"I've always loved the idea of having a beautifully structured, many-step morning routine. I imagine waking up early, gliding through a series of grounding habits, ticking off a few items on my to-do list, and stepping into the day already feeling accomplished and purposeful. And in theory, I should be great at this: I'm a morning person, I work from home, and I usually wake up early."
"But even with that extra time, I found that I'd load my mornings with way too many expectations - plans to journal, stretch, meditate, tidy up, respond to emails, and maybe even sneak in a walk. Instead of feeling centered, I ended up rushing, abandoning half the tasks, and starting my day with the sense that I had already dropped the ball."
"As someone who's single and has no kids, I wouldn't say my mornings were necessarily hectic, but mentally, they felt overcrowded. Plus, I juggle a lot of freelance work, and although that comes with a flexible schedule, I always have a million little things to do. At some point, the pressure of trying to squeeze in chores, self-care, and a bit of work before the morning was over made me realize that what I needed was less expectation."
A heavily scheduled morning routine with many planned habits created pressure and rushed starts instead of calm and accomplishment. Expectations to journal, stretch, meditate, tidy, respond to emails, and add a walk crowded mental space and led to abandoning tasks and feeling like the day already started off poorly. Living alone with no children and juggling freelance work increased the number of small tasks that felt necessary before the day began. During a busy week, the routine was reduced to two non-negotiable tasks—reaching out to potential sources and folding clean laundry—and completing those tasks produced immediate relief and clearer momentum.
Read at Apartment Therapy
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