparently -do, hundreds of books have been written on the subject and there are about 182,000,000 results on Google. Ah, that 6am unattainable Holy Grail.

At the beginning of the year, I made 6am my b****. Well, kind of. It was my impossible goal – as Laura Brown put it – and slowly but surely, I became a morning person. I did the work, I got out of bed, I fought the snooze button, hard. And I won. For about 5 and ½ minutes. Ah, the pride! And then, the pandemic hit. I started staying up late, and subsequently, waking up late. I went from a reasonable lights off at midnight to an excessive 3am – still hitting the Next button on my Netflix cue. Needless to say, my body adjusted to this new reality pretty quickly, and now that my life is going back to ‘normal’, my circadian rhythm is struggling to keep up.

 I’ve downloaded apps, e-books, guides and lists of what makes for a perfect morning routine and how to set yourself up for success the night before. Bla bla bla, snore. Literally. But I keep kicking myself. Because I remember how good it felt to have all that time to myself in the morning. How each sip of coffee tasted like. How I could take a solid 20 minutes to just do that, while listening to some smooth jazz tunes and watch my cat run around the living room while the first rays of the sun would start peaking through the windows. How I was able to get my butt to the gym, take a shower AND have breakfast before I even checked my emails and made my way to the office. Oh, those days were glorious. I felt on top of the world. I would walk up to my desk with a glow that only the ‘morning’ people can comprehend. And I want that freaking glow back.

So, for the whole world to see, I’m gonna lay out my ideal morning routine here and maybe – oh, maybe – this public display will help keep me accountable. Oh, and also, I would love to hear your tips on morning routines. So, here goes…

• First things first – Self care:
  • Sip a glass of water with lemon to awaken that little head of mine
  • Get my vitamins and supplements in, cuz 2020
  • Cuddle my cats while listening to smooth jazz
  • A good sweat sesh’ or some yoga to get my bones moving
  • A pamper party to make myself all pretty – mind you, I prep my outfit the night before… And change it a hundred times over. Relatable?
• Get my head on straight – Mindset:
  • A quick meditation
  • Some journaling
  • My daily affirmation practice
  • My morning podcast over a cup of joe
• Start the day right – Productivity:
  • Make my bed
  • Plan my day
  • Get that to-do list grooving

This seems like a pretty heavy task list, but most of these go together and can be done in no time. Or so Giulia, the early bird says. Giulia the snoozer is going “Heck, no!”

How about a 7-day challenge? If I stick to this routine for a week, what could be my reward? Oh, yes, there definitely needs to be a reward. That is the basis of habit formation. Now, rewards, that’s a fun topic. My favorite guilty pleasures… Stay tuned.

‘Til next time,
Xx Giules