It is the winter where I am at in the world and that means snow. Normally my morning routines don’t change that often, I do try to make sure all my routines are as universal as possible so I can maintain a routine. I am terrible at routines, but I have been getting better out figuring out what works for me. The winter typically means one thing for me and that means laziness because I really don’t want to go outside and workout. I also can’t quite enjoy being outside because its wet, cold, and uncomfortable to just sit and stare into icy frost.  Winter is the best to read and relax at home. Since I am a Grad Student who has classes in the late afternoon and doesn’t have a job, I hate waking up early. I want to start to wake up and it is my goal, but I don’t really have a good enough reason to wake up at 5 am. My University is around 1 hr away and I can’t just drive there to workout and come back. My classes aren’t demanding, as my physics classes were so I can’t fill the time with studying. I also don’t have children to take care of, so I am pretty much able to clean and cook whenever I feel like it for my husband and me.

As I was sitting there making New Year’s resolutions, I did manage to figure out what I could possibly fill my time with. If I woke early such as 6 am or 7 am, I could pray, do yoga, strength exercises, and make breakfast for my husband in the morning. I would also have plenty of time to do other things I want to get done in the morning. Studies have shown that human beings are more active in the morning and we can regulate our most important tasks, such as writing and working in the wee hours and leave other tasks like cleaning for the middle of the day. Of course, these studies ignore that some people are just wired to work better at night, while I used to be able to work best I night, I do notice as soon as I wake up I typically feel more productive. I’m not always productive in the morning, in fact I find it easier to memorize new Bengali vocabulary while I sit in class bored. I am what I call a person who needs to be “inspired” to be productive. If that sounds crazy and dumb, it is and it’s frustrating.  Lao Tzu said “If you correct your mind, the rest of your life will fall into place.”

The quote above reminds me that I can become something better and I need to make healthier changes. I don’t need to wake up at 5 am to be successful, especially since I honestly don’t have anything to fill that time at the moment. My morning routine will and does consist of waking up early, either 6 am or 7 am. As soon as I wake up, I typically scroll Instagram, a bad habit but it helps me keep my eyes open. This is one habit I would like to break and just roll out of bed. When I am done rolling out of bed, I make wudu and head to the living room to pray salat. At this stage, I might start cooking my breakfast or make tea, while I pray. I find it the easiest to begin yoga, after salat because the Muslim formal prayer is very similar to yogic stances and helps ready my body and mind. I used to do night yoga in Highschool and run after school, but moving to college and becoming shy ruined that for me. I’m terrible at routines if something changes or if I’m “not in the mood.” These are things I am trying to destroy in my brain and just force myself to be productive, because when I am productive….I am honestly less stressed. If you have extreme anxiety like me some calming exercises like yoga or salat do help. Either in the middle of the yoga or after, I will do pushups, crunches, squats, and lunges to help me strengthen my muscles at home. If I remember I will begin dikhr or meditation, for a short bit. What I say varies, but lately I like saying “Qul huwq allah ahad” which translates to “Say God is one”.

I’m not a yogurt bowl person or someone that eats a smoothie in the morning. I need savory for my mornings to feel complete, and what I eat would probably shock most people (sometimes I eat ramen). I will either eat yogurt with an egg and toast, avocado toast, or leftovers in the morning. If it is Monday, I’ll check if Hulu has a new Bob’s burger’s episode and watch that while I eat. Lately, though I’ve recognized that when I do watch something after I eat, I tend to become lazy and not anything I planned for the rest of the morning. So I’m going to have to take out my Quran, language books, and work, place it next to me so I understand that after I am done eating I need to start being productive again.

You’re probably thinking when do I get dressed in this time frame and wash my face…etc. After I eat, I will get dressed and wash up, which is why I need to stop getting distracted by Hulu or YouTube. I have no problem spending the entire day in PJs, like none whatsoever and find it pointless to hurry up and change into “fresh clothes”. If I am at someone else’s home, then yes, I will change. Changing one’s clothes does set the mood for the rest of the day, so I do see the importance of changing after I exercise or after I eat. It is important in morning routines to recognize things that trap you and force you to become unproductive. Is opening your laptop a gateway to be distracted? Even if you use your laptop to be successful in the morning, perhaps don’t open YouTube or video streaming services that might distract you.  No one is saying don’t use your devices for videos that help you in the morning, in fact, that’s great but when you sit there for hours watching videos instead of doing what you plan…well, that’s bad.

I have a long way to go to make my morning routine the best thing ever. One way I end up with the challenge is by watching “Morning routine” Youtube videos, even those “spiritual ones”. This was going to be a blog about a perfect morning routine and how awesome I am, but I can’t lie. I don’t have a perfect morning routine, I don’t make coffee at home because I think it tastes weird when I make it. I am not sure what I am doing wrong but it always ends up wrong. Help! I also hate waking up early, I could go to bed at 7 pm and still unable to wake up at 7 am. I did learn recently some people are just wired not to wake up early and sleep later, its in our DNA. That doesn’t mean we aren’t productive as soon as we wake up, it just means we can also be productive when we are alone and closer to other people’s bedtimes. We all have up and downs when it comes to our routines and our lives, the best we can do is tweak ourselves to be the best us. The best you could mean waking up at 5 am and getting work done before anyone else in your household wakes. It could also mean staying up late when everyone is asleep in your household to get work done. I will be 25 tomorrow, and I will begin my month-long routine challenge in waking up at 6 am and being productive. Afterward, I will write a blog post updating you guys on my routines!

Stay tuned!